Chapter 3
Not what I thought
...
Otis funeral was a tense event. It was obvious only half of the people felt the loss and the other were doing their best to pretend. They didn't had a body or a way to do a tomb stone, so they just piled a large amount of big rocks, each of the presents letting a rock on the pile.
Barbara walked to the cart where they had put the rocks, took one with both hands and placed it softly on the pile as Hershel read from the bible, his firm deep voice, feeling ominous. After her, Blake stepped in, and placed a rock too. He then returned to his girlfriend side and took her hand firmly. Barbie knew he had resented the loss more than her, Brett or Isabelle, because he had bonded with Otis in the month they had knew him. He taught him how to hunt and track, which was weird at first because Barbie knew before everything happened, Blake barely had held a gun.
But to be honest, and she would never admit it to anyone, she already felt better. She had felt Otis loss yesterday, but the night had seemed to take those feelings away and now, she was just putting on a sad blank face because she couldn't admit that. That she had gotten it over already. No, she actually felt annoyed. The guy with the crossbow from Rick's group, Daryl, kept throwing nasty looks at her. At first she had thought he just looked at everything and everyone that way, but no. He was reserving a discrete glare for her. She didn't get it and she didn't like it. But she didn't want to piss him off. She needed his help after all.
"Praised be to him for the gift of our brother, Otis," Hershel continued closing the bible he had been reading. "For his spared years, for his abundance of character. Otis, who gave his life to save a child, now, more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you God for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived in grace."
Hershel then turned.
"Shane," he told the cop, "will you speak for Otis?"
Barbie looked at the Shane and she detected in his face something else besides surprise. She wasn't sure what, but she felt it wasn't good.
Shane looked down, looking overwhelmed.
"I wouldn't know how. I'm sorry."
"You were last with him," Patricia told him, her voice choked by her grief. "Will you share his final moments?" She asked, her eyes begging him. "Please... I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."
The man nodded, looking overwhelmed by sadness.
"We were about done," he started speaking. "We were low in ammo and we're outnumbered by the ten. I was limping. It was bad. My ankle swollen up.
Shane made a pause.
"'We gotta save the boy' that's what he said," Shane continued looking around. "He gave me his backpack he shoved me ahead. Run, he said. I'll take the rear I'll cover you. And when I look back..." The look in his face said it all.
Everyone looked shocked and overwhelmed, but Barbara noticed, not everyone. The old man from Rick's group, Dale, he looked like he had realized something about Shane. Something bad.
Shane limped to the cart with rocks.
"If not for Otis," he continued. "I'll never make it out alive... and that goes for Carl too. It was Otis... he saved us both," he looked back at Patricia who nodded, sobbing even more.
Shane placed a rock on the pile and Barbara realized she didn't believe him. Somehow, she wasn't sure that's what had happened.
"How long this girl had been lost?" Hershel asked.
"Since day three," Rick replied.
He, Barbara, Brett, Hershel, Shane, Daryl and the blonde woman Andrea, they were around Otis truck's cap.
Then Maggie walked in, carrying a map.
"County Survey Map," she said with a smile, extending the map over the car. "It shows terrain and elevations."
Daryl took two rocks and placed them on the corners so it wouldn't roll up.
"It seems perfect. We can finally get this thing organized," Rick said surveying the map. "We can brush the whole area. Start searching in teams."
"Not you, not today," Hershel scolded him as he were a child. "You give three units of blood. You couldn't hike up three miles before passing out."
That morning, Rick had refused Barbie's offering and he had made all the transfusions for Carl.
The Hershel turned to Shane.
"And your ankle. Push it now and you'll be laid out a month. No good to anybody."
"Guess it's just me," Daryl said watching the map. "I'll go back to the creek. Work my way back from there."
"I can still be useful," Shane added. "Drive up to the interstate and see if Sophia wandered back."
"Alright. Tomorrow then," said Rick. "We start doing this right."
"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives," Shane quickly intervened. "They need the gun training we've been promising them."
"I prefer you're not carrying guns on my property," Hershel said but turned to Rick only. "We managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."
"With all due respect," Shane quickly spoke a little bit arrogant for Hershel's like. "If one of those things wanders to here..."
"We're guests here," Rick said firmly glancing at Shane before turning to Hershel. "This is your property and we will respect that." He then drew his gun from his belt and placed it on the car decidedly. Shane looked at him a bit exasperated before taking his gun, and placing it next to his.
"First things first. Set camp, find Sophia," Rick said looking at his group.
"I hate to be the one asking but somebody has to," Shane said quickly. "What happen if we find her and she's bit? Just to be clear, how we handle that?"
Until then Barbie hadn't had a problem with Shane. He had looked concerned for Carl and Rick, and had brought the supplies. But something about the funeral made her felt uneasy, and now the way he was questioning Rick, almost as if he was daring him, gave her a bad feeling. She liked him less and less with each passing minute.
Rick paused and his mouth set into a line before saying:
"You do what has to be done."
"And her mother? What would you tell her?" Maggie asked, looking a bit horrified by the idea. Barbie got it, though.
"The truth," Andrea replied.
"I'll gather and secure all the weapons," Shane said authoritatively. "Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off site," then he turned to Hershel and Rick. "I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience."
Hershel looked at Shane unsure and then turned to Rick.
"Our people would feel safer," Rick pleaded his case, "less incline to carry a gun."
Hershel seemed to think about it and then nodded slowly.
"Thank you."
Being all decided, everyone walked away. Barbie saw Daryl walking away quickly and wanted to follow him, but she thought it was better if she waited. It would be harder for him to say no.
The next day, Barbara woke up very early. She didn't anyone finding out that she had left until she had. Luckily she didn't share room with anyone but her room was the farthest from the stairs. She would have to be very careful.
She put on her boots, a light pink shirt without much though, her necklace and ring and pull her hair on a ponytail. She washed her face and teeth, pull her hunting knife in her belt and then carefully a crossbow from her closet. Her dad had given it to her. They had found it in the way here but he hadn't a chance to teach her how to use it. She didn't even know he knew how, but now she had someone who will teach her... well, she hoped so.
It was heavy but she wasn't a strange to do exercise and some lifting so she would manage. She put it in her back and took a small cross-bag. It would be useful to carry a bottle of water and some food. She was about to leave, but something hung heavy in her. She wasn't sure about this guy, Daryl. She didn't even know him really. So before she left, she turned around to her dresser and pulled out a gun from between her clothes. Just in case, she though, as she placed it in the back of her jeans and hide it with her shirt.
Now it was the hard part. She had to avoid Hershel and Maggie. Those two woke up earlier than anybody else. She opened her door and found the corridor empty, she crossed it quickly but when she reached the stairs a voice she didn't expect her, stopped her.
"Where are you going with that?" She turned around startled and saw Isabelle, with a messy head and still in pajamas, watching her surprised. Barbie looked around but nobody else came out their room, and Isabelle had the decency to whisper.
"I'm going to look for that girl, Sophia," Barbie told her quickly in a whisper as well.
"And you're going all by yourself?" Her sister sounded worried. "You can't even use that!"
She pointed at the crossbow in her bag.
"Don't worry. I'll figure it out," she was going to turn to leave but her sister stopped her.
"You're not going alone, are you? Who are you sneaking with?"
"I'm not sneaking," Barbie told her annoyed but her sister raised her eyebrows, not believing her. "Fine, I'm going with that guy form Rick's group, Daryl."
Her sister sleepiness seemed to evaporate all together.
"The redneck?"
Barbie looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"That's an insult, Elle."
My sister huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. You shouldn't go with that guy. Have you seen him?"
Barbie knew what she was talking. She didn't trust him but Rick did and Rick was a good guy. If she didn't have a problem trusting Daryl she wouldn't either. Besides she would be careful around him, that's why she was carrying her gun, but couldn't say that around Elle or she wouldn't let her go.
"I know. I know he looks like a..."
"Criminal? Savage? Rapist?"
"Elle!"
"Oh my God! You can't say he doesn't!"
Barbie had enough and she risked been discovered. If Hershel, Patricia or Brett saw her, then she wouldn't leave the house as she had planned.
"Look, I know he doesn't look like someone you'll trust but Rick does, and he's a good man and a cop. And he can help me with this," she pointed at the crossbow in her back. "So please, trust me and don't tell anyone."
She then turned around but she caught what her sister said:
"Just be careful."
Barbie reached the stairs and went to the living room, staying close to the piano. She knew Hershel took his breakfast in the living room pretty early so she had to make sure he wasn't there already. If he was, he probably had heard her already.
The girl took a peak and saw the plates were there but not Hershel so she crossed the room quickly, entering the kitchen that was empty. Not wanting to push her luck, she went to the pantry, took a bottle of water a bar of granola and quickly left before someone came in.
Once outside, Barbara had to look out for Blake, who did the farm chores. It had been strange the first time, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but Otis helped him. Now, he would have to do them alone. She felt sorry for her boyfriend. He had been unusually quiet and depressed these past days, but if he saw him sneaking to the forest alone, he would try to stop and tell Hershel. She was about to surround the house when Daryl appeared, crossing the lawn from his camp. The girl barely had time to hide herself behind the column of the corner of the house. She pressed herself to the wall as the man strode by confidently.
When Daryl passed the house, Barbara looked out quickly and saw he had reached the porch when Rick stopped him. The cop must have been sitting there and Barbara sighed relieved she didn't try to left through the principal door.
Barbara took advantage they were talking and were distracted, to cross the distance quickly from where she was to the bay window on the side of the house. The construction allowed her a better hideout.
She poked her head out again and watched them talk. She couldn't hear a word they were saying, but she saw Rick looking not very sure of what Daryl was spatting aggressively. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all, Barbara, thought. But she couldn't just go back. The world had changed and she just couldn't wait around for things to happen anymore.
She saw Daryl walking away and she then waited for Rick to return to the house or to the porch at least. But in that moment Hershel walked out with a rolled map and a stick and the girl cursed. She wouldn't be able to follow Daryl right away. She would have to surround the house through the forest first. But as if they had heard her, they started walking to the right side of the house instead following Daryl's path. The girl pressed herself to the bay window because if they turned around they would see her any moment now. So she had to be fast. Now or never. She surrounded the bay window that hid her right when they went around the house going to the back where she had been. Once they were out of sight, she couldn't wait anymore and she just ran, following Daryl quickly.
Daryl felt someone following him through the forest but he didn't though it was that much important. First of all, it wasn't a walker. And second, for its steps, it didn't sound like someone with a lot of weight on them. But after a while he became annoyed.
He stopped in the middle of the forest and turned, his crossbow raised, ready to shoot but he knew if wouldn't be necessary, it was more to scare whoever it was.
"I know you're out there! Come out now or I'll shoot you!" He snapped aggressively.
He was actually surprised to see the stuck up girl from the farm, but he dissimulated. He was even more surprised to see her carrying a crossbow and of course, pearls in place.
"Hey! Don't shoot. It's just me," the girl said lifting her hands in the air and approaching carefully because he was pointing at her with his crossbow. He put it down annoyed and glared at her.
"Why are you following me?" He demanded.
The girl didn't let his aggressiveness to get her, even when her heart started pumping a little faster. She forced herself to smile at him.
"I'm Barbie," she said as friendly as she was able but Daryl just buffed, and looked at her from head to toe in derisive way.
"Figures."
She was sure that answer somehow was meant as an insult but she let it pass. Her smile faltered but she still forced it in place.
"Why are you following me?" he snapped again and she raised an eyebrow.
"I wanna help you. You're looking for Sophia, right?"
"I don't need help... or dead weight," and then he turned and kept walking, his crossbow raised again.
Slowly Barbara's fear started to wash away followed by annoyance.
"You don't know me and I'm not dead weight, thank you very much. I can defend myself fine."
His answer was just a snort.
"Why don't you think I'm not capable?" She challenged him, upset. "Because I'm a girl?"
"No, I know capable girls and you sure are not one of them," he pointed out derisively, without even turning.
"I can track and hunt," she told him, hoping that would give her some credit but he just snore and glance at her with a mean smirk. Actually Daryl had almost started laughing at that.
"Nah."
"My father taught me!" The girl replied now indignantly.
"What? To hunt pheasants and foxes with a cavalry behind?" Daryl mocked her and she glared at him.
"Funny," she snapped icily. "Very original too."
She followed him then silently and weighing on the situation. With that joke Daryl made clear what he thought of her, a spoiled rich girl, so she would have to really show him if he was going to take her seriously, without letting him get to her. She could feel her blood boiling but she had to calm down. She also knew from experience that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, especially if you knew a good technique.
Barbie swallowed, taking a deep breath, making her voice as friendly as possible.
"So, did you know Rick before all this?" She asked him trying to make a bit of chitchat, but the man seemed to not hear her. "Daryl?"
She heard him sighed before answering in a curtly way.
"Nah. I met him in my way to Atlanta, when they said it was a safe zone."
"So you're not from Atlanta?"
"No."
And then Barbie was surprised when he asked: "You did?"
"Yes, I lived in..." she stopped mid-sentence because for his insults she knew exactly what was coming once she told him.
Daryl actually turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow the corner of his mouth lightly rising up. It was like he was almost challenging her.
"...in Tuxedo Parks," she said firmly and his smirk widened. But it was a mean one.
"Figures."
She knew it wasn't probably the best idea, but she had had enough.
"Okay, stop it," she snapped at him and he actually looked at her a bit surprised.
"Stop what?"
"This mockery. Yes, my dad had money before. So what? I made it, you know. I wasn't bitching and complaining the whole time. I'm not the spoiled kid you think I am."
They had stopped now. Barbara glaring at the man who was at least one foot taller than her, her eyes shining with anger and Daryl slightly surprised at her outburst. He could easily overpower her, but still she stood her ground, without looking a bit scared. He was actually impressed, but his face remained blank. She didn't need to know any of that.
"You know, tracking is about not making noise," he said, apparently ignoring what she had said.
Barbie glared at him.
"We're tracking a girl not a rabbit," she said to him and then she walked passed him. "Though with your voice she probably is going to run scared, thinking it's a walker."
Daryl glared at her back.
"Funny," he grumbled.
They kept going in silence. Barbie too angry to try and make small talk again and Daryl analyzing his temporary companion. He had to admit she had an idea of what tracking was and she looked confident walking through the woods. But she also looked like she had spent most of her time in malls and heels. He didn't understand how both were possible.
Daryl stopped her then, by blocking her path with his arm and when she looked up at him questioningly, he just pointed ahead. When the girl peeked out of the trees she saw three walkers roaming around. He put a finger on his lips and she nodded, taking out her hunting knife, ready to attack. Daryl lifted his crossbow and walked quickly, firing a bow in the skull of one. The girl was about to follow him but then a strong arm closed around her neck and pulled her back. The girl felt the growl and foul smell behind her and knew it was a walker. It had grabbed her through the space between two trees and left her pined to the tree, his mouth just inches away from her neck. She screamed out of instinct and tried to break free, starting to panic.
Daryl turned around hoping the worst and saw the girl screaming, trying in vain to break free. The tree and crossbow in her back actually helping her to stay away but the walker's jaws were getting dangerously close to her throat.
That fraction of distraction costed him. The two walkers launched at him at the same time. He kicked one away and threw it in its back but the other knocked his bow down, and Daryl raised his arms, holding its mouth away from his face.
Barbara watched Daryl struggling and she understood he wasn't going to help her. He couldn't. But a voice in her head, sounding a lot like her father's, scolded her. She shouldn't need his help. She didn't. The girl heard her dad's voice clearly. Calm down, take a breath and quickly evaluate your situation. The walker was surprisingly strong and even when the tree offered protection, it also was on her way. She couldn't stab the walker without getting bit, and she couldn't reach her gun without letting go of her knife, so there was only one solution. She would have to step as further from the tree as she could, turned around and stabbed him before he could bite her. She would only have a few seconds.
Barbara took a deep breath and forced her hand that was stopping the walker's arm from chocking her away from her. She put her whole weight on it and she could move a couple inches forcing the face of the walker further between the trees and closer to her face. She then barely turned to see where to aim and raised her knife, driving it through his eye. Blood ran down her arm and nape, splatting on the side of her face and then the walker hung down dead, his arm finally releasing her.
Daryl heard her screams stopping and panicked because he couldn't turn to see what was going on. So he managed to kick the walker down and while he was holding it down, Daryl took out his knife and drove it through the walker's forehead. He had barely straightened up when the other walker came from behind, grabbing him. He couldn't even turn when the growls were cut short and the corpse fell down next to him, immobile.
He quickly looked up and saw Barbie white as a ghost, her hands shaking but her eyes blazing. Daryl saw her neck covered in blood and he felt a surge of panic, his heart pumping as crazy. He stood up quickly, stepping to her and brushing her hair to the side to see her neck. It wasn't her blood.
"He didn't get me," she said with a strained voice looking up to him. He grunted and noticing how close he was, he stepped away. His heart was still beating like crazy and he hated to admit that he was scared for her a second there. So he just went and picked up his crossbow and then the bow that was still on the third walker's skull, trying to control his breathing before she noticed it.
"Are you hurt?" Daryl asked her, returning to her. Barbara was still in the same position. She hadn't even put her knife away but she was staring at him with slightly unfocused eyes. She shook her head still looking intently and she finally seemed to snap out of that state. She let the knife fell to the ground and then she quickly took the crossbow from her back, dropping it on the floor.
"I think the crossbow cut me in the back," she said starting to panic because the walker blood was soaking the back of her shirt. Daryl panic came back too and he quickly stepped behind her. The girl stood still, fearing the worst.
Barbara did have a cut, but it wasn't too deep and it was on her shoulder plate away from the walker's blood stain by an inch.
"You have one but it's small and the blood didn't get it," Daryl quickly told her and she sighed. When he had told her he was hurt she had almost fainted but then a relief wave washed her making her lightheaded. She sighed in relief almost laughing, and she was suddenly in such a good mood. Avoiding death could do that sometimes.
She turned around to see Daryl and before he could put a blank mask on she noticed the worry and relief in his face.
Barbie smirked at him.
"So, you can thank me now," she told him and he looked at her confused.
"Thank you?"
"I just saved your life," the girl reminded him with a cocky smile taking off her cross-bag, dropping it in the floor as well. "And prove I can take care of myself."
Daryl was about to reply, to erase that annoying smirk, when she suddenly pulled off her shirt.
"What are you doing?" He snapped, stepping back, but she had a white halter underneath the other.
"Can you help me?" Barbie asked him ignoring him, pulling out a Band-Aid from her bag and handing it to him. She couldn't risk an infection because then Hershel would know she had left.
Daryl took it and she turned around. The walker's blood had stained the white shirt too but the shirt didn't cover the upper part of her back so it wasn't close to the wound. He sighed placing the Band-Aid quickly, as if touching her would burnt his skin. When he was done he quickly stepped back, looking away.
Barbie wiped her hands in her pink shirt and then tied it around her hips. Then she put her bag on, put her knife on its sheath, and picked crossbow from the floor.
"You have to be more careful," Daryl scolded, surprising her and she turned around frowning. "I thought you say you knew how to hunt."
"You didn't see it coming either," the girl reminding him raising her eyebrows. Daryl couldn't answer so he just glared at her and walked away grumbling. Barbie looked at him amused, actually holding back a chuckle and followed him.
The girl carried the crossbow now in her hands because her back actually ached for being pressed against it and the tree. Daryl glanced at her and then at the crossbow.
"That's not a toy, you know. Why don't you use it?" He asked her.
"I don't know how," the girl replied honestly. "My dad found it but... he never showed me how."
"That guy, Hershel, uses crossbows?"
"He's not my dad. He's my uncle," Barbie responded a little bit strained, looking away.
Daryl glanced at her. He noticed her jaw tightly closed so he didn't ask. It wasn't his business anyway. The girl cleared her throat.
"But I'm not sure if my dad knew how, anyway. We never used crossbows while hunting," the girl shrugged. Daryl gave her a smirk.
"So you really hunted huh?"
This time he wasn't mocking her just teasing so Barbara just gave him a look and lifted her chin.
"I did. Birds mostly. He once tried to make me hunt a deer but I hadn't heart to kill him... I did though. After everything happened... I had to. And after we came here, I went with Otis sometimes."
Daryl looked at her.
"The guy who died?"
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," he offered and she smiled lightly. Wow, she had judged this guy big time. Well, his attitude certainly didn't help.
"It's okay."
"So... if you don't know how to use it, why did you bring it?" Daryl asked her then slyly, and when she looked at him, he had his eyebrows rose.
"Fine. I was hoping that you may... want to help me."
"Hum, I have to look for Sophia. I don't have time to give you lessons or some shit."
His tone was snappy but she didn't take it personally this time.
"I'm not saying right now. But what about later, at camp?" She asked him with the friendliest sweetest smile she could pull off.
Daryl just huffed and scratched his stubble, glancing at her.
"What would I get?"
His question took her by surprise. She frowned lightly. She had thought he was different from what she had expected but maybe not.
"Dunno. What do you want?" Her cold tone and expression made him angry. She thought he wanted to take advantage of her.
"Not that!" He spat, blushing lightly and he stopped, facing her.
Barbara squinted still wary, but his reaction actually had soothed her.
"Why not?"
"Are you serious?" He said angrily.
"What? You're a guy. Most of them it's what they want, consent or not."
That only seemed to anger him more.
"Well, I'm not like that! Do you hear me? Why you came here if you though I could hurt you anyway?" He yelled at her and the stomped pass her.
Barbie sighed. She had misunderstood him and now he was really pissed off. She had taken one step forward and seemed like five backwards.
"Like I said I can defend myself," she responded lightly following him but he didn't look at her.
The girl sighed again.
"I don't expect you to try and take advantage of me, Daryl," she told him, trying to soothe him.
"No? Then what was that shit?" He demanded angrily.
"Well, I didn't expect you to ask me for something..."
"Why not? Before all this shit people paid for stuff right?"
She shook her head exasperated.
"Fine. What do you want?"
"For you to shut up."
Barbie glared at him, getting as angry but she needed to fix this. She took a deep breath, swallowing hard her pride.
"I'm sorry I misjudge you, okay. But I didn't know you," she snapped at him and just kept going. He didn't say anything for a while and she didn't push it.
After a while Daryl glanced at Barbara and saw she was carrying the crossbow in one hand, the weapon pointing at the ground. He turned his head and kept his look straight ahead.
"You have to put the crossbow at shoulders length," his instruction surprised the girl who stopped.
"What?"
Daryl sighed, annoyed he had caved in but turned to her.
"The crossbow. One hand in the trigger the other here," he patted the fore-grip of his own. The girl frowned lightly but quickly raised the crossbow as he had told her. Daryl stepped to her and rose the crossbow lightly to the correct position.
"There," he said and then moved a little lever to the left. "That's your safety trigger, now it's off. Have you shot a rifle before?"
The girl nodded and Daryl patted the little scope.
"Not exactly the same but try to do it as if it where one. Got it?"
Barbie nodded again this time smiling and Daryl just grunted.
"It's that all?" The girl asked him teasingly and he squinted at her.
"That's just the basics, now go ahead. Don't wanna you shooting me in the back by accident."
Barbie just rolled her eyes and walked ahead.
Like fifteen minutes later they found a clear and a house in it. It was big but looked completely abandoned. Even the painting was washed off.
Both Barbie and Daryl put the crossbows down and she turned to him.
"Do you think Sophia...?"
"It's possible, let's go," he nodded his head and she followed him. When they reached the porch he turned to her.
"Put the safety on that and grab your knife," he instructed her. Barbie frowned.
"Why?"
He sighed reaching for her crossbow himself and putting the safety on.
"Because you have never fired one and I don't wanna you to hit me or not hit the walker and get bit."
Barbara nodded. He was right after all. And even when she was still aching, she hung the crossbow in her back again. Daryl turned then.
"I'll go first. Ready?"
"Wait, I have this," and reaching behind her, she drew the gun out of her jeans. Daryl looked at her surprised and then he became angry again. One, because he hadn't noticed the damned gun and two because if she had hid it from him it only meant she had planned to use it on him.
"You've carrying that the whole time?" He spat angry.
"Yes, in case..."
"In case you had to use it on me," he said angrily.
Barbie nodded.
"I didn't know you, okay. I just knew you could knock me out easily if you want to. I was being cautious," she told him matter-of-factly and he hated to admit she was right. He would had done the same.
"But I trust you, you know."
"Really?" He buffed.
"Well, a little bit anyway."
He glared at her and the girl rolled her eyes.
"Come on, we haven't all day. Or do you want me to go first?"
Still glaring at her, Daryl rose his crossbow and kicked opened the doors. Barbie was right next to him, her gun up.
The house was practically empty and there was dust settled everywhere. Daryl moved to the first room to his right as Barbie went to the room in front of it. Both check them but there were empty, without sign of someone living there or a walker.
Barbie turned and Daryl looked at her. She shook her head and he nodded. Then signaled ahead with his head to keep going. She followed him to the back of the house where the back door was wide open. She looked at Daryl and she walked there as he checked the room next to it. The back yard was empty. There was just some trash between the overgrown grass but not a sign that someone had gone through there.
She looked at Daryl who also shook his head and then continued to the last room, the kitchen. He entered first, sweeping the area quickly but there was nothing. There was a back room in there and Daryl went to it quickly but it was empty as well. And then he noticed the trash can, a smell catching his attention. He bent and picked an opened sardine can. The girl put her gun down and looked at him questioningly.
"It was opened recently," he told her in a whisper and then his eyes seemed to catch something. She quickly turned where he was looking and saw the pantry door opened.
The girl quickly went there, Daryl almost her shadow and pulled it open.
Both stepped back, but it was empty. There were some shelves with jars on them and most important a blanket and a pillow on the floor.
Barbara turned so quickly that her neck hurt.
"She was here," she muttered and he gave her a grunt.
"Maybe."
Both left through the back door and before Barbie could take a better look Daryl shout at the top of his lungs:
"SOPHIA!" It startled the living lights out o her but she smiled. If he was shouting then he believed she had been there. And probably was still around. "SOPHIA!"
"SOPHIA!" She shout too, looking around for movement, a trace, something.
Barbie turned around to Daryl and she found him a couple yards away crouching while looking at something. She approached him quickly.
"You found something? A trace?"
"No."
She looked at what he was looking. There was rickety bush with two big pretty white flowers in it. She frowned confused.
"A flower?"
"No, it's a 'mind-your-own-damn-business'," he replied grumpily and she rolled her eyes. She put her gun away and pulled out her knife, cutting one of them carefully before passing it to him.
"Here. There you go. And I won't ask," she said matter-of-factly before turning around and walking to the side of the house.
Daryl stared at her back, frowning but found himself smiling slowly. He didn't even notice it.
The flower was now on an empty bottle of water, been carried on Barbara's bag so Daryl wouldn't crush her. Then sun was setting and they were coming back. The girl didn't admit it, specially to Daryl, but she was thoroughly exhausted. She was even dragging her feet. She was sure Daryl noticed but he didn't say anything. He could even walk away but he didn't. He was going at her pace. Maybe he was not that big of an asshole after all. True, he had teased her when she pulled out a bottle of water and an energetic bar from her bag, but she hadn't eaten anything the whole day. It was a miracle she hadn't faint yet. She thanked those diets she had forced herself to do to fit some dress back in high school. Besides Barbie just shrugged at his teasing and offered him half bar and the rest of the bottle. He finished all almost in one go.
"I'm guessing if you tried to sneak upon me, Hershel doesn't know where you are," Daryl told her after a while.
"Hum... yeah. And I wanted to keep it that way, if you don't mind," Barbie replied stumbling a little. Daryl glanced at her.
"You're not fainting on me, are you?"
"I'm fine."
Daryl looked ahead. He could be a dick about it and mocked her or just be empathetic. He was also tired, but he was used to it. In fact, he was surprised she hadn't complained or faint.
"It's hard. The terrain is not regular and the crossbow is heavy," he responded and Barbie smiled at that.
"So you're not going to give me a hard time for being tired?"
Daryl shrugged.
"You haven't complain and you lasted this far. I'm tired too, but I'm used to."
Barbie nodded, too tired to be sarcastic in a way he wouldn't get pissed.
When they approached the end of the forest and the farm was visible through the trees, they stopped. Barbara handled him the bottle with the flower and he took it squinting at her, like daring her to say something.
The girl raised her hands.
"Not asking. But you have to go first."
Daryl grunted and turned to left.
"Daryl," she called her and he stopped looking at her. "Can I come back with you tomorrow?"
"I thought you didn't ask first?" He quipped and she raised her eyebrow, a light smile on her lips showing up. The man shrugged.
"If you can walk tomorrow," he smirked at her and left. She glared at him, but followed him some steps behind, looking around, checking no one would notice her.
She waited behind a tree and watched him walking to the RV. She was actually curious about the flower. She had said she wouldn't ask but that didn't meant she couldn't take a peek. She ran to the RV, as fast as her exhausted legs allowed her and stayed hidden in the side where they wouldn't spot her from the house or the rest of the camp.
She approached an open window and saw Carol, the woman with the short hair next to it. She also saw a bit of dirty plaid shirt so she pressed herself to the side of the RV under the window. She couldn't look to the inside or Daryl would saw her. He was standing in front of Carol, facing the windows, but they were opened and she could hear them.
"A flower?" The woman asked.
"Is a Cherokee Rose," Daryl said, his voice calm and almost gentle. "The story is that when American soldiers were moving the Indians off their lands they let a trail of tears. The Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much because they were losing their little ones on the way; exposure, decease, starvation... a lot of them just disappear. So the elders they, huh, send a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the spirits of the mothers, give them strength, hope. And they said this rose started to grow right out of the mothers' tears."
There was a pause.
"I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother," Daryl continued. "But huh, I believe this one... blooms for your little girl."
If he said something else, Barbie didn't hear it. She quickly surrounded the RV, and hid by the tents then, she fled to the back of the house. She saw Blake far away, working but he didn't saw her. She heard cars in the driveway so she went through the back door quickly. She also heard Maggie coming in and she barely had time to go upstairs after she did, without Hershel seen her, who just entered the house in that moment. Only after she was safely inside her room, she thought about what she had heard.
Daryl had proved her that he was trust worthy, but now she also believed he was a good man. Like Rick. He was caring so much for that girl, more than anyone else in his group, and she decided that she would help him find her. She and Hershel had saved Carl, so why couldn't do the same and find Sophia?
She took off the crossbow and put it inside her closet. Then she went to the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly. The sight of blood swirling down the drain would have upset her before, but not anymore. Once her hands were clean she hid her gun with her clothes and took her knife, leaving it on her nightstand.
As she showered, her stomach grumbled hard. She thought it was lucky she had found some candy in a store while going on a run with Maggie and kept it to herself. She could have her fill before dinner.
As Daryl lay on his tent devouring some beef jerky and crackers, he thought about the day and Barbara. She had surprised him more in just a day than a lot of people during his whole life. He didn't know what to think when she started following him. He had snapped at her and insulted her, and she hadn't left him. True, she had wanted him to teach her how to use the crossbow the whole time and had a gun on her, but still she didn't threat him. She didn't complain. She didn't insult him like he did to her. She even had admitted she had misjudged him, and if he was honest, he had misjudged her just as much. He had thought she looked down on him because of his obvious background but she didn't seemed to mind. He had thought she had depended on other people to last this much, when others hadn't, but she proved him she could survive. She could fight. And he liked that. Very much. That fire when she snapped at him, not letting him belittle her and when she had killed those walkers. She didn't wait for him to save her. And she did save him.
He didn't think Barbara would go with him the next day. He was pretty sure she would be exhausted and wouldn't be up as early as today... but he kinda wished she would come. He could even leave a little bit later... wait for her.
Maybe.