Chapter 2, Integrating

Why would he do that? Why would he let her in? He's never let someone in who killed over 6? Carl mused to himself and decided to stay as far away as possible from the new member of their group. As promised, she took them to a large ware house thing. First, Carl thought she was luring them into a trap. It was surrounded by walkers! They were fenced in too. She then lifted up a carpet and a trap door.

"It's to keep people from stealing it". She said. The group seemed to collectively nod in realisation. She led them down the tunnel and it was about a minute to walk. She came to the third trap door. All the others were traps to other rooms filled with walkers. She was very cunning. He made another mental note to ask her before he touched anything.

The trap door went into an office room. Through the dusty window, he could see three pens of animals. One was distinctly white so he reckoned sheep. On what very small and moving quickly so chickens. Another... He squinted.

"Pigs" She answered his unsaid question. She turned to address the group. The whole building is self sufficient. I come back here every week to replenish the feeders. I have a little machine that rations it. The vegetables and fruit are grown on the roof. You can come see if you want." She turned to a steal cabinet and opened it with a key. Inside was a ladder that she started to climb. The next mental note, was to ask her where she got all these ideas from. He went after her an emerged in another world. There were flowers of all colors and sizes. Apples, Oranges, Cherry's. Carrots, lettuce, cabbages you name it! His mental notes were full so he blurted out the next question.

"How did you do all of this?" He asked the girl. She turned away, a sad smile playing at her lips.

"My family did it." She went over to an arch covered in tiny yellow flowers.

They went around the garden and realized there was more than enough to keep a stable life at the hospital. Each fruit/vegetable was in four or five different patches at varying degrees of maturity. She must have really worked hard. It was like the whole area was a greenhouse. She explained that there was indoor drainage that went into several water butts that were measured to collect the right amount of water for all the plants for a month. when they were full, they were full. There were back up ones inside in case there was a dry season.

"Mama and papa were always waiting for the world to go to shit. They knew something was gonna happen. I guess that what was prepared for society to fall worked pretty well for a zombie apocalypse..." She trailed off and looked at the six rose bushes. Each one had a stone by them with a name, DOB, DOD and a small verse. One was bigger and held two names. Doreen and James. James born 1968, Doreen 1970. The most loving parents a girl could have. There was one for a baby. Lila. Two ten year olds Mickey and Dan. One for a middle aged woman who was the girls godmother and one for a 80 year old man. She had to bury her entire family. Carl changed the way he looked at the girl. Sure, his mother was taken but he had his dad, his sister and the rest of them. She was alone. Completely alone.

"Thank you." He said to her. With all the sincerity he could muster. She smiled sadly as she turned to him. She knew what he knew about her. She then motioned for them to come over to the railings. There was a little ladder that lead down to a ten by ten foot fenced area. The walkers growled and tried to reach their hands through the fence. Under a dust sheet... Was a Harley. A real, big, Harley. Daryl whistled.

"That's a beast. It yours?" He went to touch it but she smacked his arm away.

"Mine. The one thing i will not share with you" She grinned and Daryl grinned as well. She was fitting in nicely.

So, she opened the gate and got on the bike. "You know how to get out?" They nodded. She hit the gas and said "Good. Race ya!" So she sped out and Daryl closed the gate. Carl went running through the doors and up to the office. Everyone managed to follow. Carl remember how many doors they passed before they got to the one without a booby trap. When he opened it, he was glad to see that she wasn't there. As he turned to help out the others, he saw her high up in a tree eating what looked like a Twinkie.

"So slow." She said as she took another bite. She threw him another one of the delicious golden bars. "Hide that, before they see it". She said winking at him. He put the culinary gold into his pocket. He made sure it was well hidden just as the others started to file out of the trap door. The drive back was uneventful. They all talked like friends though. It had been such a very long time since they knew they had food for as long as they need it. When they got back, they regaled what they ha seen to the rest of the group. Daryl and Rick cleaned out a room for the girl that had given them new life.

What they didn't know was just how useful she would be.

She had been with them for a whole season. It was turning into autumn. The food was always available and she told them how they would still get it to grow in the summer and winter. She used mirrors and glass to bounce the heat and light around the green house. She was such a sad girl but she had earned a nickname. Care bear. This had stemmed from yet another 'What did you miss most?' conversation. They had gotten onto cartoons they reckoned that Judith may had liked and they got onto the Care Bears. Willow had never hear of them so we made them out to be monstrous creatures that preyed on children. She just laughed and said 'I don't remember anything called a care bear, bet i was a dull kid. Or just civilized'. She was so funny and Carl couldn't help but admit, she had grown on him a bit.

One day, they were out hunting.

"Carl..." she started as we got to a clearing. It was really dark. We often hunted at night as it always seemed like the woods were quieter. Easier to hear walkers and less likely they'll see them. She was gutting a woodchuck. he let her do that job after he took it down. She didn't like it but it meant that he would be carrying.

"Yes?" He answered. She turned from her work, wiping the back of her hand across her brow, smudging some blood onto her white skin.

"What do you honestly think of me? you never pushed me when i told everyone how many humans i had killed... Do you feel sorry for me-" She stood up, close to his face. She was at least three inches shorter than him, had a cute little dimple right on her lip and her eyes... He had never noticed how blue they were. "Or do you fear me?"

He honestly didn't have and answer. but what tumbled out of his mouth next, was embarrassing to say the least.

"I'm fascinated by you". He whispered. He started to lean ever closer until they heard a noise. They broke eye contact and turned. There were walkers. No. Other humans. They knew as they were running. They dropped to the floor. Splayed like they were dead. They heard them come closer. One man paused.

"These must have just been bitten. Shall i shoot them?" Willows eyes snapped open. She looked over the Carl who had the same look of panic on his face.

"Yeah" Came a voice from their right. The guy above them cocked his gun. As he was about to shoot, a shrill scream cut through the night.

"Leave them." Said the voice again. "They wont be able to catch us when they turn anyway". They started to move off in the direction of the scream. As their footsteps died off, they sat up. As frequent forest hunters, they knew that the wind had carried the scream from further to the right than the direction they had taken. They knew, that that was the scream of a child. Neither of them could resist helping a little girl. Carl because of Sophia and he guessed Care Bear had her own reasons. They went towards the creek. They found a girl, no older than 6. Silently, Care bear got her on her shoulders and ran. Carl had the game. They ran very fast with their respective loads. They had had to learn that to survive.

When they got o the hospital, they took the morgue tunnels. They burst through the doors.

A while later, they had the little girl, Sadie, tucked up with a drink of orange juice.

Carol was asking questions. The little girl wouldn't answer. When Carol tried to touch her ankle, she screamed. Maggie saw blood seeping through. She asked to look and the girl shook her head.

"Please sweetie. You don't wanna get that infected hey?" The little girl thought for a moment and showed her the ankle. She had been branded. To Carl, it looked familiar. Willow got called to help dress it. Still, the girl wouldn't speak. When the first gauze was taken off everyone heard a loud gasp. It had come from Willow. She came forward.

"No... This is why you ran away isn't it? It was your taking day... A Six girl..." She reached down to her own jeans, and lifted them. They revealed the number 10. That's were he saw it. A heart with a number in it. One day when hunting, Willows trousers had ridden up. He saw a burn. The girl looked at her, eyes filling with tears. She reached for Care Bear, hugging her waist. Everyone in the room left to let the girl cry.

A few hours later, Care bear came out of the room.

"She's asleep... I suppose you want an explanation..." She hung her head. Anyone that was not already looking turned to her.

"Non of you know who i really am. The reason i killed so many... I was kept. In a place like hers. I fought myself out. I knew how to shoot guns from my papa..."

Everyone stood, silent. Til, at last, Carl spoke up.

"What- Where were you kept?" He looked at her head, her eyes at the floor. She looked up, tears in those beautiful blue eyes.

"The heart... They dealt in people". Carl didn't understand.

"Soldiers? She's way too young..." She stepped back into a chair.

"Not soldiers... Slaves. Sex slaves..."

The room was silent.

Okay guys, I apologize. For some reason i haven't been able to get on. Before then, i was diagnosed with clinical depression and serious anxiety. Haven't been in the best way to write. I'm back now though. So... Yeah.