Chapter Seven

Sophia's energy astounded me. I was unaware someone so small could have so much exuberance and urge to go - though I guessed the need for her mother had a great deal to do with it. She seemed to enjoy the hike much more than myself, often taking the lead with Toby and even scoping out ahead a little.

I was hesitant at this, unsure if I wanted the girl too far away from me incase a walker passed by and I was too late to get to her. The reassuring presence of Toby eased me slightly, knowing that the dog wouldn't let any harm come to her. I kept an intense vigil though of the area, being extra careful just incase.

"I hear the river." Sophia called out, excitedly and I quickly jogged up to catch her. She curled her hand into mine and we made our way towards the river together.

"We keep following it and we should reach the creek some point soon." I stated as we stood on the banking of the rushing river. "We should keep a look out for somewhere to sleep along the way and we'll make camp as soon as possible." Sophia nodded and we moved on.

"You know what I like about you?" Sophia mused after a good ten minutes of walking. My attention was divided between looking out for a suitable place to sleep and keeping an eye out for anything that wanted to kill us. At first I thought I had imagined Sophia's voice, but she was looking up at me with a smile and I raised an eyebrow in question. "You don't treat me like a child." I was stuck for words for a few moments.

"I don't?" Sophia shook her head. I hummed at this. "I haven't been around children in a while so I suspect my skills are a little rusty." I shrugged, Sophia smiled.

"When we find my momma and my group, are you going to stay with us?" Her eyes were round with wonder as she waited for my response. I genuinely had to think before I answered that one.

"I don't know." I replied, honestly. "I wouldn't want to intrude for starters, you can hardly expect them to take in a stranger."

"But you're not a stranger, you're Ruby!" Sophia said, without missing a beat. "And you saved me. I won't let them make you leave." I smiled faintly at the firm tone of the little girl and didn't say anything else. "Do you want to stay with us?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today." I murmured, knowing I wouldn't hear the last of her questions either. Sophia shrugged and waited expectantly. I sighed deeply. "As you know, the last group I was with were bad people. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not hesitant and nervous about finding your group. I'm sure they're all lovely people, it's just my trust isn't what it used to be." Sophia was quiet for a long time.

"They're not bad people, I promise." Sophia breathed quietly, her voice soft and timid. "It's not nice to be alone out here and I don't want you to carry on being alone now." I stared down at the twelve year old and wondered how long she must have been running before I got to her. I couldn't imagine the fear she must have gone through all alone in the forest. Images of her frightened face when I found her still haunted me; they were a definite contrast to the smiley face I was used to now.

"We'll see, huh?" I squeezed her hand. "First lets focus on finding your family and deal with that part later." Sophia nodded and smiled before pointing to something ahead of us.

"That tree looks comfy."

Laurent questioned my broken nose. I ignored him. Michonne attempted to speak to me more during duties. I ignored her. At night, Sarah still cried herself to sleep and during the day she was merely a hollow shell, avoiding all eye or physical contact from anyone. I ignored her.

It was merely a week after that night and the men came back for more. This time they took Clare. I was on laundry duty when they came and could only watch from a distance as they dragged her away. Michonne was sat by the fire and kept her head bowed as usual. My sister was no where to be seen, which I was thankful of. When Clare returned, she wasn't crying like Sarah. Instead she busied herself with jobs and her duties, probably in an attempt to forget about what had happened.

The situation we were now in dawned on me and though I was taking Michonne's advice and ignoring it, my stomach still clenched with fear every time the figures of the men passed by our section of the camp. Most of the time, they were only passing by or even just to collect their clean clothes and such. But each time I froze in fear and kept my head down as if making eye contact would seclude my fate as their victim.

It was Jessica who I was more worried about though. She had caved in on herself after that night with Sarah, shutting pretty much everyone out; more so than she was doing before. I was worried, though slightly relived that she wasn't reacting rationally about our predicament. She was ignoring it, like me. Perhaps she was a survivor too?

The men's part of camp was somewhere I rarely ventured over to. But today I was collecting dirty clothes and so it was necessary. I bit the inside of my cheek and picked up the wicker basket, not before ignoring Michonne's pointedly gaze, and headed over with an attempt of a long, confident stride.

I was met with jeers and obnoxious remarks from the men, though I held my chin high and endured it. Smiling got me through it and potentially saved me from whatever they were hinting at with their vulgar words.

"Hey, laundry girl." A voice called. I turned around and saw a man I did not know walking towards me. The sneer on his face said it all and I silently dreaded leaving Toby back in my tent.

"Do you have anything for me to clean?" I asked, politely. He sniggered and stopped in front of me.

He was an older looking man who looked to have muscles beneath his black shirt, but were not as visible as some of the other men in camp. His face was rough looking, his nose pointed straight and his lips turned up in a sickening grin. He had long, dark hair which appeared greasy and sleek in the sunlight. The clothes he was wearing were dark and military like and I held back the urge to roll me eyes at his formal stance. Instead I held his gaze and waited for a reply.

"You're Laurent's girl, aren't you?" He asked, ignoring my question. I swallowed before forcing a nod. I didn't like being referred to as 'Laurent's girl' but I was heeding to Michonne's warnings.

"One of them." I forced. His eyes trailed up and down me like scrawny Joseph's had when we first arrived.

"Name." It was a demand, not a question.

"Ruby."

"The older one?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." He nodded once before smirking again. When he leant in, I smelt what could only be described as the stench of alcohol and something foul."You be a good girl now, we wouldn't want anything to-" A pause. "Happen to you or your sister." That was a threat if I'd ever heard one.

With one last sickening smile, the man left me stood alone with the laundry basket held loosely in my arms. I swallowed hard again and debated retreating back to the women's section, though knew I had more laundry to collect. The consequences would be worse if I didn't get this done. I forced myself to carry on moving, trying to ignore the man's words and his horrible, lingering stench.

I got it done quite quickly and I practically ran back to the women's camp, dumping the laundry down at Michonne's feet for her to do. She raised an eyebrow at me in question. I didn't answer, but instead sat myself down by the fire, running a hand through my hair.

"You seen something you shouldn't, Kid?" Michonne asked lightly. I chewed my lip in thought for a few moments before sighing.

"Just a horrible, horrible man." I muttered, breaking the long going silence that had drew out between the pair of us. Michonne chuckled dryly.

"Aren't they all?" She retorted. "Seems like all the good men are now trying to kill us." I breathed a laugh. Michonne studied me coolly for a few moments.

"How long have I been here?" She shrugged.

"A few weeks, maybe a month or so. Time isn't really much of an issue anymore, is it? You got places to be or something?" I shook my head numbly. Michonne snorted. "It would be better if you did. Right now, anywhere seems better than in here."

"Why don't you just leave?" I demanded, eyeing the woman carefully.

"I plan to." Her answer was simple and light again.

"Then why haven't you done it yet?"

"I'm waiting." The silence dragged on between us again and I frowned into the fire.

"Waiting for what?" Michonne's face lit up with a smirk and that was as good as I was getting. Her face was illuminated in the flicker of flames and I knew I wouldn't get a proper answer.

"Laurent was looking for you before." Michonne changed the subject abruptly. "And your sister."

"Good for him." I muttered. "Where is Jessica?" Michonne raised her eyes to mine and held them harshly. I suddenly felt uneasy. "Where is my sister?" I demanded in a furious tone. Michonne said nothing and I all but growled at the woman.

I jumped to my feet and rushed to our shared tent, opening it to find only Toby occupying it. She was supposed to be here. My stomach dropped and my breathing became uneasy. My hands trembled as I backed away from the tent and rounded on Michonne - who had gotten to her feet now and was facing me.

"Where is she?" I breathed, my voice a stutter. Michonne tilted her head to the side, the implications saying it all. "When did they take her?" Michonne chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Actually by my judgement, he didn't take her. She went more than willingly."

"What?" I asked, confused. "Who is he?"

"The boss."

The new tree wasn't as comfortable as the last, but we made do with it. Toby lay by the roots, content as always. Sophia was on a higher branch than me and occasionally would knock my own leg with her swinging one. After this, she would let out a giggle and I would roll my eyes into the darkness.

"Go to sleep." I sighed after I had tied the pair of us firmly to the branches and was preparing to settle for the night. More giggling. "If I have to come up there, then there will be trouble." My threat was drawling and tired. Sophia saw through it.

"I can climb higher than you." Was her giddy reply.

"And I have a gun." I regretted saying it immediately, not knowing how she'd take the dark humour, but Sophia didn't seem to care. She just let out a series of more giggles before seizing all leg swinging. All was content for a few moments. Though of course, Sophia just had to break it again.

"I can't wait to introduce Toby to Carl." She began. "He loves dogs and he'll love Toby."

"I'm sure Toby will be glad to have another friend. He's probably bored of my company after so long." I muttered in reply.

"How old are you, Ruby?" I chuckled at the abrupt subject change.

"Older than you."

"Well, duh!" I raised an eyebrow at her sass.

"Hey, cheeky!" Sophia giggled.

"You didn't tell me how old you are." She pointed out, matter-of-factly. I snorted.

"I know." I could practically imagine Sophia's pouting.

"Are you older than twenty?" She asked. I could sense the guessing game coming on and I smiled slightly.

"Yes, though I'm flattered that you think I could pass for twenty."

"I didn't say you looked twenty, I asked if you were older than twenty." I visibly raised an eyebrow at her new level of cheekiness.

"Someone wants a smack." I murmured. Sophia giggled again.

"Twenty five?"

"Older."

"Thirty?"

"Older."

"Forty?"

"Are you seriously saying I could pass for forty?" I cried, distraught for a moment. Perhaps my feminine stubbornness was coming through? More excessive giggling.

"No, you look younger. Thirty five?"

"Younger; I'm thirty three."

"Thirty three?" I frowned at her surprise, unsure if I should offended. There was a pause before Sophia added as an afterthought; "You look younger." I snorted.

"Thanks, but thirty three is still young." I pointed out. I was hardly saying I was sixty three!

"You're more than twice my age!" I actually forcefully laughed at that. The kid amused me a lot.

"And that makes me old, does it? I must say your maths is up to scratch though. It's a good thing your mother and Mrs Grimes are keeping up with your school work. Maths isn't so useless after all. " There was a pause from Sophia and I waited with a smirk on my face.

"Shut up." I had to grip onto the branch for laughing so much. Sophia joined in and I imagined what we must look; sat in a tree and laughing as the world around us had gone to shit. We must have looked insane!

I felt like a mother waiting for their child to come home after being at a party all night. I was sat in the middle of Jessica and my tent, Toby asleep beside me, facing the entrance and waiting for Jessica to return. When Michonne first told me that Jessica had gone off with 'The Boss', I was all but ready to search the entire camp looking for her. Michonne quickly calmed me down though, telling me that she was not forced out or dragged. She was smiling actually. I still felt sick with fear.

I was all but ready to drop off asleep when I heard the sound of footsteps nearing the tent. I swallowed hard, debating whether I should pretend to be asleep or stick to my guns. There wasn't really much time to decide as Jessica appeared between the flaps as she slipped herself in, zipping the tent up behind her. In the dark, I knew she was eyeing me carefully.

"Is there a reason you're still awake?" Jessica asked, drawing the words out slowly in a patronising way. What struck me was her calm nature, though I wasn't sure if I should be pleased or worried about that.

"Where have you been?" I shot back. Jessica froze in the middle of getting herself into bed for a brief moment, before she carried on rigidly.

"None of your business." She muttered, stubbornly. I glared at her silhouette.

"It is my business, now answer me." I hissed. Jessica snorted and blatantly ignored me. It was then that the smell hit me.

It was a strong odour of alcohol, dirt, sweat and sex. it stuck in my throat for a few moments as I calculated the situation. A familiar stench lingered too, but I couldn't quite place it. I swallowed down hard, before turning to face my sister, who had laid down in her makeshift bed.

"Did he force you?" I demanded.

"I told you, it's none of your business."

"Jessica, for God sake! Did he?"

"No!" She cried, making me flinch.

"Why?" I breathed. "Why did you-"

"Why did I what?! You've never cared about my sex life before, so why do you now?" Jessica asked, harshly. "I wasn't forced into anything, I chose to do it. And guess what, I enjoyed it and I intend to do it again."

"Have you not seen what those men are doing to the other women?" I retorted, repulsed by my sister's words. "How can you willingly go with one of those monsters after what they've done? They don't care about you, Jessica! You're just some play thing to them!"

"You jealous that he picked me instead of you?"

"Aren't you the mature one." I hissed. "If you're gonna play it like that, then I'm telling Laurent."

"You'll do no such thing." Jessica sat up and I knew she was glaring at me. "Why don't you just fuck off and leave it alone? I don't need your help. I don't need Laurent's help. You think this is the first time I've slept with him? Jesus Ruby, it's been happening pretty much from the start and you haven't been any wiser. It isn't your business so butt out and fuck off." She collapsed back down and the silence dragged on, only the quiet breathing between us heard.

I hauled myself to my feet, ducking my head and unzipping the tent flap. Toby leapt out without even a request and I follow after him, zipping the tent up behind me and leaving my sister to wallow in her delusional glory.

The campfire was merely an ember of a flame and I wasn't surprised to find Michonne accompanying it.

"Don't you ever sleep?" I muttered, sitting myself beside her. She chuckled, patting Toby's head lightly as he sat down in front of us.

"I've been waiting for your sister to return; like you." She told me.

"Did you know that this wasn't the first time?" I demanded. She didn't reply, but that said it all. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"There's plenty of things I haven't told you, Ruby. That was merely one of them." I met her gaze evenly again and sighed.

"What the fuck is going on?" I muttered. "Everything is going to shit and I don't know what to believe anymore." I glanced over my shoulder at the tents before angrily throwing a stick into the fire.

"You want something to believe? Then you listen to me." Michonne said simply. There was a pause as Michonne glanced over her shoulder briefly before turning back to me. "Your sister has made the worst choice, I guess you know. I thought the pair of you were alike when you first arrived, but it turns out I'm wrong. She's weak. Jessica is much like the other women in this camp; she is stupid and foolish and weak."

"That's my sister you're talking about." I muttered, half-heartedly, my tone not having the same venom in it. Michonne sensed this and chuckled before continuing.

"She will become much more dependent on this camp than the others and that is dangerous. Anyone in their right mind would realise what she is doing is stupid, but like I've pointed out, she is a foolish girl. I can't tell you what to do with your sister now, Ruby. My advice would be to ignore it, but I sense that's something you would find difficult. I would not suggest telling Laurent, that would make her harder to retrieve. All I can solidly suggest right now is that you pray." I laughed.

"I'm not one for praying." I admitted with a sigh. "Were you some kind of wisdom counsellor in the old life or something? You seem keen on all this deep, meaningful speeches." Michonne chuckled again.

"I was a lawyer actually." I raised my eyebrow at the woman and snorted.

(Author's Note): Quick update! Are you pleased? I've actually got the next chapter pretty much done aswell, just a few tweeks here and there - I've been a busy bee! But I'd like to see what you think of this chapter before I post the next (which I have a sneaky hint you'll all enjoy!).

I know that there may be a lot of action to take in when it comes to Ruby's old camp, but I guess that's the whole 'charm' to it all; charm being the wrong word. What does anyone think of Jessica's actions or Ruby's reactions to it? And for Ruby's age, she was actually supposed to be younger, but I thought that someone in their twenties was a little too young and so I boosted up her age.

Apologises for all the F-bombs in this chapter too. I'm not really one for swearing in fiction, but I guess this fandom is a little more mature than the others. If you think it's too much, I'll boost up the rating. :)

Thanks again for your reviews, I'd love to know what you think of the next installment. I should have the next one up as soon as possible!