Chapter Twelve
"Are there any sheep on this farm?" Sophia asked, voice full of wonder.
We had been woken up the next morning by Daryl, who told us we had to get moving as soon as possible. I handed out food to Daryl and Sophia from my bag, a tin of tuna for Toby, which went occupanied with the squirrel Daryl had caught and killed the day before. He had cooked it as we got ourselves up and ready and handed out the cooked meat with a grunt. I had stared down at it with apprehension, unsure what it would actually taste like after never eating squirrel before. Daryl must have noticed my hesitation to eat it.
"Ain't gonna kill ya." He had said. I was surprised to look up and see a smirk on the man's face. "Plus, you gotta get used to it if ya gonna be stayin' with us. Squirrel is a delicacy in our group, ain't that right, Sophia?" The girl in question sent me a half-hearted smile in reply, before continuing to eat her own meat, a small grimace on her face. Daryl missed the look and I repressed my own smirk. Instead, I smiled slightly and took a bite. Not bad, I remembered thinking, before eating the whole thing. Daryl nodded his approval and carried on eating his own, a ghost of a smirk on his face still.
Daryl was ahead of us like the previous day, his strides larger than ours, but he made sure to keep well in sight and would glance back every now and again to check on us. Toby had taken a liking to the hunter and remained close by his side. Daryl, himself, didn't seem to mind the dog's company and I was glad to see Toby bounding around happily with his newfound friend. Sophia was my companion like before, her hand in mine and a skip in her step. At her question, Daryl glanced back at us with a raised eyebrow.
"Kinda question is that?" He muttered. Sophia shrugged.
"I like sheep." She replied. Daryl snorted and shook his head.
"It ain't got any sheep or cows." He said. "It has a load of horses though." Sophia grinned at this. "Ya like horses too?" Sophia giggled in confirmation and I smiled slightly. "Your momma's been helping to take care of 'em, suppose ya could probably help 'er when we get back."
"Can I ride them too?" Sophia asked. I saw Daryl's shoulders jolt in a shrugging gesture.
"Have to ask 'bout that." Daryl replied. I saw Sophia's head tilt with confusion.
"Did you ask?" She asked, innocently, no doubt still thinking about the horse Daryl spoke of the day before. The man didn't reply for a moment and that was a clear enough answer to me. I snorted, shaking my head.
"Herschel won't mind."
"Herschel?"
"He owns the farm." Daryl explained. He glanced back at us again, this time he held my eyes. "He's a doctor, I suppose." When he looked away, I frowned. Thinking over the conversation I had had with the hunter the night before, I recalled being told about Sophia's friend, Carl. I gathered that this Herschel was no doubt treating the boy's bullet wound. Glancing down at Sophia, she remained blissfully unaware.
"Is he nice?" Sophia probed. Daryl shrugged again.
"Suppose so." He muttered. Sophia wasn't disheartened by his grumble of a tone, and smiled up at me. I smiled back down at her and squeezed her hand.
Our walking continued at a steady pace, the terrain pretty easy to work our way through. I could feel the energy from Sophia growing at practically every step she took. Her chatter was constant now and I could tell it was growing wary on the man that led us. Whenever she would ask him a question, I would try to answer for the hunter or make conversation with the little girl to save Daryl any more irritation.
Soon though, the trees began to even out and I knew we were getting close. Sophia must have done too, as she tugged me forward quicker with her eagerness. Daryl brought us to a halt in front of a fence and glanced back at Sophia with a slight smile, before gesturing to a farmhouse beyond the fence.
The farmhouse stood tall and large in the middle of the acres of land. It was painted white and had all the quaint finishes that I had imagined on our hike, complete with a porch out front. Somewhere behind the farmhouse stood a barn, isolated and set away from the rest of the farm. In front of the house was a small congregation of tents as well as a range of vehicles, one being a large white RV camper. It was pretty much exactly as I imagined.
Daryl hopped over the fence, before holding his hands out to help Sophia over. Toby crawled his way under the barbed wire, unphased by being nipped slightly by the spikes, and I lifted Sophia up into Daryl's awaiting arms. I proceeded to throw the bags over onto the grass on the other side, before attempting to climb over myself. It was awkward and painful as I nipped myself on the spikes as well, but suddenly there was pressure on the fence, and I glanced up to see Daryl with his foot on the wire. Making easier for me to climb over. He didn't offer me his hand for extra help, merely nodded and let me get on with it myself. I was surprised he would even offer the margin of help that he did and hopped over with the others without any more fussing.
Something glinted on the top of the RV and suddenly I saw a figure stand up. I glanced towards Daryl who shrugged.
"We got someone on watch at all times, probably spotted us by now." He hoisted up one of my discarded bags, which I didn't fail to notice was heavier of the two, and patted Sophia lightly on the head. "Better get you to ya momma, huh?" Sophia grinned and we made our way towards the farmhouse, Sophia beside me was now craning her neck to see if she could make out her momma. I continued to beam at the little girl, a rush of warmth in my stomach now.
There was stillness from the camp up ahead, the figure on top of the RV having jumped down to probably inform the rest of camp. I couldn't help but feel some apprehension as we approached the camp and Toby must have sensed this from me, choosing to remain at my side instead of the hunter's like he must have preferred. I was grateful for his presence.
Suddenly though, figures immerged from between the trees. Their pace was slow at first, as they appeared to judge our approaching group. It only took a moment though before one burst out from the back, pushing their way through the others and ran at full speed towards us. I didn't need three guessed to work out who it was.
"Momma!" Sophia cried, her legs kick starting and suddenly she propelled herself forward towards the oncoming figure. I watched with a smile at the sight as Sophia reached the woman who I knew to be her mother, Without a second thought, the girl had jumped straight into her arms, wrapping her own around her mother.
The sight of the two in reunion, the sound of sobs from the pair of them because they were together again, was enough to make me stop in my tracks and reflect on my journey with the little girl.
We had had an ordeal, despite it only being brief, and there were countless times where I had wondered why I had gotten myself into this situation. I was alone before Sophia, unable to really trust people after what had happened with the other group and my various meetings along the road. But her innocence and vulnerability had given me something to strive to. This moment was what we had set out to do; reunite Sophia with her momma.
Now though, there was a sudden numbness in me. and I realised that I didn't know what to do anymore. My duty had been fulfilled, so to speak. Sophia was with her mother once more and surely would not care if I remained or stayed. I was just her lifeline, her escort, for a brief period in time. I was not needed anymore. Thinking it over though, I couldn't help but frown at the thought of returning back to the life I was living before I had met the little girl. The life that I was on the brink of ending. While I was nervous about starting something with these people, I didn't know if I truly wanted to go it alone again. Though as I continued to stare at Sophia and her mother, I couldn't help but feel as if I was intruding on something personal.
Daryl had stopped in his tracks too and remained somewhere close by, but watched the mother and daughter reunion. He glanced back at me with a unfathomable gaze and I quickly avoided his stare. I hitched my bag up higher, longing for my other one so I could make a hasty get away while Sophia was occupied. My eyes drifted awkwardly to the way we'd come from, back towards the forest. Not missing the action, Daryl raised an eyebrow and took a few steps back, his eyes returning back to the figures in front before he stopped beside me.
"Don't start thinkin' 'bout leaving, again." He muttered. "It ain't worth it."
"I don't belong here." I sighed, shaking my head.
"Fuck that." He snorted, before pointing at Sophia and her mother. "You're the reason that's happenin' right now. You're the reason that little girl is alive. She doesn't want ya to leave 'nd what you've done isn't gonna be forgotten by anyone in this camp. Now, we've just got 'er back 'nd I sure as hell ain't gonna see 'er heart broken after you just jack up 'nd leave her." I met his strong gaze with a raised eyebrow. While I still remained wary, I knew there wasn't a chance in hell I'd be able to get away anyway right then.
"You gonna put an arrow in my ass if I make a run for it?" I joked, earning myself a slight smirk from the hunter.
The approaching figures had gotten closer. Sophia and her mother had pulled back from their embrace, though remained clinging on. I could see now that Sophia's mother was a petit women, with short cropped hair and a kind face. From where we were stood, tears were streaming down her face and a smile was practically bursting from her lips. She gazed on at her daughter with wonderment, as if she couldn't be real. She was everything Sophia had described to me, I could tell. And the look in her eyes as she stared at her daughter once more definitely made the entire trip worth while.
I felt a nudge in my side as Daryl gently shoved me forward with his crossbow to get me moving again. Feeling slightly numb, I stumbled forward and he remained slightly behind me now as if daring me to run. I didn't though and kept walking at a steady pace towards the group, who were now standing in complete disbelief beside Sophia and her mother.
I wasn't met with any judging eyes when Daryl and I reached the group, their attention was far too preoccupied with Sophia to probably care about my presence. Daryl manoeuvred his way around me to stand a little a head of me, before he cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the others.
"You found her, Daryl, thank you, I-" Sophia's mother, Carol I remember Daryl calling her, choked out. She stared up at the hunter with a glazed expression as she held onto her daughter.
"Weren't me." Daryl muttered. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder in my direction and suddenly I felt all eyes on me. "Ruby here saved her. Looked after her since she ran away. They've been lookin' for us for weeks." There was a brief pause of stunned silence amongst the group as I waited for some sort of reply to this statement. I had never felt so nervous than I did, waiting for their 'verdict', so the speak.
Suddenly, Sophia's mother rose to her feet, her eyes staring intently into mine. I expected bellowing for some reason, something harsh to come out of the fragile women's mouth. Instead she took a few steps forward until she was right in front of me before flinging her arms around me and pulling me into a hug. I was shocked for a few moments as she sobbed some more into my shoulder. The sudden contact stunned me and her close presence felt weird. I awkwardly patted the crying women gently, unsure on what to honestly do. Carol pulled away soon though, to save me any more awkwardness, and smiled at me.
"Thank you for bringing her back to me. Thank you for looking after her." She said through her tears. I smiled back shyly and nodded once. She hugged me once more before planting a kiss on my cheek and returning back to Sophia, who was grinning profoundly up at us both.
"I told you, my momma would like you." She stated proudly. I raised an eyebrow and smiled at the little girl before turning my attention onto a man who was making his way forward.
He was tall and thin with shortly cut, dark hair. His face was kind like Sophia's mothers and his chin had a rugged edge to it, light stubble just visible. While he may not have been built like Daryl or the burly man beside him, he still looked strong and seemed to hold himself tall. He glanced at me with a small smile before turning to Daryl with a raised eyebrow.
"Found her nearly gettin' eaten by a couple of geeks after I found Sophia's doll in a creek. Saved her ass 'nd found out she knew Sophia. Didn't trust her till I saw the little girl." Daryl ran through briefly. "Sophia trusts her, Rick." I gathered immediately that this was Mr Grimes - Rick - the one who would decide my 'fate'. Mr Grimes turned to me.
"Ruby, isn't it?" He asked, his voice was deep but gentle. I nodded in confirmation. "How did you find Sophia?" I opened my mouth to speak, but I was cut off.
"Rick, the girl looks exhausted. So is Sophia." It was a thin women with long dark hair. Through process of elimination I gathered this was Mrs Grimes, as Sophia told me the other female - Andrea - was blonde. She had a round face with pretty features. Glancing between her and her husband, I decided quickly they made a beautiful couple. "Herschel won't mind letting her use the shower and I can find some clothes for her. Same for Sophia. Then you can start your interrogating."
Rick glanced back at his wife, meeting her gaze, before nodding obediently. Turning back, he was about to say something to me when the largely built, tanned man behind him spoke up.
"Really Rick? We don't even know who she is and we're gonna let her in the house?" The shaven headed man piped up. I only had to glance at Daryl's angry stare to know who it was. Mr Walsh as Sophia had called him or Shane as Daryl had. At the moment, his expression appeared angry, turned up in a scowl that made him appear intimidating and I couldn't help but shy briefly away from his gaze. "The hell you bring her here for, you hillbilly?" Daryl made a move forward, though Rick held out an arm to stop him.
"She saved my little girl," Carol cut in, her stare directed angrily towards the man. "I will not let you throw her out. She saved Sophia and brought her back to us."
"Well, that's all fine and dandy, Carol," Shane spoke, flailing his arms around in an outrageous manner. "But we don't even know her motives."
"I wasn't aware I needed motives to look after a little girl." I muttered suddenly, my intentions being for only Daryl who stood closest to hear. I silently cursed myself when I realised it was louder than intended, when Shane turned his heavy glare towards me.
"The fuck-"
"She saved Sophia, Shane." Mrs Grimes cut in harshly. "Leave it at that." Shane stared at her for a few long moments before snapping his jaw shut and folding his arms across his chest. Mrs Grimes let out a sigh before turning to me with a soft smile.
"I'll see if we have anymore clothes spare that'll fit." She stated, kindly. I nodded my thanks before hoisting my bag up higher and patting Toby carefully on the top of his head.
With that, the group began to move back towards camp. Sophia turned and gave me one last cheery grin before taking her mother's hand and expressing her desire to see Carl. I watched her go with a strange feeling in my stomach, but trailed calmly after the group, keeping my pace slow. Daryl remained glaring at Shane's back as the large man stomped his was back towards camp before turning to me.
"Told ya." He muttered, taking the bag from my shoulders and nodding towards a tent set apart from the others. "I'll keep ya bags till your done. Don't mind me lookin' through them do you? Gotta be sure." I shook my head and nodded to Toby.
"Look after him too?" Daryl shrugged and began to make his way over towards what I assumed to be his tent. I paused for a moment before sighing. "Mr Dixon?" He stopped and turned to me with a glare. I sent him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I meant Daryl." Quickly, as Daryl remained staring on expectantly, I fussed about on my belt for a few moments before unhooking my knife and gun. My bat was already shoved into one of the bags and I held out my weapons towards the man. He raised an eyebrow. "I'm unarmed now. Suppose it'll make it easier for you people to trust me?"
"Suppose it will." Daryl murmured, taking the items from me and nodding once. He turned away again and grunted for Toby to follow. The dog did and I sighed once more before making my way over to where Sophia was stood with her mother, waiting.
"Ow." The unconscious figure grunted suddenly, startling me from my silent work.
The injured man had been placed inside one of the smaller tents and had been restrained tighter than he was before. When I arrived, I found four men sat outside, playing cards, who nodded at my appearance. I was told to inform them when he woke and that I was to clean him up the best I could. I wasn't much of a nurse but I knew it was hardly as if these men cared about that bit of information. I had cleaned up his handless stump and rebandaged it with a new one the best I could, hoping briefly that my methods were correct. After that, I had set about working on his smaller injuries, which just appeared to be scratches and cuts here and there. I was trying to be careful, as to not wake up the man. But apparently my luck had run out.
The injured man grumbled a little and I moved back a little as he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. His eyes darted around the tent before he set his gaze on me with a glare.
"Ya better get me the fuck outta this right now, sugar tits. Or I'm gonna do summit real ungentleman like. " He hissed, darkly. I swallowed hard before turning away and picking up the mug of water. I shuffled closer to him, carefully, and he moved backwards as I did.
"It's just water. It isn't going to kill you." I muttered. He eyes me suspiciously before letting me pour the cool liquid into his mouth. "Does anything hurt especially? Like your head or-"
"I'm fuckin' fine, ya bitch." He snarled. I raised an eyebrow and sighed.
"I tried to clean you up but I don't know how much I've helped." I pointed vaguely to his right arm. "I'm no nurse, but you're lucky that hasn't become infected." He grunted once at this. "How'd it happen?" Yet another glare.
"Mind ya own." He hissed. I rolled my eyes and sighed, getting to work clearing up the bloodied bandages and all the rags I had used to clean him up. I could feel the man's eyes on me for a few moments before he let out an exhausted groan. "Ya gonna get me outta this shit or what?"
"I couldn't even if I wanted to right now." I replied, earning myself a glare. "I've been ordered to call for the men when you wake up, so I suspect you start acting nicer if you want me to prolong doing so." His eyes narrowed again, but he didn't make another sarcy reply. "I'm Ruby, by the way."
"'Nd I couldn't give a shit." I eyed the man carefully before sighing.
"You sure are a people person." I pointed out, quietly. I could practically feel his glaring gaze in the side of my head as I continued working.
"Yeah, because bein' a people person is sure fuckin' essential now, ain't it!" I shushed him quickly. "Fuckin' shush me-"
"They'll hear you." I explained quickly and the man was silenced, not before groaning slightly. "I'll ask you again, is there anything else hurting?"
"Ain't nothin'." He grumbled. I sighed again.
"What have you done to piss them off then?" I began.
"Ain't done shit." He grunted. "I ain't got nothin' to tell you either." I nodded once and glanced at the tent flaps where the sound of laughter from the men outside could be heard.
"You know what these people are?" I began, turning back to the man and talking in a quiet tone. He didn't move so I continued. "They're not exactly your usual 'meet and greet' kinda people." He titled his head in my direction, setting his dark eyes on mine.
"What of it?" He grumbled. I swallowed hard.
"Lets just say you probably shouldn't get cosy any time soon. Things can get out of hand here and those who piss them off, usually don't end up so pretty." It took the man a record of three seconds before he snarled in my face.
"Is that a threat?" He spat, loudly. I shushed him quickly again, glancing over my shoulder and relaxing when I heard the laughter again.
"No, it's a warning." I replied. "These people are beyond fucked-"
"Suppose if ya with them, that makes you fucked too." The man cut in with a grunt. I shook my head.
"I ain't." I said, firmly. "I'm trying to escape, which I think it exactly what you want right now too."
"Fuck ya gettin' at?"
"Work it out." There was a long pause before the man spoke again.
"Is this some kind of fuckin' joke? Ya tryin' to soften me up so I'll trust ya 'nd tell you shit?" He demanded, leaning forward. I shook my head again.
"Certainly not." I breathed. "I know you don't trust me, but I'm telling you this anyway." The sound of laughter dying caught my attention and I knew my time was up. "I'm going to go tell them you're awake and then they'll go get him. He wants to talk to you, but I don't think he'll kill you. Not yet anyway. I'll be back later." I stood up and made my way over to the flap.
"Oh, girlie." The man grunted before I left. I glanced over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Name's Merle." I smiled slightly and nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Merle." With that I left, and came face to face with the laughing men. Now they were staring at me with expectant faces. I swallowed hard. "He's awake." I told them, blankly. They were in motion immediately and I scuttled away back to the women's side of camp to find Michonne.
I couldn't put words to the feeling of a warm shower. It was like heaven and I relished every moment as I scrubbed myself clean of dirt and dried blood. Mrs Grimes - or Lori as she wished to be called I found out - had left me some spare clothes and some of her toiletries to clean myself with. The best luxury of them all was the hair brush, and I was finally able to take out my knotted bun and tame my wild mess on the top of my head. Eyeing myself in the mirror after I'd done, I was pleasantly surprised at the woman looking back at me.
Gone were all the dirt and blood stains that layered my skin before, my skin was clean once more and I couldn't help relish the sight and touch of it. My dark hair felt soft once again, a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time, and almost felt lighter upon my head. Now I didn't look like some rabid forest hermit, I took in my features once more, feeling like I hadn't seen my face truly in so long. Which was no doubt true as mirrors were definitely not a luxury item I carried on me. I studied my face, not sure I liked how thin it looked now, though knew I couldn't do anything about it, the lack of proper nourishment was at fault for that. While I had always considered myself a plain looking girl, my eyes an ordinary brown colour and my nose only of average shape, I couldn't help but run a finger across my slightly chapped lips with a frown. My parents and past boyfriends had always commented and provided compliments for my smile, something that I couldn't quite see myself and yet I always felt warm hearing it. I personally didn't see anything above normal from my pale lips when they curved up at the sides, though seeing them battered and chapped now saddened my slightly. I could imagine by smile wasn't so beautiful anymore.
After cleaned and refreshed, I left the sanctuary of the bathroom and came face to face with an Asian boy in the hall way. He appeared to have been waiting, having seated himself on the floor, and stood up when I exited the bathroom. He fiddled about with his hands nervously for a few moments before smiling slightly.
"Hi," He greeted. "I'm Glenn." I smiled in return, baffled slightly by his appearance.
"Ruby." I held out my hand for him to shake, which he did. "Have you been waiting to use the bathroom?" I asked, gesturing to the room I had probably occupied for over an hour and I felt guilty immediately.
"No, no, I just came up here to thank you for what you did for Sophia." He blurted out awkwardly. I swallowed hard, unsure if I really deserved so many thank yous.
"You're welcome, I guess." I replied, shrugging. There was a brief moment of silence before Glenn coughed awkwardly.
"And I've come to get you. The others are all waiting downstairs for you. They have some questions." He explained with an apologetic expression. I nodded.
"I would expect so." I sighed. "Lead the way." I smiled, which Glenn returned before he bounded down the hall with his lanky strides and I followed him down the stairs and into the crowded living space.
I expected the stares when I appeared, though I was grateful when Sophia stepped forward and hugged me briefly. Her actions relaxed me and I smiled in return when she grinned up at me. She stepped back and did a less than graceful spin.
"Look at my new clothes." She announced. Instead of her t-shirt and pants from before, she was now wearing overly large floral dress with sandals. Her hair had been washed, brushed and tied up, she looked much cleaner than she did before. We both did.
"Very nice." I murmured in agreement, hating the silence and attention we were getting. Sophia seemed to be unaware of it or just didn't care.
"It's one of my old ones." Sophia's mother piped in. She was smiling at her daughter, tears still in her eyes. "Far too big for her, but she still insisted on wearing it." She chuckled, taking Sophia's hand and smiling up at me. I smiled back and turned towards where Mr Grimes was stood, awaiting the bombard of questions.
The room was beyond over-crowded, far more than the number I was expecting. I was hesitant by the ratio, though thankful that I was stood by the exit incase I needed it. Sophia remained close by my side, flanked by her mother on the other. She seemed so content and radiant as she gazed around the room. She was not so intimidated as I was. She was happy to be back with her family again, that much was for sure.
"Daryl's told us his side of what happened." Rick began, breaking the silence. I spared a glance at the hunter, who was leaning against the wall with Toby at his feet. "Obviously, his part isn't the bigger picture." The leader looked between Sophia and I, and I couldn't help but see the suspicious glint in his eyes. When I glanced around, I was met with that same glint in each and every one of the group. It was mildly comforting that Daryl and Carol were the only ones who appeared to trust me.
"I'm unarmed and only one person," I began, hoping to rid the matching looks on each of their faces. "You outnumber me in number and strength. I have no interior motive for looking after Sophia. I found her, looked after her and brought her back to you. That's it, no secret intentions-"
"You think we'll believe that you'll risk your neck to save some strange girl? Because I hardly think this little 'rescue mission' was without any difficulties." It was Shane again. I raised an eyebrow at the burly man.
"Wouldn't you if you were in my position?" I threw back, trying to keep my voice calm. He didn't reply.
"Ruby here has a point." An elderly man spoke up suddenly. His suspicious glint was gone now and he turned to Rick in a defiantly strong manner, despite his contradicting get-up consisting of a fishing hat and Hawaiian shirt. "Is it so hard to believe that people still have morals in this world? We judge her because she's done a good thing. Surely we shouldn't be demanding her motives, but rather praising her actions." He gestured to Sophia with a smile. "We don't know what could have happened if she hadn't have done what she did."
"Always the high and mighty, ain't that right Dale?" Shane snorted, folding his arms across his chest. The elderly man - Dale I assumed he was now - sent Shane a dark look and then ignored the younger man completely. I turned to Rick, who was studying me silently.
"Please don't make her leave, Mr Grimes." A quiet voice from beside me piped in. I felt my stomach clench as Sophia spoke. "She isn't bad. She and Toby have looked after me." Rick's expression turned soft when he stared down at Sophia.
"How did you find Daryl?" Rick asked finally. "How did you know where to look?" I swallowed hard before replying.
"We went to the highway first, but you were gone by the time we got there." I explained.
"We left a sign." A blonde woman - Andrea, I gathered - spoke then. "Didn't you see it?" I met Sophia's gaze and nodded.
"Yes we did." I replied. "But we couldn't stay."
"Why not-"
"Use ya brains. Hardly think ya need three guesses to work that one out, blondie." Daryl muttered, cutting her off. Andrea stared at him for a few moments and he stared back with a raised eyebrow, before she nodded slowly.
"We found a church, but you were ahead of us so we were too late. Our intentions then were to head to a creek as we believed you'd need to stop for water." I continued. "When we first got there, there wasn't anyone and we intended to carry on to a town further north. Sophia left her doll though so I went back for it." I nodded in Daryl's direction. "I ran into Daryl and you know the rest."
"Ain't that God's miracle-"
"If it's so hard for you to grasp the fact that there are still good people in this world, then I think it's about time you kept your mouth shut unless you have something productive to add." Another elderly man cut in suddenly. His eyes were blaring and held Shane's. "This is my farm and if you wish to stay then I suggest you listen to what I say rather than throwing your weight around." There was a stunned moment of silence in the room as the two men stared each other down, tension ran high.
It was broken only when Shane made a grunting noise and stormed out of the room, making sure to knock me hard with his shoulder as he passed. The front door slammed and I glanced around the room again. They were all equally as shocked as I was by his departure, but composed themselves quickly and turned to Rick once more.
"I'm not going to cast you out." He said suddenly with a sigh. "You're free to stay, we have enough room in camp." I smiled my thanks at the leader, which he returned.
"I do have one request though," The owner of the farm - Herschel - said. I turned to him. "This is my farm and as you are now going to be staying here, I would like you to hand over all your firearms." I nodded immediately.
"That's fine, though Daryl has all my weapons anyway." I replied. Herschel turned to Daryl, who nodded in confirmation.
"We don't have enough tents for you to have your own but-" Rick was cut off profoundly.
"She can stay with Momma and me!" Sophia cried, grinning up at me. Carol smiled beside her, and shrugged when her daughter looked her way.
"The more the merrier." She stated, kissing her daughter's cheek.
"Daryl also said there is something else that you're going to talk to me about." Rick continued. I nodded tensely and opened my mouth to explain, only to be cut off.
"Probably best ya hear the girl alone, Rick." Daryl muttered, eyeing his leader. Rick glanced at him then nodded before turning to his wife.
"Sophia, sweetie, would you like to come see Carl with me. He's been asking about you." Lori smiled down at the little girl. She led Sophia and her mother out the room and a door shut somewhere in the house.
"T-Dog and I'll go find Shane." Andrea announced, turning to the dark-skinned man beside her, who nodded. The pair departed too.
"And Glenn and I need to be getting back to the RV. Got a lot of work to do." Dale grinned to the younger boy, patting him on the back and leading him out. As the passed, the elderly man nodded to me with a warm smile.
The ones that remained in the room were Rick, myself, Daryl, Herschel, three unnamed women and a young boy.
"Herschel, I suppose it's only fair for you to stay." Rick said, attention on the old farmer. He nodded.
"Thank you, Rick." He then turned to the other unnamed people who I assumed were his family. He nodded once to a woman with short brunette hair, and they left aswell to do whatever business they needed to do. I was left alone with the three men and felt a little relaxed now the room was less crowded. "Take a seat, dear." The old farmer said, gesturing to one of the small armchairs in the room.
I obliged. Rick sat himself down on the sofa with Herschel, while Daryl settled himself down on another armchair, Toby at his feet. I was surprised I wasn't jealous by Toby's new dependent attention-focus, but was happy that he finally had found a friend that wasn't myself.
"Tell 'em what you told me." Daryl muttered suddenly. I glanced at him then back at Rick and Herschel. I sighed and nodded before telling them my story.
"I used to be part of an old camp." I explained. Rick nodded, but didn't interrupt. "At first, it was just my sister, myself and a man called Laurent. But we came across a larger group. They had secluded themselves to a fenced off football field, which had a lot of protection from the dead. They had a lot of people in camp and when Laurent came across them one day we were welcomed in and at first, we thought we were safe.
"There was a women's part of the camp, where my sister and I, along with the other six women, were sectioned off from the men to do all the domestic jobs and work for them. I didn't like the idea of this at first but I was told it was how we would pull our weight as the men were all preoccupied with protection and supply runs. Laurent was made right hand man of the whoever was in charge, I didn't actually meet him until later on though I knew people just called him 'the boss' or 'the Governor' as he preferred. Like I said, there was only six women when we first arrived, a little proportion compared to the number of men. I was suspicious at first by the camp, though I was reassured constantly by Laurent everything was fine. That changed though one night.
"I found out quickly that the men didn't only use the women for domestic duties." I swallowed hard. "I was working one evening when some men walked over. They left me alone as I was busy doing work, but took one of the other women, only a young girl, away with them." Each of their expressions were similar; stone still and hiding fury. I gathered they'd already guessed where my story was leading. "It happened frequently after that, usually once a week at least." I looked down at my hands, intently, trying not to relive the memories.
"And you escaped these monsters?" Herschel asked. I nodded.
"Yes; myself and two others." I replied.
"Where are they other two now?" Rick asked. I thought for a moment before replying, memories coming back to me.
"We got separated. They're probably dead now, and if not they certainly think I am. Either way they're not looking for me and I'm not looking for them." I said, meeting Rick's gaze. "I gave up searching a long time ago. It's just Toby and I now."
"This group, are they nearby?" I glanced at Daryl before turning to Rick again.
"The reason why Sophia and I couldn't stay at the highway was because they were there." I told him. "They got ambushed by some of the dead though, so we were able to get away quickly. I was spotted by Laurent, the man I started out with. I don't think he'd give me away, though he saw me so I don't think they'll have moved camp very far if he had a say in it." Rick raised an eyebrow. "I think Laurent cares enough not to betray me to the Governor, though he won't stop until I'm back in camp. He think I'd be safe there." I had refrained from telling them about my previous meetings with Laurent after leaving the camp, unsure how they'd take them.
"Do they pose a threat?" Herschel asked, voice tight. I swallowed down the lump that kept creeping into my throat.
"They're strong and dangerous, but I'm unsure by how much they're numbers have been reduced since the attack on the highway. They have weapons, which I'm sure you do too. In my opinion, they are a threat. Though I don't know if there's even a chance they'll come across this place. They prefer to stick to open roads and towns, where they can house their large numbers." The two men on the sofa nodded.
"Thank you, Ruby." Rick said, smiling slightly. His expression seemed strained though and I gathered that it was due to the information I had just given him. He turned to the hunter. "T-Dog is on watch tonight, you need to rest." He told Daryl, firmly. "Take Ruby to Carol's tent with her stuff, Herschel and I need to discuss a few things." He ran a hand across his face and Daryl rose.
"Unless there's something else you think is important to tell us, my dear?" Herschel asked, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.
"No, that's it." I responded weakly. The older man studied me for a few moments before nodding. I gathered I was free to go, so rose and followed Daryl towards the door. I stopped though before I did, turning back to the two men. "Thank you, for letting me stay." Rick smiled brightly at me.
"Thank you for what you've done for Sophia." He replied. I smiled slightly in response and left the room, following Daryl out of the farm house and towards camp - which I could now call my new home.
(Author's Note): A monster of a chapter! The longest by far, I reckon. And a quick update, I sure am spoiling you! This is to make up for my rubbish updating and also to keep you filled whilst I have yet another busy week. This will be the last update, I reckon until Thursday at least, so hopefully you'll forgive me for that!
A lot going on in this chapter! Sophia's reunion with the group - which I definitely don't think I've done justice too. And there's the introduction to the group and the farm. Again, I think I'm rubbish with characterisms, and Shane is one I'm worried about here. I hate to make him 'the bad guy' all the time, but it's difficult sometimes. Please tell me if you think a certain character wouldn't act a certain way and I'll change it. I hate it when canon characters are OOC. And of course there's Merle's portrayal - lot's of effing and jeffing on his behalf, I'm afraid. Anyone want to work out how Ruby makes her escape AND who with? ;)
Thanks for the reviews/favourites/alerts so far. I appreciate them a lot! Fingers crossed I'll have an update up for you lovely people soon.