Hey guys sorry I haven't updated in the last couple of days the truth is I started this story on a different website and I've actually gotten up to ten chapters and after I post it I just plum forget to post it here sorry about that! Also thanks to those who followed and favorited my story! Also thank you Goldenfightergirl who pointed out that my paragraphs were too long. Sorry about those guys I write like I talk fast and without a breath. Again sorry about the wait here are two chapters for your enjoyment!
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Chapter IV: The Way We Live Now
I was worried. More worried than if ever been in my entire life. They had left yesterday and had still not come back. I walked around the campsite like a zombie myself and my attitude showed it.
"He'll be fine you know," Carol said from the place she was leaning of cooking breakfast.
This consisted of some homemade biscuits (that Carol made herself with the leftover flower and some bird eggs) and meat made from said bird. It had gotten trapped in one of Daryl's traps and I cut its head off with my axe. I had completely forgotten it from so many days of non-usage and when I heaved it down I realized I had cramps in my muscles. I would have to cut wood or do something to keep my strength up and that is what I was doing at the moment. I looked up at the older woman with confusion.
"Who," I asked trying to play it cool. "Daryl," she replied with a smile," we all see how you too act around each other."
I was embarrassed by the thought of the others in camp talking about me and Daryl and I blushed.
She giggled, "See I knew it." "Is it that obvious," I asked hoping it wasn't. If everyone else could see it then so could Daryl. "Oh yes," she said and my heart dropped.
If Daryl knew and he didn't have "feelings" I was permanently screwed. I went back to chopping the wood, and before I knew it there was no more to chop.
"All done," Shane said as he wondered over from his tent, Carl and Jacob trailing behind. "Yeah I think so," I said leaning against my axe and wiping sweat off my forehead. "The boys and I were going to go hunting," Shane asked cautiously," and I wanted to know if you were ok with letting Jacob go?" "Please Lillie please," Jacob begging giving me his doe eyes.
I was worried I knew that letting him go would give him a chance at life and learn a survival skill but he was still seven and I didn't want him to suddenly not need me anymore. This was the day I had regretted for my whole life ever since I'd laid eyes on the small little blond puff swaddled in a bright blue blanket. I looked from Jacob to Shane and back to Jacob.
"Do you have your gun," I asked. Jacob pulled it out to show me," I always do." "Alright, but...," Jacobs cheers drowned out the rest of my words.
Shane laughed. "Mom can I go," Carl begged his mom. "No, absolutely not," she replied and Carl pouted. "Lillie you can't possibly think that's a good idea," Lori asked me bewildered. "Lori we have to face the facts," I replied, "Jacob needs to learn how to shoot for food; he needs that skill to survive this world." "He's a kid, he needs to learn to read not kill," she yelled at me. "I for one think Lillie's right," Andrea said. Her and Amy had come out of the camper and were listening to them. "No one asked you," Lori spat at Andrea.
Lori turned and walked off fuming. It was quite for several minutes before everyone went back to what they were doing.
"Hey Sofia," Jacob said walking over to where she sat next to Carol around the campfire. "I'm going hunting; do you think I'm brave?" I chuckled at this.
Give them a few years and a few inches and I'm sure there would be fighting amongst the camps two youngest male members. I thought of Lori and our argument and I dropped my axe and made my way over to where she had walked off.
"Lori," I called out once I got closer to her tent. "What," she said her voice full of anger. "Can we talk," I replied and walked in.
She sat on the ground crying over a picture of baby Carl. "I'm sorry," she replied bursting into tears. "I know you didn't mean it," I said getting down on my knees and hugging her. "It's just he's growing up too fast." "I know Jacob is to, but you've got to see my point," said to her. "I do it's just, this whole new world doesn't give them a chance to be kids, to grow up with friends, and not know the bad part of life. To be innocent. It terrifies me that he won't need me anymore.
That he will be fine on his own and kill those things without mercy," she replied. "I know, but that's just something we have to live with now, we have to be strong for them and let them grow up." She nodded and stood up. "Your right, this has to happen wither I want it to or not," she said looking at me for several minutes. "I will let him go hunting with Shane," she finally said and turned around.
"Alright make sure you watch your surroundings at all time and you never leave sight of Shane an whatever he says to do you do it," I told Jacob looking into his eyes. "You to Carl," Lori said kissing him on the head. "Gross mom Sofia's watching," Carl said.
I chuckled and we watched them walk off into the woods with Shane.
"I thought I had more years to get ready for this," Lori said, "I don't think I'm ready." "Come on let's go into the camper," I replied.
Amy and Andrea left the camper fishing poles in hand and picked up Dales boat.
"Where are you two headed," Lori asked. "To fish, see if we can catch something for dinner, Amy said. "We'll good luck," I said as I watched them leave. "So," Lori said as she sat down.
I started to boil some water for tea using the kettle on the stove. "So...what," I asked? "You and Daryl," she asked giving me a quizzical look. "What about us," I replied again acting causal like I was in aware of the camp prying into my personal life. "I trust you Lillie, even though you are not that much younger than me," I raised my eyebrow at this.
On a good day Lori was at least ten years older than me but I didn't push that subject.
"I feel like you are the daughter I never had," she continued. "And I worry about you and him. He has a horrid temper and his brother is twice as bad. I just don't want to see you get hurt," she replied concerned. "Don't worry about me I can handle any problem Daryl throws at me," I replied. "But I'm not even sure he has feelings for me." Lori snorted as though she knew something I didn't. "What," I asked. "I've seen the way he looks at you," she replied pouring us some tea. "He loves you and you love him you two just don't know it yet."
Several hours later Amy and Andrea returned with dinner. "Not bad even with the wrong knots," Andrea said. "I'll help you skin them," I said to Carol. "Are you sure about that," she replied teasingly. "Yes," I said playfully slapping her on the shoulder. "I'm getting better don't you think?" "No not really," Lori said sarcastically. "Here you can help me with the sauce," Andrea said gesturing towards the RV.
I walked inside with her and helped her fumble through some cook books to find a simple sauce that we could make with the small amount of ingredients we had. After a while I looked up to see her going through the cabinets that didn't have food in them.
"What are you looking for," I asked her. She walked over to the door and looked out as if making sure no one was coming, she then came back and sat down across from me.
"I've been counting down the days on the colander and...," she said pulling out a beautiful dolphin necklace," tomorrow is Amy's birthday and I need something to wrap this in." "Here I said getting up and walking over to Jacobs bag.
I then pulled out a red shirt that he'd grown out of and had no use for anymore.
"Cut this up and use it," I said handing it to her. "Are you sure," she asked. "Yeah Jacobs grown out of it, I was thinking about making a bandana out of it anyways." "Thank you," she smiled.
"Lillie," Jacob called out running out of the woods carrying a big rabbit in his small hands. "Did you catch that," I said speechless? "Yeah Shane taught me how to shoot my gun," he said proudly. "He's got great aim," Shane said as he and Carl made their way over to the campfire. "Look momma," Carl said showing her his squirrels.
He smiled showing a gap in his teeth. "What happened to your teeth," Lori asked horrified. "It came out when the gun hit me in the face," he said a little too loudly.
He looked over at Sofia to make sure she'd heard it. "Oh my poor boy," she said. "Mom I'm not a baby," he replied. "You will always be my baby, even when you have your own babies," she replied kissing his face. "Ewe," Jacob said at her baby comment. "You too little man," I replied and laughed with he made a sick face.
Carol sat to work skinning the rabbits and the squirrels in hopes that she could make soup to go along with our fish fry. I helped her by cutting up some vegetables to put in with the meat and when I was down I put a pot of what to boil and added the vegetables and what was left over of me and Andrea's sauce. Morales friend the fish and soon the grey smells of a hearty dinner filled the camp.
Jacob and Carl told us about their hunting adventures of the day and at one point got so excited they acting out how Shane had taken down the fastest walker they had ever seen. Everyone laughed at their takes and as we sat around eating the best meal we had had in a long time we forgot about our pasts, we forgot about the walkers, and even forgot about the group who was still in Atlanta, and just had fun like normal people should.
Screams filled the night sky. I grabbed Jacob dropping his soup to the ground.
"Go to the camper," I yelled at him and he fallowed orders running towards Lori and Carl.
I grabbed my axe where I had dropped it and turned to the creatures pouring out of the woods like ghosts. I swung at the closest one decapitating it, and then slammed it into its head so that it didn't move again. I swung and swung killing them left and right. Then I was grabbed from behind and pulled to the ground by one of them. I dropped my axe in surprise and it got on top of me. Flashbacks of Gregory we my through my mind as I struggled to keep it from biting me. My arms were getting tired and I knew that I couldn't hold on anymore. I prayed that Jacob would grow up right that Rick and Lori would be good parents, I prayed that no one else died, and I prayed that Daryl knew that I loved him. When my arms gave way I waited for the walker's impact but it never came I looked up to see an arrow protruding through its skull and I cried out for him.
"Daryl," I screamed over the growls of the hungry fiends and the walker was suddenly lifted away from me.
Then I was in his arms. "Are you bit he asked," looking me over. "No," I replied, "go to the others."
He nodded and took his gun shooting the one that go to close. I hurried up to the camper killing them as I went. I killed a walker that was about to attack Dale and a shot rang out in my ears next to me I turned around to see a walker that had been inches from sinking its teeth into me.
"Don't hurt my sister," Jacob said and I took him in my arms.
We fell to the ground in a fit of sobs. "I doesn't feel like when you kill a rabbit," he said to me tears streaming out of his eyes. "It never should buddy it never should," I replied holding him against me.
I looked around at chaos around me. The shots and the screams, the blood and the tears. This was it this was our future. A curse to forever is unsafe. A life of kill or be killed. This was the way we lived now.