"You two knew each other before all this?" A man in a police officer's uniform stood in front of me, eyebrows perked in interest.
"We were kids together." I said quietly, finally feeling brave enough to meet the officer's eyes.
"So I trust her. She says she ain't with that other group, then she ain't with them." Daryl added. The look in his eyes dared someone to argue with him.
"So that just makes it all okay then, huh? You two played hopscotch together twenty years ago, and that makes it okay to trust her?" The familiar gruff voice sent shivers coursing down my spine. The burly, dangerous looking man that had interrogated me in the shack suddenly pushed his way to the front of the small gathering. I hadn't noticed he was there until now. His dark eyes bore into me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I struggled to hold his gaze, refusing to let him know just how uneasy he made me.
"Back off, Shane. You ain't in no position to be judging nobody." Daryl's grip tightened on his crossbow.
"Oh yeah? And a redneck like you is feelin' important enough to-"
The police officer placed a hand on Shane's shoulder, holding him back. "This doesn't need to turn into a brawl."
Shane quickly shrugged out of his grasp and took two giant strides in my direction. I stumbled back a few steps, remember the feeling of his powerful fist slamming against the side of my cheek. Daryl suddenly stepped in front of me, though, shielding me from Shane and taking me by complete surprise. "You're not gonna touch her." He said in a slow, deliberate tone. He kept his crossbow down but I could see how tense the muscles in his arms were, ready to spring into action at any given second.
"So what? We're supposed to just trust this girl because you do?" Shane growled.
Before he could answer, an older gentleman with a peppered beard and a flamboyant Hawaiian shirt spoke up. "I trust Daryl. If he believes her, then so do I. Has anyone considered maybe she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when Randall was found?"
I felt relief wash through me as I met the eyes of the older man who was speaking up for me, despite knowing nothing about me aside from what Daryl and I had just shared about our past.
"This decision isn't just one person's to make, though. As a group, we need to decide what's in our best interest here. Then, we need to get Hershel's approval. This is his farm…not ours. We need to remember that. We need to have a meeting, inside, now." The officer said. I could tell from the way he spoke and the way the others listened to him that he was a man with authority and the one they all looked to for guidance.
The man called Shane gave Daryl and me a furious glare, clearly in disagreement with this decision. He stormed off in the direction of the forest, where we had just come from. No one stopped him and I knew I was glad to see him go away, at least for a little while.
"You already know how I feel. I'll wait out here with Charlie, keep an eye on her so to speak." The older man caught my eye and gave me a kind smile.
"I'm gunna go git' the truth out of that sorry piece of shit." Daryl announced. He met my gaze for a split second before turning abruptly and heading in the direction of the small shack where I assumed Randall was still being kept prisoner.
"Maggie, go get your father and have everyone in the house get together in the living room. I want to make a decision sooner rather than later." The uniformed man said over his shoulder. A pretty girl with short, dark hair nodded and disappeared into the house. The others on the porch all began to file inside, many casting me curious looks before entering the farmhouse. Finally, it was just the three of us left; the older man, the officer, and myself.
"You don't seem like a threat. I don't think you would have come so willingly if your intention was to cause us harm." The officer spoke to me in a soft tone. He wore the expression of someone who had a duty to fill and had the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. I could see the kindness deep in his eyes, though, and I immediately was met with the feeling that this was someone I wanted to trust. "But I've been wrong before. You need to tell me if you were a part of that other group, though. The one Randall was in."
I immediately shook my head. "No, I swear it. Until you found me that night, I had been alone for two months, maybe more…it's hard to keep track." I paused for a moment, the weight of my words hitting me and I was surprised by how badly I wanted this man, this stranger, to believe me. "Daryl and I were friends for over half my life until…" I hesitated. "…until all this." There was no need to go into the gritty details of the demise of our friendship. Not now anyways.
The officer nodded. "Wait out here. I'm not sure how long this will be. Thank you, Dale." He nodded towards the other man who had stayed patiently silent throughout the entire exchange. The screen door slammed shut as the uniformed leader joined the others in the house.
"Rick is a good man. You can have faith in him." The bearded man smiled at me. "My name's Dale, by the way."
"I'm Charlotte. But everyone just calls me Charlie." I answered.
"Back in my younger years I had a girlfriend named Charlotte. Beautiful name." Dale said, taking a seat on the top step of the porch.
I felt a genuine smile tug the corners of my lips. "Thank you. And thank you for standing up for me. You had no reason to, you don't even know me. But you did it anyways."
"Like Rick said, you don't seem like a threat to me. Just a young woman simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is something we've all been guilty of at one time or another. I'm sorry no one believed you from the beginning." He said quietly.
I shrugged my shoulders. "It's over and done with. I'm more worried about what they're all saying in there." I frowned, nodding towards the house.
Dale chuckled. "Don't get worried just yet. We're good people…most of us. If Rick wants to trust you, then the others might have an easier time following his lead."
"Most of us…" I repeated. "I'm assuming the exception would be that awful military looking guy? Shane?"
A dark expression appeared on Dale's face. "He doesn't have the greatest reputation around here. Not anymore."
I felt my curiosity being struck but didn't press the topic. Whatever the story was behind that remark, it wasn't my business. before I could ask him to explain, Daryl approached us from the opposite side of the yard. He had a smug look on his face, one I had remembered seeing numerous times before. I didn't think I would ever get used to seeing him here, I had grown so accustomed to just thinking about him as a part of my past. Yet there he was, as real as ever.
"Got 'em to talk a little. Didn't say much, but admitted lying to Shane to save his own ass." He said as he got closer. "Still in there?" He asked, looking towards the house.
I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. "Yep. Deliberating my fate." I said with a sigh.
Daryl gave no indication that he had heard my words, instead brushing past Dale and I up the steps. "I'm gonna see what the hell is takin' so damn long." He disappeared inside and the door swung shut behind him.
"Has he always been impatient?" Dale asked me, a small smile on his lips.
"As long as I've known him." I answered, leaning forward and resting my chin between my hands, my elbows propped on my bent knees.
"I'm curious as to how the Daryl I know differs from the one you grew up with." The elder man said thoughtfully.
I was quiet for a moment as I pondered his words. "I don't know." I finally said, shaking my head. "I don't know this Daryl. We're like strangers now. It's been that long."
I could feel Dale's gaze on me, but continued to stare off into the distance suddenly feeling nostalgic and aching for the past where things were so much more cut and dry, so much easier than they were now.
"How long? I assumed you lost contact after the outbreak."
I snorted back a laugh. "Nope, it was way before that. It's been almost ten years." Almost a full decade, though it felt so much less than that now after seeing him with my own eyes. I didn't get a chance to say anything else as suddenly the door to the house opened and chatter spilled out onto the porch. I quickly stood and descended the steps, turning to face the others' decision. Dale joined me at my side, giving me a reassuring smile. I tried to smile back, but I felt almost sick with nerves.
Rick came out first and my eyes traveled up to meet his own steely gaze, almost afraid of what I would find there. He looked more tired than he had been, though there was nothing about his expression that suggested I was going to be thrown back into my makeshift cell with Randall. Still, I found it hard to relax while my fate was still seemingly undecided.
The other drifted out behind him and I quickly found Daryl's familiar lanky frame. He didn't join me on the lawn, though, and instead leaned against the side of the house with his arms crossed over his chest. Our eyes met for just a brief moment yet again, though he quickly looked away. It was almost frustrating. It seemed as if he couldn't stand to look at me, which made no sense. Why try so hard to convince the others to accept me if he didn't want me here? Why bring me back at all?
"Charlie…" Rick's familiar southern drawl cut through my thoughts. I whipped my head to look at him. "We've come to a decision and we'd like you to stay. We'll have to keep a close eye on you until we feel you can be totally trusted, but I'm sure you understand that. Daryl made it clear you're not the type to cause trouble. Plus, we could always use an extra set of hands around here."
I raised my eyebrows slightly. "You want me to stay here?" I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice. At the most I thought they'd give me my stuff back and send me along my way. I couldn't believe I was being asked to stay. To be a part of a group.
"If you'd like to. By all means if you wanna leave, you can go. You said you're alone, though, and I know how much of burden that can be." Rick answered.
I didn't know what to say. On one hand, I wanted more than anything to be around other people. I had been craving it ever since I had lost Gabe. Yet, on the other hand I was terrified of what it meant to be a part of a group. To have others rely on me, and vice versa. What if I couldn't handle it? Yet despite the torrent of thoughts racing through my head, I was already answering. "I would like that…to stay." I said quietly. "Thank you."
Rick nodded once. "T-Dog has your belongings." He said, gesturing towards a large bald black man who came forward and handed me my worn out back pack and trusty baseball bat. I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me as he placed them in my outstretched arms.
"Welcome to the family." He said with a grin. I smiled back, hugging my possessions close to my body.
"And I'm sure between Lori and Carol we can came up with some clean clothing for you, too." Rick said. He motioned to a dark haired woman next to him, thin and wiry, and a withdrawn looking woman on her other side with grey hair cut into a buzz.
"I might have some that'll fit her. She looks about my size." Maggie piped up, offering me a warm smile which I returned gratefully. I could already feel myself being overwhelmed by the amount of kindness I was being shown.
"Well first things first, Rick, the girl needs a place to stay." Lori said, resting a gentle hand on Rick's arm. I could tell by the intimacy of the gesture that this must have been his wife.
"There's plenty of room in the RV. Charlie can bunk with Andrea and me." Dale's voice came from next to me.
"Whoa, hold on a second. You're willing to let a stranger into where we sleep?" A blonde woman with a sour looking expression suddenly spoke up from where she had been perched on the porch railing. I got the impression this must have been Andrea. "Why doesn't she stay with Daryl? She's his friend, right?" All eyes immediately turned to Daryl.
"Why don't you pull that stick outta yer' ass, woman, or should I do it for ya'?" Daryl quipped back. "Besides, I ain't got any room fer' her."
I tried not to feel offended. Of course I couldn't stay with Daryl. We hadn't seen each other in ten years…that hardly constituted as being friends. Plus, I knew how he had been with his space. If I were to guess, he had his own little camp pitched as far away from everyone else as possible.
"It's my RV, my decision. Charlie can stay with us. If you don't like it, Andrea, you can find another place to sleep." Dale said in a tone that clearly stated that there wasn't going to be an argument.
"You afraid she's gonna attack you in your sleep? Girl can't weigh more than a hundred pounds." T-Dog said with a laugh. Andrea shot him a glare but kept her mouth shut. I felt a tiny smile stretching my lips as I met his gaze.
"Well, it's all settled then. Let me show you around your new home." Dale gently placed an arm around my shoulder as he steered me away from the group and towards, as he had said, my home.