When Hunters Become the Hunted
Chapter 9
Departure
Grumbling to herself, Celeste shuffled her feet as everyone began packing up their things. Tents were being pulled apart as part of the final clean up, a few being burned as a result of the night's previous disaster. Just like everything else, there were a few things that hadn't held up. Dishes had been broken, clothes had been torn, tents ruined. The place still looked like a disaster. Apparently after weighing their options, Rick and Shane had decided on trying for the CDC. She honestly wasn't sure what good it would do them, but she began packing her things nonetheless, just like everyone else that was left in camp.
Sitting there in her tent, Celeste began packing, the heat of the day already starting to make her sweat. She started with the clothes, carefully folding them, before placing them in her duffle bag. She made sure that they were all accounted for, both hers and Kenzie's.
"Underwear… Bras… Socks…"
She rattled it all out as she placed each piece inside, the heavy materials at the bottom, while she kept the lighter and thinner clothing on top for easy accessibility. Having only taken 15 minutes to get all the clothes together, Celeste decided to drag her bag outside. She looked around for a moment, shielding her eyes as she surveyed the area briefly, trying to decipher where exactly she'd be putting her stuff at.
She didn't want to deal with Shane at the moment, so she wasn't going to just go walking up to him and ask, "Hey, you mind if I put this here?". That just would have been seven different kinds of stupid. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of thinking that they were back on speaking terms just yet. The jackass. Choice number two was to ask Daryl or just simply drop it off in the bed of his truck. She wasn't really sure on that one either though, already having bothered him the night before by taking up space in his truck. The man liked his personal space, that much she knew, and she'd already intruded on it once. She wasn't sure that he was comfortable enough with her just yet to attempt a second time around so soon.
Swallowing, Celeste nodded her head, deciding on option three. Her decision lead her towards the direction of the RV, hearing the sound of the children inside. Kenzie was one of them, the sound of the tiny blond's laughter slowly creeping into Celeste's ears. Slowly, a smile formed on her face. Even after witnessing everything last night, the girl could still laugh. This left Celeste feeling a little more at ease. It meant that she wouldn't have to worry about her as much in the coming days of their journey. Sure, she seemed to have settled well in the quarry, but there were always other places where they could find to make their home in. That is if you could call it a home. Heck, if they weren't careful, they'd turn it more into a prison than a somewhat normal standardized home.
Thinking on that thought, Celeste shook her head. She'd been in 'prison' like homes one too many times in her life. She wasn't about to put Kenzie in the same position. Especially, since it wouldn't be too different from what hers had been. Like Celeste, Kenzie no longer had her parents around to care for her. The only difference was, she had at least had them in her life for a period of time for memories to actually hold. Celeste really didn't have any memories that she could call her own. She never knew anything about her parents really. Just the stories that were told to her.
Shaking that off, Celeste continued toward the RV, bag in hand. Looking around, she found Dale near the engine, looking it over and putting a bit of water into the radiator. He seemed to notice her stare and turned toward her, a friendly smile on his face.
"Celeste, what can I help you with?" he asked, watching as she rubbed at her arm for a moment.
"Um, do you mind if I put my stuff in the RV?" she asked. "I really don't wanna bother Daryl right now," she confessed.
"Of course, go right ahead dear," he chuckled lightly, before turning back toward the engine.
With that, Celeste walked inside, looking around for a moment for a place to put her belongings. Once she found one, she pushed it under a makeshift table, knowing it would be safe there until the evening when things would be moved around. After she was done with that, she headed back outside to finish things up.
T
A good part of the day had past as everyone seemed to shuffle around. Celeste had caught the sound of Daryl yelling earlier, his rage from having his brother left behind still fresh. It was why she hadn't bothered him, knowing that he was still fuming. It had been made worse when it had been discovered that Jim had been bitten. She had stiffened when a fight had broken out, Rick's gun aimed at Daryl's head. Her breath had caught in her throat, her mind glad that the children had been inside out of the way so as not to witness it all.
With her head down, Celeste had paid her respects to the fallen, throwing wild flowers down into the graves of the dead. The hardest to see had been Amy, the poor girl having been robbed of her life far too soon. She had been awake and present when Andrea had fired her shot to the head and it had shaken her to the core, mind shooting to if it had been Kenzie. If Kenzie had been bitten, she didn't know if she could bring herself to end the little girl's life. She couldn't put her at peace.
Shaking her head, she looked down at the little girl in question as Shane had gathered them forward, her hand running through the little one's hair. At the same time, Kenzie had wrapped her little arms around Celeste's leg, nuzzling into the side of her pants.
"Alright, everyone listen up," Shane called out. "Those of you with C.B.'s, we're gonna be on channel 40," he explained, before looking around at everyone. "Let's keep the chatter down, okay?"
Celeste watched as Carl played with a piece of rope, trying to keep his mind off of things as he practiced his knots.
"If you have a problem and don't have a C.B, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time."
Celeste listened to this, nodding slightly, even though she knew that she wouldn't be one of the one's driving. She didn't care though as long as she didn't get stuck with Shane. Granted, the man had likely saved her neck where Ed was concerned, but he had practically left her to die last night as a result of his cowardice. Celeste was still angry at him for it.
"That'll stop the caravan," Shane continued. "Any questions?"
At that, she heard Morales speak up, turning her head toward him for a moment.
"We're uh…" he paused for a moment, looking around at everyone. "We're not going," he finally admitted.
It was quiet for a moment as everyone took in their words. Kenzie in particular pouted, unsure of why they wouldn't be coming. His wife spoke up next though, glancing around at the people closest to her.
"We have family in Birmingham," she explained, holding her daughter close, the poor child looking as though she was sick. "We want to be with our people."
"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back," Shane said, a faint scoff leaving Celeste's lips as he spoke.
She didn't think that anyone heard her, but she noticed that Daryl had looked her way, brows furrowed slightly as he wiped at his forehead.
"We'll take the chance," Morales said. "I've got to do what's best for my family."
"You sure?" Rick asked, wanting to make sure that the man knew what he was doing.
"We talked about it last night," he explained. "We're sure."
Despite what he had said though, the Hispanic man seemed slightly hesitant, his children no better as they stood their quietly. It was obvious that they were scared, but there wasn't much that anyone could really do about it. At the same time, Rick was kneeling down by the gun bag that they had all risked their lives for back in the city, rummaging through it as he looked for something. The moment the gun itself was actually mentioned, it seemed as though things finally set in, Rick and Shane walking forward to hand it over. At the same time, Lori got up and made her way over, wrapping her arms around Morales' wife.
From Celeste's point of view, it was obvious that the family meant a lot to the group, more than likely having been with the group from the very start. Celeste wondered if they would react the same if Celeste were in the same position as the Morales family.
Turning away from the scene, Celeste picked Kenzie up in her arms, holding the little blond close to her as tears formed in the child's eyes. The poor girl had seemed to have grown attached to most people in the group. Even though, her ties still seemed to have been closer with Sophia, Carl, and the Dixon brothers. Despite that, it seemed no less hard for the child to handle the parting of the Morales family, lip quivering as Morales' boy made his way forward.
"Bye," he murmured, looking up at Celeste as he held something out in his hand.
She looked down at him, faint smile on her face as she knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on top of his head. He smiled, poking Kenzie in the side as he held a little red car out to her in his hand. It was a parting gift no doubt and it made Celeste smile at the interaction.
"Sorry I can't play more," he said softly, watching as Kenzie climbed out of Celeste's arms to hug him.
She watched as Miranda, Morales wife smiled, giving her a small wave. The two children hadn't gotten to play together very much, but they had still liked each other well enough. That's what made the parting the hardest, the disappearance in the semblance of normality that the little girl had come to attain.
"Bye bye," Kenzie whispered, hugging her friend tightly, before Miranda called after him.
Clutching the little car in her hands, Kenzie looked up at Celeste with a sad and heartbroken look on her face.
"Come on sweetie," Celeste cooed, before picking the little girl back up in her arms.
With that, everyone boarded their respective cars, Carol smiling as she pulled Celeste toward the Cherokee. It would be a tight fit with them all, but she knew that they could make it work, climbing in as she held Kenzie on her lap. Carol did the same with Sophia as Rick and Lori sat in the front.
T
With the bumps of the road and the windows rolled down, Celeste knew that she must have fallen asleep, her hair sticking to her face as sweat rolled down the back of her neck. She had been pulled awake as the car came to a stop, brows furrowing as Carol shook her shoulder lightly.
"Sweetheart, why don't you step outside for a few minutes," Carol suggested, carefully climbing out of the car herself as she pulled her daughter along with her.
As Celeste looked outside, she could already see Rick and Lori standing there, Carl by her side. Celeste blinked for a moment, before nudging Kenzie from her lap, letting the girl crawl out of the car with Carol's help. Once she was free, Celeste stepped out her own self, sighing as a cool breeze hit her face.
"What's going on?" she asked Carol, wiping sweat from the back of her neck as she took in a heavy breath.
"I don't know," she shrugged, watching as a few members gathered around the front of the RV.
Obviously, it was acting up, watching as a bit of smoke and steam rose into the air.
"What the…" she started, pausing as a wave of dizziness hit her.
She blinked a few times as she stumbled, gripping her head for a moment. She knew that she hadn't had anything to drink for a while and with the heat, it was finally starting to catch up with her.
"You okay honey?" Carol asked, placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder.
Celeste merely nodded her head as she made her way toward the RV, sitting down and leaning her back against it. She could see Rick, Shane, Daryl, Dale, and T-Dog up at the front looking over the engine and everything else. They were talking about a hose, but that's all that she could make out as they decided to make a possible run up toward what looked to be a gas station in the distance. Before they could do that though, Jacqui came out of the RV with a look of worry on her face, saying something about Jim not being able to make it much longer. Celeste's face soured.
Celeste continued to sit as the group discussed things quietly among themselves, trying to decide on what to do about Jim. She knew that the man had been bitten and was now suffering from the pain that came along with it. Dale had explained himself to the group, announcing that it should ultimately be Jim's decision in the end how he wanted his life to end. The group was quiet for a moment, but the answer seemed to resonate with them. They knew that they'd have to leave Jim behind. The man wanted to be left behind. He wanted to be left behind so that he could find peace within himself.
It wasn't until after Shane and T-Dog had made a run for the gas station and back that they had finally decided to move Jim though, carefully pulling the man from the RV. Once he was outside, Rick and Shane had guided him over to sit beneath a tree, shading him from the blazing Georgian sun. Celeste hadn't been so lucky as sweat seemed to pour down the back of her neck, her back becoming soaked all together as a bit of it bunched at the front of her breasts and beneath her arms.
She looked up, hearing footsteps headed her way, a pair of boots staring back at her. She had found that the boots had been connected to a particular individual, her eyes staring up into a pair of crystal blues. Daryl merely stared down at her for a moment, water canteen in hand. He gestured for her to take it, a faint grunt leaving him, but that was about it.
"Thanks," she swallowed, taking it into her hands and wrenching it open.
As she took a drink, she watched as everyone began making their way toward Jim. They were all saying their goodbyes as they prepared to leave, each of them fighting the internal battle that were raging in their chests. Celeste tried not to think about it as Daryl helped her to her feet, stumbling for a moment as she went. She had assured him that she was okay though, slowly making her way toward the sick man up on the hill. As she got closer, she could feel herself shake. She found no comfort in those around her though as she looked down at him, lips drawn back in a firm line.
"You'll see them again soon," she whispered, carefully reaching out and placing a hand atop his head.
The pain he was in was all too obvious, but he still managed to smile at her.
"You make sure to hold onto that little girl of yours," Jim croaked, his voice like gravel. "She's…she's yours now. She needs you more than ever," he said. "Play your cards right…she'll live a long life."
Celeste choked out a quiet sob upon hearing these words, thinking back on her friends for a moment. Kyle was long gone and so was Karen. They'd left behind their little girl to the monsters of this world.
"I will," she nodded, feeling as a tear broke loose from her eye.
As she left, Daryl stood there eyeing the man. The redneck wasn't sure what to say to the man as he looked after Celeste, watching her stumble slightly and hiss when she wiped at her nose the wrong way.
"She'll need help," Jim said, speaking up as Daryl stood there, a dumbfounded look on the young man's face.
"What?"
"Her and that little girl," the man murmured, wincing as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I can tell that she's strong, but…she'll need help."
Slowly, Daryl nodded his head, making to leave as he did so. Jim caught his attention one last time that as he spoke his final words of wisdom.
"She's a good woman," he said, giving Daryl a small smile. "Don't let her slip through your fingers."
Sorry for taking so long guys, but I think I've finally kicked my butt into gear with my writing! I hope that you liked this chapter? Also, please, let me know what you think? REVIEWS AND MESSAGES WELCOME! I'll need help to keep me on track after this long hiatus, but I know that you guys will keep me on track. Thanks again everyone and I hope to hear from all of you soon! Let me know what you want to see happen next!