When Hunters Become The Hunted
Chapter 15
Among the Roses
Before anyone realized it the morning had come, the soft light from above illuminating the land around them. Once it had been light enough to properly see, they'd started pulling up stakes, taking the time to grab what they could. Even so, it was the early morning humidity that had caught them, the moisture sending a light fog to blanket the ground. Unfortunately, it had also made it harder for Celeste to breathe, forcing her to breathe through her mouth instead. Having a broken nose was inconvenient to say the least.
"I think we're all good here!" Celeste called out, voice a bit nasally due to the air.
She'd gathered up all of their supplies and shoved it into the storage area on the outside of the R.V., closing the hatch behind her as she stood up. Inhaling, she groaned, scrunching her eyes together momentarily in frustration.
"Damn it…" she muttered, rubbing a hand against the side of her face.
"Is it secure?" Andrea asked, stepping outside the R.V. to look things over.
Celeste nodded in reply, checking the latch one more time, before turning toward the blond. For a moment, her eyes wandered, glancing around her. It was like Celeste was looking for something. She never found it though as her eyes trained themselves on Andrea instead.
"You got anything else you wanna leave for them?" Andrea asked, waiting for a moment as she looked the younger woman over.
Celeste merely stood there, mulling things over in her head as she turned toward the car where they'd set things up for the girls. They'd left a jar of peanut butter, some crackers, a few granola bar, five bottles of water, and some blankets. The sign had been written on the window in permanent marker, the letters large and visible. It said that they'd be back everyday and to hold on until they made it back.
A shiver ran down Celeste's spine as she thought about everything.
What if they didn't make it back? What if only one of the girls made it back? What if it was only Sophia?
Drawing in a sharp breath of air, Celeste stilled herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had to stop thinking so much and just move on with the day. After all, there was nothing that she or anyone else could do at the moment to help things.
"No," she finally spoke. "I can't think of anything else.
Nodding, Andrea turned toward Dale, watching as the older man climbed down the ladder to meet them.
"I think we're good to go," Andrea told him, glancing around one more time.
"Alright, everything in place then?" he asked, glancing at the two women.
Andrea nodded in reply, before walking over to the car that they were going to use. It had already been decided that Andrea would drive the SUV, while Daryl took the motor bike. That left Carol with Dale, Celeste still standing as undecided with whom she wanted to accompany.
She had three options in all. One, she could ride in the R.V. with Dale and Carol, possibly listening to the older woman continue to mourn her daughter. Option two, she could ride in the passenger seat with Andrea in the SUV, no doubt making for awkward silence or questions. Finally, she could pick option three, which consisted of riding with Daryl on the back of his bike. That option would leave no room for discussion with the loud roar of the engine in their ears. At the same time, it would allow her the closeness that she'd been craving since the CDC.
Shaking her head, Celeste closed her eyes, before peeling them back open and eyeing all three possibilities. Her mind was pushing toward the easy out, toward the one that seemed to know her best. In fact, she wasn't really sure why she took to Daryl the way that she did. Perhaps it was the way that he'd defended her and Kenzie. Or maybe just the mere determination that he had in general where it concerned the aspects of his day to day life. At any rate, she found herself gravitating toward him, her feet carrying her the short distance to his brother's bike.
"Daryl?" she called out, rubbing her arms slightly as she found herself feeling like a school girl. "Um…"
Said redneck stared at her for a moment, hands stopping in what he was doing. He almost had to squint with the light of the sun in his face.
"Do you mind?" she asked, gesturing toward his bike.
He blinked for a moment, shaking his head. He didn't mind at all, merely surprised that she had come all the way just to ask if she could ride with him.
"Nah, I don' mind," he told her, glancing over at the R.V. "We ready?" he called out to Dale, before kicking up the stand on his bike.
"All ready here," Dale called back, climbing into the R.V. and closing the door behind him.
Andrea nodded her head as well, letting them know through the window of the SUV that she was good to go.
"Alright then," Daryl nodded, turning back toward Celeste. "Put this on for me and then climb on," he told her, holding his crossbow out for her to take.
She took the weapon without hesitation, tossing the strap over her head and climbing on once Daryl had gotten himself settled. She could feel the bike shift as he started it up, the engine loud and thrumming in her ears. The bike was balanced out next, Daryl revving it slightly before glancing at her over his shoulder.
"Hang on tight," he told her, pushing forward as the wheels began to turn.
Before she knew it, they were back on the road again, making their way back toward Fairburn road as they'd been instructed to do. The entire time, Celeste kept her arms wrapped tightly around Daryl, her face buried in between the crevice of his shoulder blades. As she didn't this, she could practically feel the warmth from his body, smiling faintly as she soaked it in. It wasn't often that she got to be this close to him. In fact, it seemed like the only time that she could was when things were going wrong. It was that thought that left a sour taste in her mouth, frowning all together.
She could hear Daryl chuckle as they went over a bump in the road, her arms squeezing him tighter out of fear. She couldn't help it that she didn't fully trust the bike. After all, if it caught the ground the wrong way, then they could very likely end up face down in the middle of the road.
"It's not funny!" she cried out over the engine.
Her exclamation did her little good though, the feeling of his chest rumbling against her hands as he laughed. Then again, she supposed that it was slightly funny, her gripping him tighter every time that they hit a bump and startling her.
"Don't worry, we're almost there!" he told her, turning around the bend as he followed the trail up.
They could see the farm house up the road, Celeste's head peaking out from over Daryl's shoulder as she pushed herself up slightly on the bike to get a better look. She could make out a few figures on the porch. Upon seeing a man with dark skin, she smiled, knowing right away that it was T-Dog. Seeing him up and about, she knew that he was okay now.
"They're okay," she told herself, pressing her face into the back of Daryl's vest again, the smell of leather hitting her head on.
The ride came to an end before too long though, her arms loosing their hold upon Daryl, though reluctantly at best. She was almost sad when the comforting warmth of his body disappeared, but pushed those thoughts out of her mind for the time being.
"Glenn!" Celeste called out, smiling at the young man as he ran toward them, enveloping her in a hug once her was in front of her.
"You holding up okay?" he asked, looking her over for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she assured him, turning toward Daryl as he put the kick stand up on his bike. "And T-Dog?" she asked, toward the burly man as he slowly made his way down the wooden stairs on the porch.
"They fixed his arm up pretty good," Glenn told her.
They both quieted as Rick made his way forward though, a faint frown forming on Celeste's face. To say that he looked tired would be the understatement of the year. His face was pale and his steps were shaky, his eyes blinking as they tried to stave away the fatigue that was welling inside of him.
"How is he?" Dale managed to asked, stepping forward his own self.
Lori was the first one to respond, looking as though she were about ready to break out into tears any moment. Celeste could only imagine the ordeal that the two were going through with their son.
"He'll pull through," she said, nodding her head, lips pulled in. "Thanks to Hershel and his people," she stammered, trying to process her own words.
"And Shane," Rick added.
At the sound of Shane's name, Celeste stilled, unconsciously moving closer to Daryl. She hand't even realized until Rick spoke how Shane looked. The man in question standing off to the side. He almost looked like he was high on something, seeming to stare out into nothing. What caught her attention the most was the fact that he'd shaved his head. The look didn't sit well with her for some reason, but she wasn't sure why.
"We'd have lost him if it weren't for Shane," Rick said.
From there, hugs were exchanged. Celeste stayed in her spot though, eyes unable to look away from Shane. Something about it was bothersome.
"How'd it happen?" Dale asked, referring to Carl.
"Hunting accident," Rick answered simply. "Just a stupid accident."
T
Rocks were piled in front of them, Hershel standing at the head of the circle, a Bible in hand. The man had dressed in a suit, no doubt what would have been his Sunday best. The others of his group were also dressed in presentable clothes as a means to honor their fallen comrade. At the same time, Rick's own group had been given the opportunity to change, though most didn't bother. Out of respect, Celeste had taken the time to change into a clean shirt. The crispness she knew wouldn't last long though as the heat beat down on her from above, sweat trickling at the back of her neck.
She watched as the young blond had stepped forward, stone in hand. Her name was Beth, something that she'd found out shortly after arriving. She'd placed the stone on top of the pile, her head down as she walked back toward her sister Maggie, the one that'd saved Andrea.
"Blessed be God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Hershel spoke.
A young man came forward next, placing his own rock down. He'd been introduced as Jimmy, a young farm hand that had come to live with them.
"Praise be to him for the give of our brother, Otis," he continued, the group watching as Jimmy walked back to his spot. "For his span of years. For his abundance of character."
Celeste closed her eyes as she listened, keeping her head bowed in respect as she stood next to Daryl.
"Otis, who gave his life to save a child's. Now, more than ever, our most precious asset."
Again, Celeste found her eyes trailing toward Shane, brows furrowing. He was just standing there, weight shifting from foot to foot, a dazed look on his face as though he were lost in another world.
"We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace."
Then, there was a moment of silence. No one quite had the nerve to look around, mere baiting their breath.
"Shane," Hershel spoke up, hand raised toward the pile of rocks. "Will you speak for Otis?"
"I'm not good at it," he said, trying to get out of it without seeming rude, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
"You were the last one with him," came the voice of Otis' wife, tears in her eyes as Maggie squeezed her hand. "You shared his final moments. Please," she begged. "I need to hear. I need to know that his death had meaning," she pleaded with him.
After a long moment, Shane finally spoke, agreeing to honor her plea. That was when Celeste's ears truly opened, eyes narrowing slightly as she listened.
"We were about done," Shane started. "Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limpin'. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up."
Everyone stayed silent as he spoke, not daring to utter a word.
""We've got to save the boy." See, that's what he said."
Celeste watched as something seemed to flicker in his eyes, confusion filling her. He was almost hesitant, careful in his words.
"He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead," he paused, face straining slightly. ""Rum," he said."
Suddenly, something clicked in the way he spoke, eyes widening slightly. Celeste drew in a breath of air as she felt herself go rigid. Out of the corner of his eye, Daryl caught sight of this, brows furrowing as he took in the look on her face.
"He said, "I'll take the rear. I'll cover you,"" he said, again, something flickering in his eyes. "And when I looked back..."
Shane had paused, his eyes connecting with Patricia's own, silence enveloping the area.
"If it weren't for Otis," he said, walking toward the wheel barrel to pull out a stone of his own. "I'd have never made it out alive...and that goes for Carl too," he pointed out. "It was Otis. He saved us both."
Celeste had had enough, shifting her weight as she made to leave. She couldn't sit and list to him anymore, she just couldn't.
"If anyone's death ever had meaning, it was his."
T
It was about a few hours later when things had finally settled that everyone had begun to unpack. Celeste had taken to pulling out the tents, hauling the bags over her shoulders as she walked, then laying them down in the respective spots to be taken care of. She was kind of surprised that Daryl hadn't said much to her yet after she'd walked off away from the grave. No doubt, he knew that something was wrong, but he hadn't pushed to confront it yet. Regardless, Celeste had tried to put it from her mind as she helped to set up camp, emptying out one of the tent bags.
From where she stood, she could see Daryl, Rick, Shane, Hershel, Andrea, and Maggie surrounding the hood of an old truck, a map laid out for them as they scanned the markings. They were talking about something, probably having to do with finding the girls. She hoped that with the help that Hershel was providing them that they'd actually be able to make some headway. If nothing else, they at least had a place to rest their heads a little more safely than they had before. She was surprised though when she heard Daryl raise his voice, snapping at Shane before walking away, a glare set on his face.
Frowning, Celeste dropped what she was doing, slowly making her way after him.
"Daryl," she called out. "Wait up."
Even though he didn't stop, Celeste still found that he'd taken the time to slow down and allow her to catch up. She was grateful for this, coming to walk by his side as he made his way toward the house.
"What happened?" she asked, frowning as she watched him huff.
"Needs to learn to watch his damn mouth," Daryl growled out, leaving a look of confusion on Celeste's face.
When he didn't elaborate, she asked again, attempting to pry an answer out of him.
"What happened?"
"Talkin' about one of 'em bein' bit," he said, shifting his bow on his shoulder. "Tired of hearin' that shit."
Swallowing, Celeste nodded her head. She knew exactly how he felt. She just couldn't understand why Shane seemed to have so little faith in finding them. After all, Daryl was a great tracker, and if nothing else then that gave them an advantage that they wouldn't of had otherwise.
"I know you'll find 'em," Celeste said, biting down on her lower lip as she looked up at him.
She wanted to believe that they'd find them, that they'd find both girls and then things would be okay again. She didn't want to think about losing either of them, the thought itself nearly making her sick to her stomach.
"Yeah, I will," he told her, nodding his head.
Swallowing thickly, Celeste stared up at him, unsure of what else to say. She wasn't sure if she wanted to bring up what happened earlier or if she should leave it alone. At the same time, she knew that she couldn't just ignore it.
"I..." she started, catching his attention before she cut herself off.
What was she supposed to say?
"Look," Daryl sighed, hand coming up to grip her shoulder. "I'll find her," he told her. "I promise you, Celeste, I will find her."
Nodding, Celeste felt her eyes water, tears forming at the edge of her lashes. She didn't want to start crying again, not now. Then, before she knew it, Daryl was pulling her forward against his chest. A sob ripped through her a moment later as she gripped at the back of his shirt, burying her face against his chest. She felt him wrap his arms around her, holding her tight in his arms as she cried, quietly thanking him in the back of her head as she stood there. She wasn't sure what she'd do without him around. After all, other than Kenzie, Daryl seemed to be her only saving grace in this hellish world.
T
Celeste had nearly frowned when Daryl had left, missing the company that he had provided. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation that they were in, moving from place to place as she finished helping to put the tents up. After she'd finished with that, she'd taken the time to start unpacking her own stuff. She'd already unrolled her sleeping bag, tossing the pillow on the floor of the tent. Her bag had been tossed to the side as well, the contents spilling over onto the ground. She didn't really seem to care though as she lay back on the bag, her eyes fixated on the ceiling of the tent.
For a moment, she allowed her vision to blur, everything around just sliding out of focus as she attempted to let everything go. She was almost there went she caught site of her bag out of the corner of her eye. She knew that a few things had fallen loose, but she hadn't taken the time to really pay attention to any of it. Pushing her self up onto her elbows she gave it a weary sigh, lazily tugging it toward her. A small leather watch tumbled out a moment later, second hand ticking away. It had been one of her better finds. It was an eco drive watch, one that worked purely on solar power. The watch itself was probably worth a good $300 and she'd found it abandoned in the center console of a small Honda. She'd almost laughed when she'd found it, finding herself debating on buying one a couple years back, but hand't been able to convince herself to actually go through with it.
Picking the watch up, she held it in her hand. The crystal was slightly scrapped, but the surface still shown brightly in the light. She was a bit surprised though when she found that the band looked like it'd had only had light use. Normally, the leather bands on any watch degraded do to the amount of use along with skin and sweat. Half the time with the ones that she saw, the under strap looked disgusting.
"Hmm..." she mused, turning it over as she caught sight of a small inscription. "To my love," she started, squinting her eyes for a moment. "May you always find "time" for me in our day to day lives."
Raising a brow in question, she laughed, shaking her head. She found it to be an odd play on words since it was on the back of the watch.
"Weird," she muttered, looking it over a bit more before gripping the strap and moving it to her wrist.
It was irritating as she tried to put it on one handed, fingers fumbling. She then tried pressing the face against her knee, gripping the strap between her pointer and middle finger, thumb holding the other side in place. After a couple more minutes, she finally managed to thread it through, a look of triumph on her face.
"Finally," she smiled, sighing before she fell onto her back again, hair sticking to her face.
She hadn't realized just how hot she'd gotten in the short time that she'd been inside of the tent, the flaps still zipped shut from when it had been put away last. Blinking, she drew in a breath, wince at the pain that it caused her. After a moment, an idea popped in her head. Maybe she could make use of her situation.
T
According to her new found watch, it was around 45 minutes later that she found herself sitting in one of the hard backed chairs inside of Hershel's home, a sheen of cold sweat breaking out on her skin. She'd gonna and found him when the idea had hit her, the prospect of having her nose fixed weighing against the possible pain. As he shifted the pieces again, she found herself crying out, eyes watering at the pain.
"You know, you never did tell me how this happened," Hershel said, trying to take her mind off of the pain.
Scrunching her eyes up, she tried to find the words, thinking back to the camp and Ed.
"It was shortly after I joined this group," she started, blinking a few times in an attempt to clear her vision. "Carol's husband, Ed, he tried pushing her around."
She paused, taking in a breath through her mouth. It was hard to breathe.
"There was an argument," she said, wincing when Hershel pressed on either side of her nose causing her to hiss slightly from the feeling.
"Just a few more," he assured her, taking a damp cloth and dabbing it against the edges of her nose, blood flowing from where he had to rebreak part of it.
"You can continue."
"Well," she started, swallowing slightly. "Let's just say I don't take lightly to watching a woman get push around," she told him. "A punch or two was exchanged and then he finally-Ah!"
"Sorry," the old vet apologized. "Tilt your head back slightly please," he instructed.
She complied to his request, tilting her head back slightly as she tried not to breathe through her nose. She could feel a bit of blood trickle down the back of her throat making her cough a bit.
"So, I assume he returned the favor for your little act of heroism?" Hershel concluded.
Quietly, Celeste nodded, closing her eyes.
"Yeah," she managed to breathe out, swallowing back the metallic taste in her mouth.
"Well, I must say, it's a shame that such a thing had to happen," Hershel said, his eyes looking over her for a moment. "I do have another question to ask of you though."
Inhaling, she looked up at him, taking in what she saw. The man himself looked worn. It was as if he'd managed to tire himself out to the point where it was almost ingrained into him. The way that he walked was a bit slow, but it still held purpose. Despite all of this though, his eyes held a light to them that she wasn't sure that she'd still find in this world.
"What's your question, Sir?" she asked.
"How should I put this," he said, drawing in a breath before continuing. "Do you feel safe with this group?"
T
It was one after the other, the branches and low looming vines smacking him in the face as he filed his way through the woods. Shane and Rick had pissed him off a bit before leaving, Rick telling him that he didn't owe anyone anything. Pretty much he'd told him that there was no point in him going out to look. With two little girls out there it was hard not to feel like the pressure was on his shoulders. He knew without anyone saying anything that he wasn't their only hope at finding them. He was the only one that knew the woods out of any of them, granted, he'd never been in this part of the area, but he still knew how to get around and pay attention to the signs. Sad to say, he'd already spotted the tracks of a deer a couple times over, but he wasn't out there to find deer. At the moment, he was out there to find a little girl if nothing else.
"Damn these stupid trees!" he hissed, smacking the branches away in aggravation.
Thinking back on it, it hadn't even been that bad when him and Andrea went out. The memory was still clear in his head, there conversation going from his itchy as to how Celeste seemed to take to sticking around him so much.
T
Pushing a branch out of the way, Daryl flicked his light the the side, shining it on a random bush. He'd been keeping his ears open for anything out of the ordinary, hoping to possibly catch a hint of one of the girls if they'd decided to roam around in the dark.
"You know," Andrea pipped up, drawing his attention momentarily. "I've noticed something lately."
"Yeah, what's that?" he asked, continuing in the direction he was going.
"You're different with them," Andrea pointed out, catching him off guard and causing him to slow in his steps.
"The hell are you talkin' about?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"Celeste and that kid," the blond clarified, watching as his face tightened for a moment.
She could tell by his reaction that she was right, a smile pulling on her lips.
"You don't know what the hell yer talkin' about," he scoffed, pushing forward again as he trailed his light in front of him.
"There's no point in denying it," she told him. "After all, it was just an observation."
Again, it was quiet, Daryl trying his best to ignore her. Everything had been fine until she'd decided to open her mouth.
"It's not a bad thing."
That made his pause, eyes glued to the spot in front of him.
"You make her feel safe and its obvious," she voiced. "After all, from what I've seen, she doesn't really seem to take to anyone that well. Much less guys."
Again, he remained silent, listening to what she had to say.
"Plus, with that kid's parents gone, she's likely looking for someone to take there place."
Andrea had moved a head of him this time, shining her light around. There was still nothing to see, merely the rocks and the tree roots that managed to pull themselves from the ground in an attempt to trip anyone that came through the area.
"From what I've seen, kids are normally a pretty good judge of character," Andrea mused. "But," she paused. "She's also looking for someone that she feels would be compatible with the person she's deemed as her maternal figure."
T
Daryl sighed as he thought back on things. He wasn't sure if he'd ever do well with kids, not after his brother and father. After all, his whole family was mess up, so how would he be any different. He was a fuck up and he knew it, but at the same time, he had that lingering hope in the back of his mind. It was that thing that seemed to push itself to the surface every time that tiny little blond clung to him, the smile on her face brighter than the sun itself. She just seemed to beam innocence. He didn't want to corrupt that though with the man that he knew that he was. After all, he was his father's son, and he'd been told his whole life that he'd never amount to anything.
Shaking his head he pushed forward, hands spreading the leaves of the bushes as he stepped onto clear ground. The moment his eyes caught sight of what was in front of him, he felt a wave of hope wash over him. It was a house. It was a house that even though looked run down could have possibly housed either girl for a night or two in this backwards space.
Stepping forward, Daryl raised his bow, pulling his bolt from the holder and notching it in place. He was slow in his approach, keeping his eyes and ears open as he scanned the space in front of him. As he entered through the front door he stepped quickly, bow in place as he searched the room closest to him.
There was nothing that moved as he walked into what was once the living room, sweeping the area with precision before moving onto the next. The next room was bare, not a single thing in sight. Wind blew behind him and the door creaked, the floor boards on the stairs to the second story doing the same. The place old and creak with every brush of motion, only good for the fact that it would let him know if anyone were skulking around in the house. He moved back to another room, putting together that it had been the kitchen, an old bunt cake pan sitting out on the small table along with a flat baking sheet. The cookware hand't touched in over a year, an inch worth of dust coating it.
He stopped himself though when he caught sight of an old sardine can sitting on top of the trash. Slowly, he reached out, picking it up and holding to his nose. It was fresh, the excess in it not yet having time to spoil. His eyes trailed to the full length cabinet near the sink, the door ajar. Carefully, he raised his bow to the level of his eyes, feet creeping forward. The door creaked, but nothing came from inside of it as the tred of his boots pulled against the top of the floor boards. He'd thrown the door open before he could think twice, light flooding the shelves and floor. To say that he was met with a surprise was an understatement. On the floor beneath the last shelf was a space big enough for a small child, a blanket and pillow sitting abandoned in its place.
Daryl could feel his lips part as he stared at the spot, his eyes twitching slightly as he tore out of the room and outside.
"Kenzie!" he called out, taking a few steps further. "Sophia!" he called out again.
He'd called out for the youngest first on pure instinct, an image of the little blond flooding his senses. He was so close. So, so close.
"Kenzie! Can ya hear me!" he cried out, walking to one end of the house as he looked around. "Sophia!"
His voice echoed, bouncing off the trees and coming back. He could feel his heart pounding in his ear, the would be dumb beating a mile a minute. She had to be there, she just had to.
"Kenzie!" he tried again, the same echo encircling him as he walked to the back of the house.
Something in the brush caught his eyes when he was about half way there. It was a rose. Stepping closer he realized that it was a Cherokee rose, the plant symbolizing the hope for the lost. It was so out of place that he found himself looking up at the sky for a moment, his face softening ever so slightly. He noticed something else as well though when he got close enough to touch them. There was a break in the stem, the plant itself still green and dewy from where one of its brethren had been plunked.
Carefully, Daryl pushed passed the brushed. He had to swallow the lump in his throat as he stepped toward the trees. Something had moved. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do or what it was that he was hoping for. Again, he looked toward the sky and swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
"Kenzie?" he called out softly, lips parting, and then he heard the small groan.
Alright everyone! That was chapter 15! I hope that everyone liked it? And yes, I know I'm evil for leaving you on a cliff hanger. Please, let me know what you think? I need at least three reviews for a feedback before I can continue. I need to get the creative juices flowing so PLEASE review and MESSAGE? Thanks again everyone and I hope you enjoyed!