Chapter 5:
I woke up to setting sunlight and sat up rather quickly, which unfortunately left me dizzy, with a headache. I could feel my body fighting against me as I tried to get up off the makeshift bed, my limbs were shaky and I took a deep breath.
"Owww ow ow ow." I groaned, forcing myself off of the bed. Shakily I stood, removing my supporting hand from the bed I slowly walked to the bathroom. Without turning on a light I closed my eyes and turned to the mirror. "3,2,1." I opened my eyes and gasped, slowly bringing my hand to my left eye.
The eye itself was red with busted blood vessels, leaving the blue tint in my eye looking cloudy and gross. The skin around the eye was filled with deep purples and gizzly greens, and incredibly swollen, almost forcing my eye shut. On my nose was a small cut, nothing to worry about, but the cut on my cheekbone was a different story. It spanned my entire cheekbone, and appeared to be deep. I felt it gingerly, it had been super glued together. Nice.
After thoroughly looking over the damage, I exited the bathroom, heading to the front of the RV. Lori was hunched over sitting at the table, and as I entered the room her head snapped up. Her eyes were puffy and red, and I'd wager an argument that she looked worse than me.
"Oh my god." She breathed, putting her head in her hands. I could hear her sobbing and my heart sunk. Is she crying over me? "I am so sorry Beau." She said, not looking up.
"Why are you sorry?" I whispered, not sure what to say.
"I did this to you." I scrunched my face in confusion. Last I remember it was Shane. "I fought with him and he went over there pissed and now," she paused to look at me before burying her face in her hands, sobbing. "Look at your eye." Subconsciously I brought my hand to my eye and winced as it made contact with the bruised, swollen skin.
"I'm fine, really, I'm okay." I awkwardly put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Nothing some beauty rest won't fix." She smiled weakly and stood up.
"Are you sure you're okay? You can sit in here tonight if you'd like, there's A/C, comfy places to sit." I shook my head at her.
"Nah, I should help finish that laundry from earlier or something." Lori bit her lip.
"Sweetie, you've been out for a whole day, it almost dinner time, are you sure you're okay?"
"A whole day?" I was shocked. I lost literally all day? "Now what?"
"Why don't you come sit around the fire with us, we're making dinner right now. It should be done soon." She awkwardly wiped her eyes on her arm and then her hands on her shorts. "I'm sure Dale will be glad to see you up and about."
I waved Lori off, wanting to get my bearings before leaving the camper, and after I felt I had them thoroughly gathered, I exited the trailer.
Much to my horror, I bumped right into the man I didn't want to see. My eyes widened and I felt myself flinch as I bounced off of Shane's body. He stared down at me with hardened eyes, apologies not apparent in them. Coldly he walked off to the campfire. I continued to stand there, until a warm hand was placed on my shoulder.
"Come on, Amy and I saved you some fish." Andrea looked out after Shane as she turned me towards the fire.
...
"Pass the fish please?" Amy asked and I obliged her. I ignored the sting of the cut on my cheek when I smiled, and continued to chat with the group. Everyone was enjoying a break from squirrel as they passed around the fish fillets and other random sides the women had scraped together.
I frowned to myself and played with my food. I hadn't trapped this food, I didn't help gut it, or help make anything else. Suddenly I lost my appetite and nonchalantly put my plate on my lap.
"What's wrong? Is it your teeth? I didn't see anything wrong with them when we looked earlier." Dale was genuinely concerned and I could see it in his eyes. I shook my head and smiled at him making my cheek burn.
"No, I just feel like I don't deserve it." His face was confused. "I didn't work to prepare it with you guys." Dale pish-poshed me.
"If our camp went by those rules plenty of people would starve." He muttered to me, causing me to grin widely. "Eat it." He picked my plate back up, practically shoving it into my hands.
"Where are you going?" I heard Andrea ask from across the fire.
"I've have to pee, geeze, you try to be discreet around here." Amy said, sounding exasperated. I knew Andrea cared deeply for her sister, but we were sitting around camp, not walking alone in the woods.
Mindless chatter ensued between us, but I kept to myself, thinking and re-thinking the events of the past days, and I found my mind drifting to Daryl. I felt that we were so similar, yet so different, I may have been considered slightly more socially acceptable than him, sure, but he wasn't the only outsider now. Even though people were talking to me readily, I could still feel their wary eyes on me when I turned around. Secretly I hoped he was okay doing whatever it was that they were doing.
A loud scream stirred me from my thoughts and I looked up from my chair. Beyond the fire I could scarcely make out Amy and what appeared to be a walker chewing on her arm. My heart sank in my chest, but I barely had time for remorse. Walkers were now coming from everywhere, the trees, behind the RV, and I realized I had no weapons on my person.
The whole campfire erupted into a frenzy and Shane stood up with his shotgun. He glanced over at me, with a surprisingly smug look on his face. "Where's your bow and arrow bullshit now?" I was at a loss for words because I had no idea.
"Beau get up!" Dale was behind me, pulling at my shoulder and unsteadily I obeyed. He handed me a large stick. "Here." I felt the weight of the weapon in my hand, but didn't have much more than a few seconds before I had to swing it at a walker. Unfortunately my stick broke over its head, and I cried out in terror as I had been separated from the group who were making their own way to the RV.
I was panicking and I picked up another stick, stabbing for a walker that was walking towards me. It went into its soft eye and he hit the dirt, but there were three more around me, and backed up against a tree, I was out of options. Taking a deep breath I fell to the ground, trying to ball myself up.
Shots rang out from the woods and I screamed. They had been so close. A relieving sound of bodies hitting dirt came from in front of me and I opened my eyes. The three walkers who had been advancing on me fell quickly, and two strong arms yanked me to my feet.
I was met with a pair of icy blue eyes and a mess of dirt and sweat.
"You okay?" I barely heard over the commotion. "No bites, no scratches?" Again I stood speechless, looking at the dead men next to me on the ground. Daryl shook me harshly. "Beau!"
Before I could restrain myself I collapsed into his arms, wrapping my own tightly around his waist. I sobbed hard into his chest and he froze, not quite sure of what to do.
More gunfire in the background, I could hear Shane yelling, rallying the camper's, Rick calling out to his family, Andrea's moans of pain. Everything began to come back to me in this one moment. The feelings I had been keeping close to me in the back of my mind, everyone, everything I'd lost, poured out of me.
Again Daryl shook me, this time more softly.
"Beau." The moans of the walkers had subsided and I knew the carnage was over. "Did they get to you?" My head snapped up to look at him, and I shook my head no. As we made eye contact I could see him study my face, a flash of anger present in his eyes. I looked away, but Daryl grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. He didn't speak to me, merely tilted my cheek towards the light so he could get a better look. "You sure they didn't get to you." His eye's narrowed as he asked, some form of emotion hiding behind them. It was a statement, more than a question, and he rubbed his thumb against his lip. I shook my head again.
"No, you got here just in time." Daryl took a good look at what was once their safe haven. I followed his lead, looking with wide eyes at the damage. The camp was in disarray, the children were mentally scarred and poor Andrea had just lost the only family she had left.
"Not enough time I would say."