Georgette held her breath, the world slowing down as she walked towards Candice. Horrified, she looked at her bloody arm. With tears in her eyes she said
"Did you- Is it-?" Candice shoke her head.
"A man in there attacked me and tried to eat me, a living man, not a walker." Feeling relieved Georgette stumbled forward and pulled her sister into a hug.
"I led them away from you," she said, "and escaped out the back." Odilia went into the bags and pulled out a bottle of disinfectant and bandages. She took Odilia's arm once they had broke apart and started washing out the wound. The skin was tattered and ripped up but the cut wasn't deep. As Odilia wrapped the bandages they heard the sound of hissing and snarls. The herd of walkers that had chased Georgette through the mall was now coming around the side of the building. "Shit!" Georgette jumped in the back and let Candice take the ATV with Odilia. As they took off back towards the road Georgette looked back at the endless stream of walkers coming from around the mall. She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea that once, those things had all been people like her. She flipped over onto her stomach, not wanting to watch anymore.
Beau washed off in the outside shower stall beside his house. He was covered in the blood of the man he had just killed. Of course it hadn't been as enjoyable as snuffing out a woman but he had to keep the disappearances mixed so people wouldn't start to suspect something. Not that they already didn't. The village was amazingly safe against walkers and people were disappearing, people talked despite the fact Vince had told them it was the gators getting them and that's why they needed a curfew at night.
Once he was washed off he quickly dressed and headed for town. It was hot out and he'd decided to leave his trench coat behind. He usually wore it everywhere, not wanting people to see the scratch marks and bruises that marred his body. But today he'd given himself a look over and found that for the most part, there were no significant marks on his body that people could see.
As he grew closer to the village center people saw him and either waved or said hello. He was friendly back to them. Everyone knew he was Vince's second hand man and would eventually take things over so they respected him. No one could see through his act except for his mother. He tried to avoid her because every time she saw him he could see her analyzing his behavior.
He thought he'd head down to the river and hook some fish when he heard someone call his name. He knew who it was before he even turned around. Annalise was running towards him, a bright smile on her face. Goddammit what was she doing out here so early. Usually her mother took her to the church services they had in the mornings. She caught up to him and said
"Hey where are you going?" He gritted his teeth wondering if he should tell her. He wanted to tell her but he knew he shouldn't. He broke down and said
"Going fishing." She grinned even more.
"Cool can I join?"
"Ya," he said, mentally kicking himself. This girl was his one weakness and he fucking hated it. When it came to everyone else he could say with absolute certainty that he didn't give a shit, even his own mother. If the village burned to the ground with everyone it tomorrow he would leave without even blinking an eye. Except for her. If Vince died he'd view it as a terrible shame a man that thought the way he did died, but he wouldn't be sad about it. He'd walk away from the burning mess and find a new group of people to toy with. He didn't know why he liked her. He had tried numerous times to enjoy the idea of cutting her open like he'd done with numerous others but he couldn't. He'd gone to her house at least five times and sat under her bedroom window with a knife, trying to get himself to do it. Maybe it was her windswept bright blonde hair or green eyes. She was almost year younger than him at fifteen-years-old, almost sixteen. He didn't know why she liked him either. Maybe it was his mysterious personality. She was the complete opposite of him. Bubbly, happy and positive. He thought back to when he first met her a month ago.
Beau had returned from hunting with the men and was lugging two dead deer on his back towards the kitchen. It had been an extremely successful hunt. It was cold out and everyone would enjoy the extra food in their stomachs tonight with the feast they would be having. The warm air of the kitchen came over him as he pulled open the door. There were a ton of people cooking and preparing dinner and he weaved his way through them to the back where he could drop of off the carcasses to be skinned, cleaned and cut. The place was so crowded he could barely see where he was going when he ran into someone. A girl fell to the floor. His impulse reaction was to cuss the girl out and tell her to watch where she was fucking going but he knew he couldn't do that in front of other people who saw him as a friendly, reliable guy so instead he looked down at her and said
"Are you ok? Sorry about that." When the girl looked up at him he felt like he'd been the one to fall on his ass. She was beautiful. She had big bright green eyes and long blonde hair, not a dirty blonde but a bright blonde. She was petite and looked small enough that he could snap her in half. He felt satisfaction welling up in his chest at the thought of actually doing so. He held out a hand and she grabbed onto it, letting him pull her up to her feet.
"It's ok," she said, "I was just in a rush." He'd never seen this girl before.
"You new here?"
"Ya," she said, "Got here a week ago with my mother." Why the hell hadn't Vince told him about this girl.
"Well welcome, I'm Beau," he said, "You'll be safe here." She smiled and said
"I'm Annalise." There was an awkward silence before she said "I better get going, my mom's gonna be looking for me. It was nice meeting you!"
"You too, see you around." He watched her walk towards the door, her long blonde hair swishing behind her. There was something about that girl. He couldn't put his finger on it. Instead of wanting to grab onto that long hair and drag her down a flight of stairs he wanted to know what it felt like to run his fingers through it.
They sat on the dock, holding onto their rods, waiting for something to tug at their lines.
"How's your mother settling in?"
"She's doing fine," said Annalise, "Making some new friends." The group she had been with before had been overran and killed by walkers. She and her mother had managed to make it out alive.
"She like the church?"
"Oh ya she loves it, didn't have a proper one back at our old camp." Her mother was extremely religious which is part of the reason he was sure Annalise couldn't see through his fake exterior and figure out he was a creep. She was naive and sheltered. With a slight frown she said "She wouldn't like it if she knew I was down here with you."
"Well she ain't here so it doesn't matter." That made her smile. He also knew that her mother was abusive when it came to Annalise going out and making new friends, especially with boys. She never went to any parties that they organized or hung around with the others. He was shocked she risked coming out to see him.
"She's worried about the disappearances though, thinks that I'm next, been trying to keep me inside. It's starting to freak me out a little bit too."
"You'll be fine."
"How do you know?"
"Cause trust me I do, try not to worry about it. You're gonna be just fine."
Annalise made her way back home, carrying a bag of groceries with her for her mother. She was no doubt back from church. She knew she'd get punished for skipping but seeing Beau had been worth it. He always raised her spirits and made her feel better. She hoped that at some point he'd feel the same way she felt for him. He could save her from this all and take her away. She knew he had his roots here and wouldn't leave the village but he could protect her from her mother. He'd take over Vince's position and together they'd run the village.
When she walked into the house she found her mother sitting in her usual rocking chair.
"I brought home some fruit from the store." Her mother was quiet, her face blank as to what she was feeling. She stood up out of the chair and walked towards her. Annalise held out the bag of food, hoping she would take it. Instead she felt her mother slap her hard across the face. She fell to the floor, dropping the bag and letting the fruit roll out onto the floor. Her cheek burned as she remained on ground, waiting for her mother to speak.
"Not only did you skip church this morning but I saw you off with that Dixon boy." She felt her mother tightly grab her by the hair and pull her face back so she was looking her in the eyes. Her face was red and full of rage. Another slap on her other cheek, harder than the last, sent her back to the ground.
"We were just talking! It wasn't a big deal!" The words tumbled out of her mouth as she tried to explain but she knew her mother wouldn't listen.
"Don't try and lie to me! You're an unclean harlot and you must repent your sins!" She pulled her hair back again so she was facing her. "Pray for forgiveness!" When she didn't start chanting the words she knew her mother wanted her to say she slapped her again. In tears she said
"Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins!Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!" She continued to say the words over and over again until her mother let go of her, leaving her crumpled on the floor. She slowly got herself up and rushed to her room, closing and locking the door. She pushed open the window and gulped in the fresh air, trying to calm herself down. Someday she'd get out of this mess and leave her mother behind. Hopefully Beau would be the one to save her.
They kept going well into the night. After what had happened none of them wanted to stop or slow down. Instead they took shifts driving so others could get some rest in the back. Although it wasn't comfortable and bumpy Georgette's exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep.
She was shaken awake. It was still dark and she could hear a ton of crickets chirping around her. She heard Candice's voice.
"It's your turn to drive now." Rubbing her eyes she sat up and looked around. They were on a road and sitting alongside a field which was lit up by the full moon. She got up and stretched, feeling a few bones in her back crack. She hopped out and let Odilia and Candice get in. Yawning she pulled herself up onto the seat and started the ATV. The loud roar of it woke her up and she put it in gear, continuing on down the road. Odilia's compass was placed in the small box behind the gas gauge. It would tell them which way was southeast. She drove along, loving the feel of the cool night air on her face. It was peaceful nights like these that Angela used to take them out to catch fireflies.
Georgette flung her net around in the air, testing it out.
"We won't hurt them will we?" Angela smiled and said
"No, you catch them in your net and put them in your glass jar." Candice stood next to her, also waving her little net around. Angela slid open the glass door and let them out. It was a warm night and Georgette was barefoot in her little nightgown. The cool grass felt good on her feet and between her toes. The field was full of fireflies. They were constant little blinking bright lights that intrigued Georgette.
Angela borrowed her net and showed her how to catch them. She scooped one firefly into the net and quickly put it into the glass jar. She set it down on the picnic table for them to look at.
"Ohhhh it's so pretty," said Georgette, sticking her face up to the glass. Candice was having trouble pulling herself up onto the seat so Georgette picked her up and placed her on the table. "Look at it Candice!" Candice put her little hand on the glass and looked inside, her blue eyes widening with wonder. In her little voice she said
"Fiwerfly." Angela laughed and said
"That's right sweetheart." She picked her up and put her back down on the ground. "go on and catch some." Georgette hopped down too and ran into the backyard. She watched her little sister teeter around on her wobbly legs as she wildly flung her net around, not catching anything. Georgette was a little more skilled at it and had five fireflies in her jar by the time they were done.
They sat back on the picnic table, watching them fly around inside the jar.
"Can we keep them and put them in our rooms!?" Angela smiled and said
"We can't we have to set them free."
"How come?" She saw Angela try and come up with an answer that would reason with a five year old.
"Well, they have to go back to their mommies and daddies." Georgette immediately started to unscrew the cap and let them go free. "You didn't have to let them go yet." Feeling sad Georgette said
"Well their mommies and daddies probably miss them. I know I miss my mommy and daddy." She saw tears well up in Angela's eyes. She knelt down so she was on eye level with her and said
"You're mommy and daddy aren't gone, they're here with you all the time, watching over you. They're gonna make sure that you and Candice grow up safe and happy."
Thanks DarylDixon'sLover, fggt16, K. Lynn Perks, MaddyMarie1212, VampireTrekkie1701, Caitiann, stateofgrace-xo, crimsonrose0003, FiveFiveGenie, babygirl2580 and all the guests for commenting :) Again this chapter showed more of Beau's life and flashbacks because I'm trying to keep pace with the other side of the story and I like to be thorough in my writing. Everything has a background story to tell and I'm also starting to flesh out Beau's, Beth's and Daryl's current lives. To make up for it next chapter with the girls will have a big reveal ;)
Also Annalise's pictures have been posted in my profile.
Thanks for reading,
Wanderlustt