They had reached the Illinois/Missouri border by mid-day. Georgette sat on the back behind Odilia. At that time a light cloud of smoke had settled over the land. She leaned into Odilia and spoke into her hair so she would hear her over the ATV's roar.
"We're getting close to that fire we saw." She looked over her shoulder and yelled back
"We'll stay on the roads but we should at least check it out and see what it is." Georgette didn't argue with her and leaned back against the bags. If this got any off them killed or injured she was gonna be pissed.
The smoke grew thicker and thicker, making her cough and her eyes water. Finally, the blackened frame of an old house appeared through the trees. It was next to the road and they pulled over to get a better look at it. It had been a pretty big house. It looked to have been three floors and was pretty spread out. The insides of the house were gone had created a huge pile of blackened rubble that covered the ground.
Georgette got off of the ATV to get a better look. "What the hell happened?" She moved through the smoke, keeping an eye out for walkers. She heard Candice and Odilia walking behind her. Georgette stopped when she got to the edge of the pile, not wanting to walk through and risk a trapped walker grabbing onto her from below. She grabbed a stick and started sifting through it, turning up nothing. They were silent as they walked around the wreck, looking for any clues on what had happened. Had the house caught on fire from a natural cause like lightning, or had it been people? She moved around to the back of the house. On the other side of the yard was an in-ground pool. She could hear the tell-tale hisses and snarls before she even reached it. She walked up and looked over the edge to see a whole group of burnt up walkers clawing at the edges trying to get out. The smell of burnt and cooking meat made her stomach growl. It made her stomach do a nauseous flip and she quickly backed away. She looked further towards the woods and began to see empty bullet shells strewn across the ground. Feeling a streak of excitement she moved further. Sitting in the grass was a larger silver oval object. She picked it up and realized that it was an empty grenade shell.
"Hey guys come here!" When they came over she held it up and said "This explains the explosion we heard."
"Wow," said Odilia, "Where the hell can you get a grenade in todays' world?"
"You can't," said Georgette, "Whoever used this had to have been saving it." Candice strayed from them and walked into the cover of the trees.
"They went this way." Georgette and Odilia looked up and said
"How do you know?" Candice pointed out at the ground and said
"They were running when they left, kicked up some of this dirt." Candice was a much better tracker than Georgette and she trusted anything her sister said. "Both seem uninjured."
"There were two people?"
"According to their footprints." They were silent for a moment before Candice said "Well what should we do?"
"Nothing," said Georgette, "We should keep going and hope we don't run into them."
"Not everyone's bad," said Candice, walking back over.
"We can't afford to get off track." Candice looked at Odilia for support as she had before but Odilia said
"She's right, we can't lose focus." With that, Georgette headed back to the ATV. She decided to let Candice have a turn sitting on the back and got into the trailer.
The further they drove away the less smoke clouded the air and she could finally breathe again. When the sun started to set they found a house to stay in. The house was only one floor and they usually liked to stay in two floored houses. It gave them higher ground when it came to the walkers but the house was the only one still completely standing in the neighborhood and they needed to put out traps before they completely lost the light.
Odilia went off the put the traps up while Georgette and Candice checked the house for walkers. When they kicked the door open they walked into the kitchen. It was in the usual condition most were. All the cabinets were open and whatever could have been possibly used as a weapon or for supplies were gone. What Georgette did notice was that there wasn't much dust. There were patches of it, like someone had recently walked through and disturbed it.
"Look at that." Candice pointed out the footprints that were on the floor. There were two sets. Whoever it had been had walked into the kitchen, looked around and walked back out together. Georgette followed the footprints out into the main hallway. They turned into the living room. In the middle of the floor was a fire pit. It was still smoking. Candice whispered
"Do you think whoever was here is still around?"
"I don't know," said Georgette, "Let's clear the rest of the house." Once they were done they met back in the living room.
"No one else is here," said Candice, "But the beds had been cleared of dust and the covers were pulled back like someone slept in them recently." They heard someone walking up on the deck. Looking at each other they backed away from the door and were ready to defend themselves. The door opened and Odilia walked in, holding the rest of the wire. She looked up at them and said
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's been in here recently."
"I didn't see anythin' out in the woods."
"We found this when we got here." Georgette stepped aside so Odilia could see the fire pit in the middle of the floor. Odilia then asked
"How long ago do you think they were here?"
"Had to have been last night," said Georgette, "Would make since for the time frame. And the beds were clearly slept in."
"If they were coming back they woulda left stuff here," said Odilia, "I don't think we should worry about it."
It turned into a typical night. They started a fire in the fire pit and sat around it on the couches. Most nights they talked about how much they had left to travel or talk about stories from their childhood but tonight they were all silent. Odilia had been happy in the past to tell the girls about her life back in Louisiana, but she hadn't wanted them to know she was such a trouble maker. Most of the people in the town had thought she was a misbehaved burden on her mother. She only acted the way she had because of her own boredom. She hadn't taken things seriously. She had never gone on a run before, mainly because Vince left that to the men. She had been expected to sit at home, do laundry, fish, or cook. None of which she was interested in doing. She enjoyed reading but it didn't help the village in any way. She wished she had been born forty years earlier when a person had a wider selection of jobs. She remembered one particular incident when her mother took her out and tried to teach her how to catch alligators. She had liked it and maybe if she had stayed at the camp she could have done that. Only a few women hunted, again Vince made that a male job.
"Now when his head comes up above the surface you have to get him right in kill spot on the top of the head." Her mother was explaining things to her while one of her friends held onto the rope that hung down from the tree and into the water.
"How am I supposed to aim while the thing's thrashin' around?"
"You'll be able to do it, it's pretty easy." Odilia didn't think so but she picked up the spear and looked over the edge of the boat. Her mother's blonde friend smiled at her and said
"You're gonna do fine." She started tugging on the rope, easing the gator to the surface. Odilia kept her eyes on the water, waiting for it to appear. Suddenly the green beast broke the surface. Pissed off, it threw itself around wildly, growling at them as it tried to get away. Odilia saw the spot that her mother had been talking about and brought the spear up, waiting to get a good chance. When she was sure she had it she quickly brought the spear down, piercing the gator on the top of its head. When she pulled it out she was happy to see that she had done it right and alligator was now dead, limp in the water. Happy with her work she reached down and grabbed onto the head and attempted to pull it in herself. It was much heavier than she thought and she couldn't even get it up out of the water by herself. Her mother and other the woman came to help her and they rolled the body into the boat and covered it with a tarp so the skin wouldn't dry out fast. They always used the skins for armor. Odilia had always found it kind of freaky and cultish. It was usually used for protection but when they had bonfires or celebrations people would dance around head to toe in costume. Vince encouraged it, saying that alligators symbolized indestructibility and primal power.
The girls agreed to take watch in case the people came back. Georgette was up first. While Candice and Odilia went and got comfy in the beds she still sat in the living room. Bored she got up and looked around. Most of the houses they went into were strewn in trash with everything of value completely gone. But this one was fairly clean minus the dust. She went into the kitchen, leaned onto the counter and looked outside. The moon lit up the front yard, making everything easy to see. It looked so serene and peaceful. There wasn't a walker in sight. She decided to step out for a little bit and get some fresh air. She was careful not to make too much noise leaving and stood outside on the front porch. It was completely silent out, the wind wasn't even blowing.
She stood out there for awhile. She turned to head back in and suddenly someone came out from underneath the deck. It was a woman and she had a gun raised up at Georgette.
"Don't fucking move." Georgette put her hands up, adrenaline rushing through her. What the hell was going on? Had she been there the whole time? She heard someone quickly approaching her from behind but didn't turn fast enough and a painful hit to the head sent her into darkness.
Daryl sat in the courtyard. It was late at night and everyone was asleep. Or so he thought. The glass doors opened and out came Judith.
"Hey," she said, "What are you doing out here?" Daryl often liked to be alone when he was deep in his thoughts but Judith was like the group psychologist. She always knew how to make everyone feel better, so he let her sit next to him.
"I could say the same to you."
"I got up to get a drink and I saw you out here." She paused for a moment before she said "Are you thinking about your daughters again?" She had hit the nail on the head. "How old were they when it happened?" She was an overly curious kid. If it had been Carl or Talmidge they wouldn't have wanted to disturb him but Judith didn't think like that. She wanted to help everyone.
"Oldest was three, and the other was an infant."
"So they're a bit younger than me." Daryl noticed her talking in the present tense, like they were both still there.
"They were," he said, putting his face in his hands.
"Don't think like that," she said, "It's very possible they could still be out there. I bet they're thinking as just as much about you as you are them."
"Even if they are I don't think I'll ever be seein' them again."
"Anything's possible," said Judith, "I bet you never thought the dead would rise up again back before the walkers were around." That was very true and Daryl didn't know what to say back. They were both quiet, her words sinking into him. "You should talk about it more; it might make you feel better." She got up and headed back towards the door. Before she went in she stopped and turned. "I've been thinking about it more lately, since you told me your wife used to take care of me as a baby. I think I remember her name." He looked up at her in shock. "I don't know how, maybe it's been stored somewhere deep in my mind for two decades. Neither Carl or Michonne would tell me, they said they didn't want me to come asking you questions." He looked up at her expectantly. "Was her name Beth?" Daryl felt his broken heart crack a little bit more at the mention of her. Not wanting to speak for fear he might break down he just nodded at her. She knew she had reached his limit and she looked down and then went back inside. He closed his eyes and remembered the prison. Before he and Beth had even really spoken to each other. He remembered her carrying around little Judith everywhere, mother to a child that was not hers. Before the Governor had ruined it all he remembered Judith had started to talk. The first word she learned was Beth or as she would say 'Bet', unable to pronounce the 'th' sound. He wished he could go back to those days sometimes. He thought about what their outcome would have been if the Governor hadn't attacked or they had chased him off. He certainly didn't think he'd have ever fallen in love with Beth; the separation from the others had given them the chance to figure out their feelings. Thinking about it, he'd rather Beth still be happy and even with another man if it meant she'd still be alive rather than dead and having of married him. They would have never known what could have been if the prison had never fallen. She would have found another boyfriend, probably someone closer to her in age and he would have continued to be a loner.
When Georgette awoke she had a raging headache. She could feel her hands bound behind her back and up against something. Her feet were also tied together. When she finally opened her eyes her vision was blurry. She could see a fuzzy figure standing in front of her, leaning against the wall. As it all became clearer the figure came into sight. It was the woman who'd attacked her. She finally was able to get a good look at her. She had curly light brown hair that reached her shoulders. She looked Asian or at least partially. She was slim, tall and muscular. There were various weapons on her belt and even a knife strapped onto her combat boot. Something that caught her eye right away was a big silver watch that hung around the girl's neck.
Starting to panic, she looked around and realized she was tied back to back with Candice and Odilia who were also struggling to get out of their bonds.
"What the hell is going on?!"
"This bitch came in here last night," said Odilia, "Drug as out of bed and tied as all up!" The girl smirked and said
"Wouldn'ta had to if you three hadn't come into our house." Confused and still in pain Georgette watched another person walk out of the hallway and come stand next to the woman, looking just as smug. He was also Asian and had long curly black hair that reached his shoulders.
"We had no idea this was your place," said Candice, "There was nothing here so we figured you'd moved on!" The two turned to each other and the man said
"What should we do with 'em?" There seemed to be some kind of silent communication as the two smiled and then advanced on the girls. The woman aggressively started searching Georgette. She pulled her knife out of her belt. The man got to searching their bags, pulling out their guns, spear and sword.
"Unfortunately for you if you had decided to attack me last night you would have had the upper hand," said the woman, "My gun wasn't loaded." The man handed her one of the girl's guns and she opened it up and took the bullets out of it. "But now it will be." Enraged, Georgette said
"Well see how long ten bullets last you! That's all we have!" Candice spoke up next and said
"Why do you need all of our stuff, you look pretty well off." The girl turned to her and said
"Our house was burnt down, along with the majority of our supplies." The man held up Odilia's wire that she used for traps.
"We'll be able to feed ourselves with this for a long time."
"So that's it you're just gonna leave us here to die?"
"Yup," said the woman, "As soon as we're well rested and fed, we're outta here." The man moved them to the corner of the room and out of the way. "Until that time you're our prisoners." As they started to set up a fire the man said
"Saw you setting traps last night in the woods, there should be animals caught in them by now." He grabbed Georgette's spear and turned to leave. Talking to the woman he said
"You gonna be ok here?"
"Ya don't worry, I've got it under control."
After he left the woman set up the fire and took all of the weapons off of her belt to clean on the coffee table. She was clearly done talking to them and acted as if they weren't even there. Georgette looked around for an escape method. There was no way all of them could stand up at once and lung themselves at the girl. She felt Candice squirming around and thought it was just her discomfort until she felt her rummaging inside her pocket. She poked her hand with something sharp. Georgette almost yelped in pain but held it down, not wanting to alert the girl. It was the small pocketknife Candice always carried around. The girl must have missed it while searching her. She carefully took it from Candice and started cutting into the rope. She'd make sure they were all free and not just herself. She couldn't take this girl on alone. Once she felt that her hands were free she began to work on Candice's and Odilia's. Once she felt them move their hands she jumped on her feet and leapt at the woman, blinded with anger. The woman didn't have time to react as Georgette landed on her and pinned her to the couch. Candice and Odilia quickly swiped all of the weapons off of the table. Suddenly, the man walked back through the door holding the body of a deer over his back and the spear in the other. Candice and Odilia quickly turned their guns on him. Bitterly Odilia said
"Drop it!" He let the deer fall to the floor but continued to hold onto the spear and quickly shoved it up into their faces.
"Go ahead pull the fucking trigger!" They were frozen. Odilia and Candice facing the man in a show down and Georgette holding the woman down by the throat. Candice was the first to break the silence.
"Everybody just stop! This is ridiculous!"
"What are you talking about?!" said Georgette, "These two were gonna take our shit and leave us for dead!"
"Hurting each other isn't going to solve anything! We're both just trying to survive out here; the least we can do is be civil with each other and work out a deal." To Georgette's surprise the first to lower their weapon was the man. Next Candice, then Odilia. She was left, still holding the woman down. For a moment she let her sister's words cloud her head and she loosened up. In a split second she was on her back on the other side of the couch, the woman holding her down by the throat. She heard the man speak.
"Come on Athena, let her up, the girl's right." The woman looked down at her with a cold gaze and then released her, getting up and backing away. Georgette sprung up off the couch, still pissed and ready for a fight. Candice smiled a little and then held out her hand to the man. "I'm Candice Dixon, and this is my sister Georgette and our friend Odilia." The man took her hand and shoke it. The woman still stood behind her brother meeting Georgette's venomous glare with her own.
"I'm Ares Rhee and this is my sister Athena."
Thanks electrickpanda, DarylDixon'sLover, stateofgrace-xo, Caitiann, daywalker28, MammaMia2016 and all the guests for commenting :) So it's a war between cousins and they don't even know it lol, let me know what you think! Both Athena and Ares pictures are posted on my profile now so go check them out :)
Thanks,
Wanderlustt