"How long's this girl been lost?" Hershel asked as we all stood around the hood of a yellow truck.
"This'll be day three." Rick told him.
"County survey map." Maggie cut in as she unraveled some paper, showing a bunch of different locations. "Shows terrain and elevations.
"This is perfect." Rick said as they pinned down the map with a couple of rocks. "Might finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the area and start searching in teams."
"Not you. Not today." Hershel insisted. "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." He then turned to Shane. "And your ankle. Push it now, you'll be laid up a month. No good to anybody."
"Guess it's just me." Daryl announced. "Imma head back to the creek and work my way from there."
I would have volunteered but I would get easily lost in the woods and would be a walker's meal quickly.
"I can still be useful." Shane interjected. "Drive up the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back."
"Alright." Rick said. "Tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right."
"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. I think the gun training would bring promise." Shane suggested. I refrained from rolling my eyes. They were all obsessed with guns.
"I prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've made it so far without turning this into an armed camp." Hershel declared.
"With all due respect... you get a crowd of those things walk in here..." Shane finished with a scoff.
"We're guests here." Rick said to Hershel. "This is your property. And we will respect that." Rick took out his Python and laid it on the car. Shane followed with his gun. I slid mine out of my shorts and placed it on the hood next to their guns. "First things first. Set camp and find Sophia."
"I hate to be the one that asks but somebody's got to." Shane said, laying his hands on the hood. "What happens if we find her and she's bit? Think we should all be clear on how we handle that."
"You do what has to be done." Rick said, looking down.
"And your mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie drawled in her strong accent.
"The truth." I spoke up. "She'll have a right to know."
"I'll gather and secure all the weapons." Shane cut in. "Make sure no-one's carrying two on the practice range offside. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience."
"Our people would feel safer." Rick tried to get Hershel to agree. "Less inclined to carry a gun. Hershel gave a hesitant nod. "Thank you."
"That stuff you brought. Got any more antibiotics? Bandages? Anything like that?" Maggie asked Rick. I stood awkwardly at the truck, watching them. "I'm short already. Should make a run into town."
"Shane went." Rick said.
"There's a pharmacy in town just a mile down the road." Maggie informed him. "I've done it before."
"See our man there in the cap?" Rick gestured to Glenn. "That's Glenn. Our go-to-town expert." I clenched my fists on the hood of the car. I was as good as Glenn. "I'd ask him along... just to be cautious." Hershel made a small jerk of his head towards Glenn and Maggie nodded, leaving us to go talk to him.
"Rick." I hissed, catching his attention. "I'm just as good as Glenn. Why can't I go along?"
"Sorry Kaitlyn, but we need you here." Rick reasoned.
"Never send a man to do a woman's job." I spat and stormed away from them.
I watched as Maggie walked away from Glenn. I jumped out from behind the tree and grabbed his wrist, pulling him with me. He let out a noise of protest but he shut his mouth when he saw it was me.
"Listen closely. I don't appreciate this girl going on a stupid pharmacy run with you. I don't trust her. So, if she tries anything, you tell me and I'll have a strong word with her. Got it?" I demanded and he just looked at me fearfully. "I said, you got it?" The fear dissipated from his eyes and he nodded. "Good." I smiled and kissed his cheek.
I was confused as Dale told us we had a problem. Me, Glenn, Lori, Maggie, Shane and Andrea followed him and T-Dog to one of the wells. I could hear some echoes coming from it.
We all looked down into the well and there was a mangled and big walker stuck in there. I cringed at the sight of it.
"Looks like we got us a swimmer." Dale declared as he shone the flashlight over the well.
"How long you think he's been down there?" Glenn asked.
"Long enough to grow gills." I said with disgust in my voice.
"We can't leave it in there. I don't know what it's doing to the water." Lori said.
"We gotta get it out." Shane ordered.
"Easy." T-Dog spoke up. "Put a bullet in it's head."
"Woah guys." Maggie warned. "No."
"Why not? It's a good plan." Glenn said without thinking.
"It's a stupid plan." I told him.
"If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing it's brains out will finish the job." Andrea backed me up.
"They're right." Shane said. "Can't risk it."
"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked.
"So to speak." Shane nodded a little.
"How do we do that?" Glenn spoke up.
We had gone with the idea of tying meat to some rope. I had rolled my eyes when they suggested it.
"He's not going for it." Dale pointed out.
"Because ham don't kick and scream when they try and eat it." T-Dog said monotonously.
"Walkers only like live meat. Humans, horses, cows. Things that'll move. They won't eat stuff that's already dead." I told them.
"They're right." Lori spoke up. "There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards." I chuckled at her joke.
"We need live bait." I suggested. I then looked at Glenn with a smirk, who looked at me in disbelief. He looked mortified. "Sorry babe." I straightened up and patted his shoulder.
"Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut?" Glenn said to Shane as he tied him with the rope. "You have a nice shaped head."
"Don't worry about it, bud." Shane said as he finished tying him up. "We're gonna get you out of there in one piece."
"Living piece." Glenn emphasized. "The living part is important." Shane sighed and walked over to where the rope was tied to a pole. "Nice and slow, please." Glenn pleaded.
"We got ya." I said as I stood behind T-Dog, Shane holding up the front of the rope.
"Oh, you people are crazy." Maggie said.
"It's what the apocalypse does to ya." I told her.
"Give us an eye there, Maggie." Dale ordered. She stomped over to the edge of the well with an infuriated look on her face, peering over the well.
I bit down on my lip as Glenn lowered himself into the well. I gripped tightly on the rope as we started to give the line some slack.
"Doin' okay?" Maggie asked as she kneeled by the well.
"Yep. Doin' great." Glenn's voice echoed around the well. I could tell he was being sarcastic.
"Little lower." Maggie told us. "Little more." I could hardly hear her over the walker's raspy groans. It gave me the shivers.
I jumped back as the pipe came free from the ground and it tipped over, making a loud squeak. The rope almost slipped from my hands and I jumped again as I heard Glenn's cry of surprise and fear.
"Get the rope!" We all cried as Shane rushed to the unhinged pipe. It flew back and Shane fell to the ground. The rope flew through my hands and burnt the skin. I hissed and finally let go of the rope, looking at my palms which had red lines on them.
"Get me out of here!" Glenn's cries snapped me back to the situation at hand and I grabbed the rope again, ignoring the burning pain in my hands. I pulled on it with T-Dog and struggled because Glenn wasn't the easiest person to hold up with some rope.
"Hang on Glenn!" We shouted to him as we were able to pull the rope back from the well. I let go of the rope as Shane tugged hard on it. After many pulls, I finally saw Glenn's upper body pop up out of the well. I sighed in relief as he got his body and I rushed over, pulling him out fully and still holding onto him as he crashed to the ground.
"You okay?" I cried as I checked him over. He was gasping for breath and clutching onto the ground.
"Great idea, Kaitlyn." Andrea spat at me.
"Shut up! I thought it would work." I growled at her as I rubbed my boyfriend's shoulder.
"Back to the drawing board." Dale sighed.
"Says you." Glenn said through ragged breaths as he got up and walked away. I caught up to him as he untangled the rope around his thighs.
"I'm so sorry, Glenn. I didn't know that would happen. If I did, I wouldn't have suggested it. I really am sorry." I rambled. Glenn cut me off with a kiss. As I pulled away, confusion decorated my features. "What was that for?"
"To get you to stop rambling." Glenn smiled.
"Maybe I should ramble more often." I joked and we both laughed.
I pulled him into a gentle hug and he hugged me back. I looked over his shoulder to see Maggie glaring at me. I glared at her back and then tore my eyes away as I buried my face into Glenn's shoulder.
Glenn had managed to tie the noose around the walker's chest and the others were now pulling him up. I watched, gnawing on my knuckles in nervousness.
I grimaced as the walker was over the entrance of the well. It's moans were much louder and I shivered again. I would never get over those sounds.
They were pulling too hard. As they gave one last tug, the walker split in half and the lower half went tumbling back into the well and the splash echoed around the stone creation. I covered my mouth at the sight of the blood and the fact that the thing was still alive.
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at T-Dog's 'are you kidding me?' expression. But we still had an alive walker to deal with.
"Can seal off this well." Dale spoke up.
"Yeah." Shane agreed, rubbing his head. "Might be a good idea."
"So what do we do about-" Andrea was cut off as T-Dog started to beat the walker's head in with a pipe. I quickly backed up so I wouldn't get sprayed with the blood and the disgust was evident on my face.
"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid... like shoot it." T-Dog said as he had finished beating the brains out of the walker.
I sighed as I rested against a tree back at camp. Glenn and Maggie had gone off on their pharmacy run, Daryl was out searching for Sophia, Andrea and Shane were out somewhere in the fields and I was left with Carol and Lori.
"I wonder what they're doing right now." I wondered aloud.
"I'm sure they're just looking for medical supplies, sweetie." Lori reassured me.
"What if they're having sex?" I blurted out.
"I don't think Glenn would do that to you." Carol spoke up. "He just met this girl. You've been in his life for about 3 years. I don't think he'd throw it away."
"Thanks, Carol." I smiled at her. The words had given me some hope.
I turned my head and a grin appeared on my face as Glenn walked towards me, away from Lori. But there wasn't a grin on his face. He looked awkward and guilty.
"Glenn, what's up?" I asked as he stood in front of me.
"I don't think I should say." He muttered.
"Glenn." I warned.
"Maggie tried to have sex with me." Glenn confessed.
"She what?" I shrieked. Everyone looked at me but I glared and they looked away.
"I picked up a pregnancy test at Lori's request. She came up behind me and I had to cover it up and the first thing I grabbed was a box of condoms. She got the wrong idea." Glenn reasoned.
"Wait, Lori's pregnant?" I questioned him, confused.
"I don't know. She just asked me to pick it up." Glenn shrugged.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to go sort out the farmer's daughter." I patted his shoulder and walked away from and to Maggie.
She raised an eyebrow as I stood in front of her.
"Hey Maggie." I gave her a fake smile. "I just heard the news."
"What news?" She asked, confusion in her tone.
"That you tried to sleep with my boyfriend." I growled and then reeled my fist back, throwing it forward and hitting her right in the nose. She let out a cry of pain and I couldn't help but smirk. I could see the blood trickling through her hands as she held her nose in agony. "Don't ever try and do it again."
I turned around and started to walk back to the camp, checking out my knuckles. They were a little bruised but I didn't care. I was suddenly grabbed by a firm hand.
"Ow, get off me!" I snapped, shoving the person off me.
"What the hell was that?" Shane's voice made my whole body stiffen. "You could have cost us our chance here."
"Why don't you go and talk to the bitch who tried to have sex with my boyfriend?" I spat. "Or, why don't you go and talk to Lori? You would know all about being a homewrecker."
What came next startled me. Shane lifted his hand and backhanded me across the cheek. I let out a noise of pain and cradled my cheek. I could taste the blood in my mouth. The fucker had busted my lip.
"You shut your mouth. You don't tell anyone about what happened at the CDC and you don't tell anyone what happened just now. You got that, missy?" He threatened. When I didn't look at him, he grabbed my hand and yanked it so I'd look at him. "I said, you got that?" I just nodded. "Good." He let go of my hair and stormed off in the other direction.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and the blood from my lips. I continued on my way back to camp and was again yanked back by another hand.
"I swear to God." I muttered but relaxed when I saw it was Glenn. "Oh, it's you."
"What the hell happened with you and Maggie?" Glenn demanded and I looked down at my shoes. "Kaitlyn, what happened?" He said as he lifted my head up.
"I punched her in the nose." I muttered.
"Really?" Glenn asked in disbelief.
"Of course I did. I don't want some girl coming into our relationship and ruining it." I spat.
"Kaitlyn, that was stupid of you to do. You might have got us kicked off this farm." He scolded me.
"I know. But I'm not sorry for hitting her. That bitch had it coming." I growled.
"Hey, what happened to your lip?" Glenn caught me off guard.
"I... uh... fell on the way back. Cut it on a loose branch." I lied.
"Okay." Glenn nodded and slipped his hand into mine and led me back to camp. I smiled a little, ignoring the pain in my busted lip.
Okay, this took me nearly two months to write this but I finished it and I hope you liked it! There's not a valid reason for me to not have written this. I got sidetracked and was not motivated to write this and to be honest, I couldn't be bothered. But here it is! And hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long!