Chapter 9: Anxiety and Stress

It was close to evening and the group in the woods had settled back and were getting ready for a good meal of the rabbits that Annie had captured today.

Annie was over by the stream sharpening her knives while Tucker was busy getting the food cooked and ready by a fire.

Elizabeth was over with her children, keeping them entertained while dinner was being cooked, and also working on washing some of the clothing. Cleo and Sam were overlooking the outside, keeping a lookout for the walkers.

Annie's fear seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders for the time being. She knew now how to protect herself against the walkers and had managed to get a good amount of food for the group. There was only one problem now though. Where was her family?

She was terribly worried about them and she couldn't tell if they were alive, dead, or one of those things. She just wanted to know, she didn't want to have to go to sleep worrying about the well being of her son or husband. She just wanted to see them again. She wanted to comfort and hug her son and feel the warm embrace of her loving husband. But unfortunately it was all far away from her and she didn't know what to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Tucker calling.

"SOUPS ON!"

She put down her knives and went down to the fire. She got her food and went back to where she was, getting back to work while she ate. Sam saw her sitting there by herself and decided to go up there and give her some company.

"Hey there," she said in a welcoming tone.

"Hey Sam, what's up," she said with a grin.

"Nothing, mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, go right ahead."

Sam smiled and sat down beside her, eating her vegetables as she did so. They talked for a while and kept a friendly and quiet conversation.

"So you must be pretty proud of yourself, you provided most of the group with food for the time being. Well at least Tucker and Cleo for that matter. You know that Elizabeth, the kids, and I don't eat meat right?"

Annie chuckled remembering what Elizabeth had told her back in the woods earlier today, "Yeah, when we were in the woods today, I asked that question to Elizabeth and she said to me if she would eat rabbits, she'd be a god damn abomination."

Sam burst into laughter at the quote. She couldn't help herself it was so hilarious the way it was said.

"Well anyway I do feel pretty proud of myself, I was able to supply the group with food and I've learned how to shoot a gun and a crossbow correctly, usually my son would be able to do that correctly. He could shoot a deer straight in the eye."

"Amazing," Sam said with a smirk, "look Annie I know you feel nervous about your son and husband getting here safely."

"Isn't it obvious," Annie remarked coldy.

"You don't have to be, your son will make it here, any kid I know wouldn't be able to make it here, but from what you've told me your son will make it. The only other person I know to make it out here is my boyfriend Danny."

"Why do you think he will," Annie asked curiously.

"He has how should I say it 'special' abilities," Sam said emphasizing the word "special".

"Well the more you say it Sam, the more I get hopeful. Maybe my family will make it here. I'll try to not worry as much, but I can't say I'll stop."

"You don't have to, worrying is a natural thing that you can't control, you can't make it go away but you can ease it," Sam said patting her on the back, "try to think of something better and the worries will go away from your mind."

"Hey Sam, come down here please, I need a hand washing the clothes." Elizabeth called up to her.

"Okay I'm coming," Sam said as she left where Annie was giving her a wave goodbye and went over to Elizabeth. She was washing the clothes and her daughters Teresa and Cynthia were helping her.

"So what did you talk to her about," Elizabeth asked.

"She's very worried about her family Lizzy, I just tried to calm her down a little."

"But that's natural for someone to be anxiou for they're family," Teresa said, "isn't it Mother."

"Yeah, Mommy you would be scared for us too wouldn't you?" Cynthia asked.

"Of course I would girls, it's just that Miss Annie hasn't seen her family for a long time and she's just hoping that wherever they are they'll be alright."

"Well I guess the best thing to do now is just give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe we should help her look for them." Sam suggested.

Elizabeth thought about it for a second and then nodded her head in approval, "I think that's a great idea, it would be a great way to repay her for helping us here."

"Seems like a waste of time," Cleo said pessimistically as she walked up to them, "they're probably already dead."

"You don't know that Cleo," Tucker said as he too came forward, "Christ, why do you have to literally be a pessimist about everything."

"I'm not," she said in her defense, "I'm just saying that the chances of Annie's kid and husband being alive might be bullshit."

"We still owe it to her though, she helped us now we're going to help her," Sam said to her.

"Whatever," Cleo sighed and walked away.

Annie heard the whole thing. She knew that Cleo literally has been through a lot. Maybe she'd talk to her, and try to find a way to get her to open up a little more. Right now though the best thing to do was just try to survive as she had been doing for so long now.

It was nightime now and everybody was asleep. Annie went into the van where she slept the previous night. In the middle of the night she woke up and found that Cleo wasn't there. She looked out the window and saw her sitting outside looking over into the woods.

"What the hell is she doing," she said to herself.

Quietly she snuck at, so as not to wake Elizabeth and went over to Cleo. She just sat there looking off into the distance.

"I'm sure you heard what I said a while ago," she immediately said as if sensing Annie's prescence. She then sat down beside Cleo looking over into the distance with her.

"Yeah I did, why do you act this way.?"

"I've seen so many people die already Annie," she said quietly, "it's really taken it's toll on me."

"What happened?"

Cleo brushed her hair out of her face and started to tell her story.

"When this whole thing started, me and several others, good friends, my family, and other people took shelter at the museum. I lived in the city and I would always go up to the museum, it was a favorite past time."

Annie saw a smile pass Cleo's face as if she was trying to remember good times.

"Staying at the museum worked for several weeks. However, someone fell asleep while trying to keep watch and all of those things swarmed inside. So many of those people died in there. I saw them being ripped to shreds, eatin alive, there was so much blood and screaming, I couldn't take it so I ran off, after that I met Elizabeth, her children, Sam and Tucker and we set up this group."

Annie looked into Cleo's face. She saw tears streaming down her face. She had really been through so much.

"I don't know what to do now, I wonder if it even matters to go on living anymore."

"Don't say that." Annie snapped taking Cleo by surprise.

"There are so many things left to live for now, you made it alive out here and you have to make the best of it. Don't give up now because something seems too hard. You push on and you keep going. Look at me, I went out here and stayed in those woods starving to death and with no combat experience, but why did I go? I went because I have a family to look her and I wasn't ready to die just yet. Cleo you can't give up now, you have to keep trying to live. If you just let go and die, you'll have so many regrets about it."

Cleo sat there for a while, taking it all in. Eventually she looked up into Annie's eyes and spoke again.

"Thanks," she said quietly and she shared a hug with Annie.

"Now, why don't you go off and get some sleep," she told her.

"Okay," she responded and she got up and went back to the van.

Annie sat there for several minutes taking in everything. All of the anxiety and stress that had been plaguing her mind had finally left her. She felt nothing but content and she knew that the best was about to happen.

Well this really took a long time to get out. Teaching a moral now to not give up and not let anxiety and stress get to you was a good subject to touch upon. Now then I'll be up with then next chapter pretty soon.