I kept running, I could hear everything so loud and clear. The chaos. People were screaming, I could hear guns being fired. I could see the brush leading in the camp. I put on a burst of speed, scrambling through the bushes, entering the camp. There were walkers everywhere. Horrified, I looked around, searching for Cheyenne and Shay.
I saw the walker stumbling towards me, so I raised my gun. It's face was torn, I could see half of its jaw was eaten away. Taking a quick second to aim, I pulled the trigger and watched it drop. Another was right in front of me. I shot again. They were everywhere! I kept shooting, making my way over to the RV. Then I heard it, I heard her voice.
"SPENCER!" Cheyenne's voice sounded fragile and afraid. I looked up in just enough time to see her break away from Shay and run toward me. No, no! Stay where you are, dammit! My mind screamed.
"NO! TURN AROUND CHY! GO BACK!" I screamed, begging. "NO!" I could see it. The walker was coming from her right. It was torn to shreds and chewed on, its face sunken in. I raised my gun, pulling the trigger. Click. Empty chamber. "NOOOO!" I ran toward Cheyenne. The walker was reaching for her, and I was screaming, begging for it not to reach her. I wasn't close enough!
Suddenly the walker dropped to the ground, and I saw Daryl grab Cheyenne up in his arms. I ran toward them and he jogged to me, handing her over into my arms. I grabbed the small child, holding her tight, holding her close. I began to cry as I sat down on the ground, just holding her.
"Don't cwy!" Cheyenne begged, but she was crying too. I couldn't even speak, I just held her close.
"Come on, girl, get up." I heard Daryl's voice say softly. I looked up at him and nodded. I stood up, picking Cheyenne up into my arms.
"Thank you. Thank you." I said, and I wiped the tears off of my cheeks. Daryl nodded and walked toward everyone. I could see Glenn, panicking. I felt my chest tighten, and this time I couldn't fight it. I walked over to Shay quickly, handing her Cheyenne.
"Spencer! What... What's wrong?" Shay asked, her eyes widening.
"Panic... attack... I can't..." I sat down on the ground, pulling my knees up to my chest. Cheyenne sat down beside me, rubbing my shoulder. Shay knelt down looking in my eyes.
"It's okay, Spence. We're okay! Breathe in your nose and out of your mouth. Think of something happy. Think of the beach or..." Her words disappeared from my head and I went back to another time. A time before the world ended.
"Hey! It's okay, Spence! You're okay!" Sam's voice was soft and convincing. He knelt down on the floor beside me in the hallway. "Look at me, Spence."
I looked up at him, as I sat there hyperventilating. My breaths were short and hard, my chest was constricted tight. I could feel tingling all down my arms, my hands were going numb. The feeling was overwhelming me, and I was panicking, making it worse.
"Spencer," Sam looked at me. "Breathe, girl. Everything's fine. Think about the time we went to the beach. Remember last summer? You and I snuck down to Panama City and stayed for a whole week? We stayed out on the beach everyday from mornin' 'til night. Came home lookin' like some damn burnt toast. I ran out into the water, you started yellin', "Shark, shark! Sam there's a shark!", and I took off outta that water like a bullet!" Sam grinned.
"Yea,.. I... remember that." I was breathing softer now, my breathing was slowing down. I looked at Sam, before leaning my head against the wall.
"You good now?" Sam asked, staring at me.
"Good now." I said softly, giving him a thankful smile.
"Spencer? Spencer?" Shay was shaking me. I looked up, my breathing returning back to normal.
"Good, I'm..good." I breathed, standing up, and grabbing Cheyenne. We walked over to the rest of the group, when I heard it. This awful crying, and I recognized the voice right away. Andrea. I pushed past to see Rick, staring ahead in horror. I followed his gaze to see Andrea on the ground, leaned over Amy, who wasn't moving but covered in blood. I felt my stomach churn and, for a moment, I thought I was going to be sick.
I turned away quickly, blocking the view from Cheyenne who had begun to cry. Her little body shook as she sobbed into my shoulder. Holding her close, I rubbed her back and cried right along with her. Cheyenne and I had both liked Amy quite a bit, as she had spent a lot of time with Cheyenne.
"Amy's dead, ain't she?" Cheyenne's lip quivered and tears streaked her face.
"Yea, baby... She's gone." I couldn't lie to her. Even if she was only five years old. She lowered her head onto my shoulder and began to cry again.
"I remember my dream now..why I dug the holes." I heard Jim say. I glanced at him, then looked back at Andrea. I felt the tears spring up in my eyes again, and I looked away.
I took Cheyenne to the RV and left her with Dale. It was still dark, but there was a hint of daylight just over the mountain. I made my way over to Rick and Lori. When they saw me, they tried to give me a smile, but I could see that wasn't working out quite well for either of them.
"How's Cheyenne?" Rick asked quietly, studying my face.
"Sad... Really sad about Amy..." I trailed off, fighting the lump in my throat. "But she's tough."
"Understandable. She's so young, she can't control the way she feels. Carl is pretty upset, too. And Sophia." Rick nodded.
"Carl was just sobbing... He is all right now, I suppose. Just quiet." Lori said, looking at me with a strained face.
"So's Chy." I nodded, and looked away. "Gotta go find Daryl."
"What for?" Rick asked.
"You didn't see?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
"See what?" Lori looked at me confused.
"Well, uh... When we came through the brush, Cheyenne saw me and took off runnin' toward me. She... She almost got it. A walker came outta nowhere, and my gun was empty. Stupid mistake. Next thing I know, Dixon's got her. Safe and sound. Handed her to me." I nodded with a sigh. "Biggest relief of my life."
"Daryl's not a bad guy." Rick said softly. "Just hard headed and a bad temper." I nodded with a smile before walking away. I walked past my tent, and could see Daryl beside his truck. He had the motorcycle on the back, and was closing the tailgate. He looked up, and when he saw me coming he stood there awkwardly, waiting.
"Dixon?" I spoke softly. He looked up at me. "Thanks. She means the world to me, you know? Thank you." Daryl stared at me for a moment, before grunting and walking toward Rick. I took that for a "you're welcome" and was done with it. I walked back over to my tent and sat down beside Shay. We were silent, just stayed that way, watching the sun come up.
Rick walked past us, radio in hand. He was going to try to get in contact with the guy who helped him after he awoke from his coma. I didn't blame him, really. But breaking through and getting contact was about as likely as the ice cream truck riding though. It just wasn't going to happen. I couldn't tell him that though.
Lori caught my eye, and I watched her walk over to Andrea and kneel beside her. She got on her knees and began talking to Andrea, who was still sitting beside Amy's dead body. After a few moments, I watched as Lori stood and put a hand on Andrea's shoulder before walking away. Feeling horrible, I looked at Shay.
"She ain't turned yet." I sighed, looking at my feet.
"I know." Shay nodded, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I hate it, Spencer. I hate it so much."
"Me too." I agreed. "Amy was a great girl." I could feel the lump in my throat once again.
"What do we do now?" Shay asked, looking at me with tired eyes.
"Honestly, I dunno. Just go with the flow. Whatever Rick says we do next, we go." I replied, staring off into space. I stood and walked over to the RV. I was about to go inside, when I heard a grunt, followed by a sick crunching noise. Turning my head, I saw Daryl swinging a pick axe into a corpse's head. Had to make sure they didn't come back, that's for sure.
I opened the door and walked inside. I nearly said Cheyenne's name, but stopped. There she was, sprawled out on the seat, fast asleep. Her face was so peaceful, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. I backed out of the RV quietly, shutting the door. I would have to wake her up soon enough. Walking over to Dale, I saw Rick walking toward us.
"She still won't move?" Rick asked quietly, looking at Andrea.
"Won't even talk to us. She's been there all night... What'a we do?" Lori asked.
"Can't just leave Amy like that." Shane mumbled, but there was a slight sadness in his voice. "We need to deal with it. Same as the others."
"I'll tell her how it is." Rick nodded, and walked in her direction. "Andrea." He went to kneel down beside her, and I saw her arm lash out, gun in hand. Rick backed off slightly, the two just staring at each other. Rick began backing away slowly, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I looked at Dale, who was just staring at Andrea. Hearing footsteps, I looked over to see Daryl walk up.
"Y'all can't be serious. Gonna let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb!" Daryl fussed. I rolled my eyes in anger and he caught it. He sneered at me before looking back at Rick.
"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.
"Take the shot. Clean. In the brain from here. Hell, I can hitta turkey in between the eyes from this distance!" Daryl kept his voice low.
"No. For God's sake, let her be." Lori chimed in and I shook my head.
"Whether you're willin' to believe it or not, Andrea'll do what she's gotta." I said firmly. Everyone seemed to agree with that for now, except Daryl, who blew out a breath and walked away. I was sitting quietly, watching the guys drag walker bodies to the fire, when I heard Glenn yell.
"We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand?" Glenn asked. "People go in that row over there."
"Reap what ya sew!" Daryl hollered.
"You know what? Shut up, man!" Morales barked.
"Y'all left my brother for dead! You had this comin'!" Daryl fussed, and I stood up, marching over to him. We stood face to face, the others standing there staring at us. He glared at me. I wanted to yell, scream. Cuss him out for being a jerk. But that wasn't the right thing to do at this time.
"Daryl, please I know yo-" I started.
"A walker got 'em! A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui cried. Daryl and I turned quickly, walking fast toward them. Everyone seemed to swarm Jim, and suddenly, I felt awful for the guy. He was going to die either way. And now he probably felt like a trapped animal.
"Show it to us! Show it to us." Daryl was walking toward him with the pick axe. Jim picked up a shovel, but that didn't last long, T-Dog grabbed him and Daryl lifted his shirt to show the wound. No getting around that one.
They were all having a discussion about what to do with Jim, and I decided to have no part in it. I stayed quiet and just listened. They began talking of the CDC and Fort Benning. Suddenly Daryl yelled and lunged at Jim with the pick axe. Before I knew what was happening, Rick had his gun aimed at Daryl's head.
"We don't kill the living." Rick said calmly.
"S'funny. Comin' from a man that jus' putta gun to my head." Daryl shot back. I watched as Daryl walked away and I noticed Dale coming back from sitting with Andrea. I decided it was time to go over and say goodbye before it was too late.
"Andrea? It's just me." I said quietly, sitting beside her. She looked up at me, with a blank stare. I looked down at Amy to notice a mermaid necklace around her neck. Of course... I had over heard Amy talking about her birthday coming up soon a while back. Suddenly, a flood of emotion came over me and I had to turn my head. Get a hold on yourself! I mumbled in my head, wiping away my tears.
I looked back at Amy and touched her face gently. Andrea kept her eyes glued on her little sister's body, and I touched her arm. Then, I stood and walked away from the two, a tear running down my cheek. I wiped it away when I saw Daryl looking at me strangely. I walked past the stripped down red sports car, and to the edge of the woods. I had to get a hold on myself.
After a few moments, I rejoined the group, in just enough time to see Carol sobbing and hacking away at Ed's head with the pick axe. Good for her. I thought. My thoughts turned back to Andrea and how sad she had looked. Turning my head, I saw Amy move. Oh, God. She was turning.
I watched as Andrea spoke to her, and Amy grabbed at her, trying to pull her close to bite her. Andrea was just speaking to her, holding her face at a distance so she couldn't be bitten. Shane and Rick walked toward them, drawing their guns. But Andrea already was pulling hers out. She placed it against Amy's head, and said something, before pulling the trigger. Amy was still.
The rest of the day the group was busy burying and burning. Andrea burying Amy was devastating. I had to leave, carrying Cheyenne back down the hill. They had decided to put Jim in the RV, and I didn't quite feel comfortable leaving Cheyenne in the RV with him. I saw Rick and Shane walk into the woods, so I walked over to the RV with Cheyenne.
"Hey Jim." I spoke softly, shifting Cheyenne on my hip. "How ya feelin'?"
"Okay, I guess..as okay as one bitten can feel." He spoke quietly.
"If you need anything, let us know?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Lori and Carol just brought me some water. But I will... Spencer?" Jim's voice sounded pleading.
"Yea?" I turned back to look at him.
"Take care of the little one. I have to go soon. You know that, right?" Jim asked.
"I know." I nodded, trying to keep from crying again.
"Good." Jim smiled. "I want to see my family."
"I know you do. They miss you." I said, giving him a smile. He closed his eyes and nodded. I walked out of the RV with Cheyenne in just enough time to see Rick step in front of me.
"There you are. We're getting ready to go." Rick explained and I nodded.
"Everybody listen up! Those of you with CB's, we're gonna be on channel forty. But let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you gotta problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal, anything at all..ya gonna hit ya horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Shane looked around.
"We are... We're not going." Morales spoke up. I looked at him, shocked.
"We have family in Birmingham. We wanna be with our people." His wife spoke up.
"If you're on ya own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane tried.
"We'll take the chance. I gotta do what's best for my family." Morales explained.
"You sure?" Rick asked.
"We talked about it. We're sure." His decision was final. We all said goodbye, and I watched sadly as Cheyenne and Sophia said goodbye to Morale's kids. Carl just sat on the car crying.
"Can I wide with Carl and Sophia?" Cheyenne asked. I looked at Rick.
"We're pretty tight, but we can fit one more." Rick grinned and I smiled up at him.
"Thank you." I said quietly. I picked up Cheyenne and gave her a big hug. I walked over to Rick's vehicle and bent down to her level. "Listen to me, Chy. You do everything Rick says, got it? And Lori, and Carol. I love you, baby girl. I'll see you in a little while. Be right behind you, 'kay?"
"I love you!" Cheyenne grinned, kissing my cheek as she hugged me. I kissed her forehead and watched her hop into the car. I walked away after thanking Rick and Lori once again. I saw Shay and stopped her.
"You ridin' in the RV?" I asked.
"Yes. I figured being with Dale, I'll be pretty safe." She managed a smile. "Where you riding?"
"Dunno yet." I said. "Maybe Dixon."
"Have fun with that." Shay laughed.
"Oh, laugh it up. Everywhere else is too crowded." I mumbled.
"Better hurry and get yourself a seat." Shay laughed again.
"Yea, yea." I grinned and walked over to Daryl, who was about to get into his truck. "Hey Dixon!"
"Yea?" He grunted.
"Think I can ride with you? Chy is ridin' with Rick and Lori..." I trailed off with a shrug.
"Don't care." Daryl said impatiently.
"All right then." I nodded and shifted my duffel bag. Walking around the truck, I opened the passenger door. I shoved my bag into the floor board and climbed in. Daryl started up the truck, and I felt a strange sadness as we followed the others down the dirt path. Morales and his family veered off, and I looked away.
We drove in silence for what seemed like forever. Passing empty houses and lots of land. I watched the scenery flying by, thinking of how great it was to be on the road. Not so safe, it seemed. But it was nice to feel the wind in my face. I had the window rolled down and I was leaning against the door. I closed my eyes.
"Well shit." Daryl's voice made my eyes pop open. I sat up straight to see everyone pulling over. "Wait here." I watched as Daryl got out of the truck. I saw Rick walk up, they exchanged a few words and then Daryl motioned for me to come on. Guess it wasn't just a pit stop after all. I sighed and stepped out of the truck. I walked up beside Daryl to see the RV smoking.
"Y'all! Jim! It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." Jacqui came out of the RV quickly, and then ran back into it.
"Hey, Rick, you wanna hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back." Shane offered.
"Yea, I'll come along too, I'll back ya up." T-Dog offered.
"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back." Shane said. I stood outside with Daryl and the others while Rick walked into the RV. A little while later, he reappeared.
"It's what he said he wants." Rick spoke quietly.
"And he's lucid?" Carol asked. I looked at Rick.
"He seems to be, I would say yes." Rick replied. Dale agreed on Jim's behalf, saying it was his choice. Shane, who had just returned, expressed already feeling guilty about the act. Lori agreed with Dale. Shane and Rick carried Jim to a shady spot underneath a tree. Everyone, even the kids said their goodbyes.
"Bye, Jim." I tried to smile. "You'll see your family soon." I assured, and Cheyenne gave him him a pitiful wave as her little lip quivered.
"Don't cry." Jim whispered to her. I nodded and turned away, walking down the hill. I noticed Daryl standing, watching everyone say goodbye. He said nothing, but gave Jim a look and walked away. I kissed Cheyenne on the head and watched her hop back into the backseat with Carol, Carl, and Sophia. I saw Carl say something to her, and Cheyenne nodded, looking back towards Jim. I sighed, waved to the kids and Carol, and walked back toward the truck.
Opening the door, I climbed in and sat, looking up the hill at Jim. He was brave, that's for sure. I wasn't sure I could ever be so brave. I heard a noise, and glanced over to see Daryl get into the truck and shut the door. He cranked it up and waited on the caravan to get moving. As we drove past, I wished Jim all the peace in the world.
Well guys, ch. 10 is up ! Hope you all enjoyed. I am so excited to do the CDC chapter, I can't wait to get that one up ! But back to this chapter, I felt really bad for Jim in the show, but I thought that he did the right thing. I can understand his point of view and wanting to be with his family. He knew he wouldn't make the trip anyway... But still. Sad. I really loved this chapter because you get to see the "love/hate" that Spencer and Daryl share which I find kinda funny. The CDC will be great though. For a short time ! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter ! Reviewers are awesomeeeee ! Reviews are GREATLY APPRECIATED !
~Kaila