CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"The Monster Within"

"Here we go," Shane said with a sigh as he heaved a pair of axes from an organized arrangement of different tools and equipment the group had compiled for use in the operation of the camp. He grinned as he handed one of them to Rick. Lee, Sage, and Morales stood near the other two men, Lee carrying his own axe. "Let's go get that firewood."

The five men trudged along the leaf-trodden ground before a cough sounded to their left, from near a campfire. Shane's brow furrowed as his eyes settled on Ed Peletier, Carol's husband. Rick followed Shane's gaze and noticed the ferocity etched in his friend's face. "Shane? Everything good?"

Ed coughed again as he gulped down the remnants of the can of beer in his hands before he crushed the can, chucking it away as he reached for another one at his side, cracking it open. Shane grimaced. "That bastard doesn't ever do anything to help out around here except be a pain in everyone else's ass," he spat. "You should see the way he talks to his wife and little girl. I've come close to beating the living crap out of him—but I've withheld that so far."

Rick let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Well, that's good at least."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Shane muttered before he glanced over his shoulder. "You guys just give me a second." He then started towards Ed and called his name. The man glanced up, his disappointment evident at being interrupted from nursing the drink he held close to him.

"Whaddya want, Walsh?" he stammered. Shane grunted. Drunk before ten AM. What a life.

"Me and the guys here are going out to get some firewood, Ed. How'd you like to come give us a hand? You know—actually do something for once."

Ed froze, his lip curling in a snarl. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what the hell it's supposed to mean," Shane shot back. "Everyone here's been doing their fair share of making sure everything's being taken care of. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but your wife has been helping out everywhere she can." Shane paused then laughed. "Hell, your little girl has done more than you've ever even wanted to."

Ed slowly got up from his seat, his face turning red—either from embarrassment or anger, Shane couldn't tell and didn't much care. "And just what are you getting at?"

"Just this," Shane said coolly, stepping closer and getting in Ed's face. "I don't rightly much care about what you do to help us out, because honestly you'd probably just screw it up anyways. But at least don't make our jobs any harder, okay? We're not your slaves. We're in this together, got it? So maybe don't go around wasting our firewood to keep yourself warm so you can drink your sorry ass away while we're actually working hard to get that stuff. We're saving it for when the cold weather rolls around, or we actually need the fires. Got it?" A brief pause and Ed simply exhaled, and Shane repeated, "Got it?"

Ed snorted. "Yeah. Got it." He turned around and grabbed a pail of water that was a few feet away, dousing the flames and dropping back into his seat, snatching up his beer again and taking a swig from it with his eyes glued to Shane's.

The cop didn't even give a sarcastic smile this time, only saying, "Thanks for understanding," before turning and walking back towards the other men. "Come on, guys. Let's go get some more firewood."

Amy, Elsa, and Ali were a few feet ahead of Emily, Carol, and Lori as they kept alternating between picking berries and checking the lowest tree branches for any apples hanging down. The three younger women were talking about . . . well, whatever they really could with the world in the state it was in. Normally, talks that might've been about weekend plans to shopping malls were now permeated by what meals would be best to try and make with the limited supplies they had. The three older women—the three mothers—were instead getting to know one another more.

"Sophia's twelve," Carol was just telling Emily, after the newest addition to the small trio of the group's matriarchs had just finished giving her two children's ages. "Me and Ed—well, we didn't think we'd ever have any children." She paused, a moment of silence passing as her face took a solemn look. "To be honest—and don't let this go any further—we didn't think it'd last much longer to the point where we'd raise a child together. But low and behold, we had her and have raised her for over a decade." She paused again, this time a faint smile crossing her lips. "I won't lie and say it's been any better—it's honestly probably been worse between us now more than ever, but it's worth it all for that little girl. She's the sweetest soul I know."

The others smiled at the sight of their friend's warm thoughts of her daughter, knowing they felt the same inside for their children. Carol glanced to Lori, then said, "Lori, I know it has to be unreal for you, having Rick back, right?"

A second passed, and a ghost of a smile crossed Lori's lips. "It really is." She shook her head. "It's almost still unbelievable that he's here with us. But seeing him alive again—and seeing how Carl reacted to seeing him—it's given me a new hope for us all. The fact that there's still hope even through everything that's happened . . . that's what's driving me to go on."

The other two women gave nods of understanding, and Lori noticed a flicker of some sort on Emily's face. She bit her lip, a bit unsure if maybe her words had caused a hint of remorse to enter her new friend's mind, but Emily glanced up with her own smile. "It's good to have hope. Without it . . . there'd be no strength to carry on." She stopped before adding, "That's what's been having me keep on going after losing Brian . . . having hope for my kids to have a better life. To help them get back to some sense of normalcy."

Carol picked a few berries from a nearby bush, holding them up as if giving a mock toast. "To our kids, then. And to hope of a brighter future." The three all laughed together as Carol placed the berries in the wicker basket she was carrying, and they continued on.

Carl ducked as the ball soared past his head with a whoosh, and he smirked slightly as Sahale kicked his foot in the dirt. "I'm terrible at this," he said glumly as Darrien—his partner in the dodgeball game—ran for the ball, aimlessly rolling away from the zone that the kids had drawn in the dirt with a stick, making a large box with clearly-marked areas to show the boundaries.

"You're not telling me anything new," Darrien huffed as he finally returned with the ball, shooting a sidelong glance at Sahale. "Try and get someone out for once."

"Darrien," Dahlia said scoldingly. "Don't be so rude." She turned and gave Sahale a soft, reassuring smile. "Don't mind Darrien, Sahale. He's always like—"

THWUMP! Before Dahlia could finish apologizing for her friend, the rubbery ball smashed into her head and bounced up vertically, and Dahlia jolted from the hit, rubbing her head as she frowned. "Hey! I wasn't ready!"

Darrien gave her a dastardly smirk. "Let this be a lesson—always be ready!"

Sahale grabbed the ball as it rolled towards him, picking it up with both hands as he eyed the targets before him. Dahlia strode gloomily from the box, hanging her head at the prospect of being out so early. Annie was already out; Darrien had taken advantage of her not knowing how to really play dodgeball and thumped her with the ball first, before he also got Louis out. Carl, Sophia, Clementine, Eliza, Evelyn, and Caitlyn were all still in, spread out amongst one another, their eyes glued to whoever held the ball as they kept their arms limp at their sides, ready to move at any moment.

Sahale slowly drifted his eyes from one child to another, before he finally wound up his arm and slung the ball. It deflected off of the ground and bounced into Caitlyn's ankle as she tried to avoid the ball, and she let out a defeated groan as she skipped out of the box, taking a seat next to Dahlia and Louis as Annie sketched a fat cat into the dirt. "Got one!" he said exuberantly.

Darrien snorted. "Great—now you're only two behind! Hah!"

Within the box, Sophia stepped close to Carl, standing slightly behind her friend. "I . . . I can't believe I made it this far," she said softly.

Carl laughed, glancing to her. "What? Why?"

Sophia shrugged. "I-I just didn't expect to do well. I've never played this before, actually."

"What?" Carl asked, incredulously. "You've never played dodgeball before?"

Sophia shook her head, her cheeks a darker shade of red—which was saying a lot, because they were already red from having been running to avoid the ball so much. "No. I thought I was going to be the first one out," she said before giving a soft laugh.

After a moment, Carl grinned to her. "Well, you're doing a good job for your first time. Just keep on doing your best and avoiding the ball, and you'll be fine."

Sophia grinned back as Darrien launched the ball, missing Clementine as she dove out of the way. Sahale sprinted for the ball as it bounced away whenever a distant, gruff voice shouted: "Sophia!"

Sophia's head snapped up at the sound, and Carl saw her smile fade almost instantly into a thin line. He recognized the voice; it was Sophia's father, Ed, calling out to her. Carl felt a pit form in his stomach at the thought of the man. He hadn't really talked to Sophia much about him—he was, after all, her dad—but Carl could tell by how she and her mom acted so differently when he was around that it could not have been a good relationship. When Ed was present, they acted . . . like robots. When he was gone, Sophia would smile so much more, and Carol would smile as well, seeing Sophia so happy and enjoying herself.

Sophia felt Carl's stare drilling into her back and she cast a quick glance over her shoulder, her breath caught in her throat. "I-I guess I need to go see what he wants," she said sullenly. Carl saw her downcast expression as she slowly began to walk towards the edge of the box. Biting his lip, he mulled over his options for a moment before he decided on one.

"Sophia, wait!" he shouted, stepping forward and grabbing her wrist. Sophia's head snapped around, her mouth slightly agape in surprise before Carl slowly let loose her arm. "Um . . . let's just finish this game first. He can wait for like three minutes, right?"

Sophia nervously lifted her hand to her mouth, biting her fingernails in anxiousness as she looked back in the direction her father's voice had come from. "I don't know . . ."

"Come on, Sophia," Eliza prodded her, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's just a few more minutes. I know my dad would understand, yours will too."

Sophia looked at her in disbelief, and Carl honestly couldn't blame her. But still—he couldn't bear to see Sophia walking off in such a downtrodden state. "We'll just finish this game. Besides, he won't get here till we finish anyways, probably. Come on!"

He waved to Sahale, who had gotten the ball, and he quickly took aim, throwing it again. At first, it seemed to aim towards Carl, but it curved at the last second and slammed into Eliza's shoulder. She let out a groan as she sulked off to join the others, as Carl, Sophia, Clementine, and Evelyn stood together, the last remaining survivors in the game.

Darrien bit his tongue as he eyed each target carefully before his gaze settled on Sophia. Carefully, winding up his arm, he took aim and launched it. "Move, Sophia!" Carl shouted as he ducked out of the way, and Sophia attempted to, turning and moving—

—and the ball soared past her head!

"Great job, Sophia!" Carl shouted in triumph, turning to her . . . and his face fell.

Sophia was wondering why his expression soured so quickly, her eyes turned away from the direction she was running in—when she ran into a solid object and she bounced back, falling to the ground. She looked up and felt her stomach tighten as her eyes lifted to meet those of her father.

"Dammit, girl, didn't you hear me calling you?!" Ed spat, his eyes glazed over.

Sophia's lip trembled as she lowered her eyes, now refusing to look into her father's face. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy," she mumbled, tears slowly beginning to trickle down her cheeks.

"'Sorry, Daddy,'" Ed mocked, the alcohol's scent a foul stench emanating from his breath. "Whenever I call you, you come to me, you hear me?" When Sophia didn't answer, he dropped to his knees and forcibly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. "DO YOU HEAR ME?!" he shouted, his eyes wide. He had the look of a madman on his face.

The other children sank back, all clearly shocked at seeing the man's insane, psychotic reaction to his own daughter. Sophia began to sob as her eyes clenched shut and her body rocked back and forth as tears streamed down her face, and Ed spat another curse. "Oh, for the love of God, stop that godforsaken blabbering! I don't want that bitch you call a mother whining at me when she gets back from wherever the hell she is."

Sophia, though, didn't stop crying, only burying her face into the crook her arm as she continued to sob. "I said SHUT UP!" Ed yelled again.

"Don't talk to her like that." The words came quick and fiercely, and Ed lifted his eyes up to see Carl, now just a few feet behind Sophia.

"What the hell did you just say to me?"

Carl stiffened, and his face flushed red. He looked down to Sophia, still shaking and crying, although she slowly turned her head to look at him with red eyes. Carl swallowed hard before he looked up from her back at her father. "I said don't talk to her like that."

"You've gotta be shitting me," Ed said, before he grabbed Carl by the collar of his shirt and tugging him towards him. "I'll be damned if I'm gonna have some punk-ass kid trying to be my damn boss." He shook Carl as spittle flew from his lips. "Listen here, boy—you don't talk to me like that ever again, or we're going to have problems!"

"Daddy, please," Sophia said pleadingly, reaching for Ed's arm, before he slapped his right hand back, connecting with her cheek with a loud smack. Sophia paused, stunned, as she looked up at him, frozen stiff. Ed sighed heavily, his breaths coming out shallow, and he just stared her in the eye.

Before anyone else could move, Carl kicked out with his foot, connecting with Ed's crotch as he shrieked in pain, dropping to his knees. Carl fell to the ground, quickly crawling away from the man as Ed howled, lunging for Carl. He was mere inches away from the boy whenever a firm hand grasped his shoulder.

Ed spun around, fists raised, only to find himself face to face with Daryl Dixon. "Dixon," Ed muttered, still breathing heavily. "W-what are you doing?"

"Wondering why an old bastard like you is pushing these kids around," Daryl said matter-of-factly.

Ed heaved out his attempt at a sarcastic laugh. "Come on, you didn't see this little brat be disrespectful to me," Ed started before Daryl cut him off.

"Naw," he replied, "but I did see you slap your little girl in the face." Before Ed could respond, Daryl brought his knee up into Ed's stomach, and the man let out a grunt as Daryl interlocked his fingers, bringing both fists down like a club into Ed's head, sending the abusive father to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. As Ed clawed a hand out, trying to hoist himself up, Daryl gripped his shirt collar and pulled him to his feet. "Get the hell outta here before I beat you into the ground," Daryl spat in his face, throwing Ed down the path from where he'd come from. Without another word or another glance back, Ed clambered down the trail.

After he disappeared from sight, the kids all slowly turned to look at Daryl, their faces covered in looks of shock and amazement. Daryl, seeing their stares, slowly looked to each one before he shrugged. "What are you all starin' at?" he said, shaking his head. "Go back to your playtime or whate'er." He started to walk off before he stopped and glanced to Sophia. "Hey, Sophia—you alright?"

Sniffling away tears, Sophia wiped her nose and looked into Daryl's eyes before giving him a nod. Daryl nodded back before he patted the girl on her shoulder, walking past her.

He'd told the same lie enough when he was her age to know that Sophia was anything but alright.

Lee, Shane, and Morales were taking turns chopping up downed trees, hacking the trunks into smaller logs to be used for campfires. As Morales stopped and wiped his forehead free of sweat, Sage tapped his shoulder. "I'll take over, get some time in," he said, and Morales gave him a relieved smile as he passed the axe to the younger man, lifting his shirt up and using it to wipe his face.

"You want to switch, Shane?" Rick asked, but his friend shook his head, continuing to slam the axe down. Rick nodded to Lee. "How about you, Lee?"

Lee chuckled as he paused to wipe his face. "Maybe in a few. I've still got a bit left in me."

Rick nodded as he returned to his chopping whenever footsteps stomped in the terrain behind them. Rick turned, glancing over his shoulder to see Daryl approaching them. "Daryl," Morales said, smiling, "come to join us?"

"No," Daryl said shortly, glancing at the others before looking back to Rick and Morales, who noticed his grim expression.

"What's wrong, Daryl?" Rick asked as the others stopped their chopping, turning to look to the new arrival.

"Ed Peletier," Daryl said. "I was walking through the camp and passed by where the kids were playing . . . that bastard had done somethin' to his daughter. She was sobbing like crazy, and your kid," he continued, glancing to Rick, "tried to step up to him. He grabbed him and pushed him around then smacked his little girl just before I stopped him."

"What?!" Rick shouted, stepping towards Daryl. "He grabbed my boy—and hit his girl?"

Daryl nodded.

Shane stepped up to them. "That son of a bitch—" he started before Daryl cut in.

"Don't worry, I got him pretty good," he said, "but I think somethin' needs to be done. He can't keep goin' on like this."

Rick turned and leveled his gaze at Shane. "Keep on? He's done this before?"

Shane sighed. "Ed's always been . . . distant. Him and his family were the first ones we met up with. We tried striking up conversation with them, and Carol and Sophia quickly got to befriend Lori and Carl, but Ed just . . . wouldn't." He looked to Morales and added, "We all always sort of wondered if he was the type to hurt his family, but we'd never seen it and couldn't prove it. Now, well, I guess we can."

"What should we do?" Sage asked, crossing his arms. "If this guy does this to his own daughter—and probably his wife, too—then I don't know if we can really trust him to have our backs in case something comes up."

"Sage is right," Rick said. He turned to the others. "I think we all may need to pay Ed a visit—and have a little talk with him."

"Count me in," Lee volunteered, and Daryl, Morales, Sage, and Shane all stepped to his side.

Rick gave them a solemn nod. "Alright then. Let's get this firewood up and get back to camp."

A/N: Some more downtime at the camp... but it's anything but peaceful now. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts! The next chapter is going to see things heat up a bit more, so be ready. Thanks for reading! Until next time.