Red River Blue
Chapter 16
Sam stretched his body out before he sat up. His back hurt and his muscles were stiff from sleeping on the floor outside Lydia's cell all night. His arm was threaded through the bars. Lydia was still asleep, clutching his hand between hers. They stayed up most of the night talking. About their families. About growing up in the apocalypse. After hearing her story, he felt so much empathy and pity for the girl. Everyone who lived through the outbreak had been through terrible things. Everyone had a story. Even him. His entire family died, including his mother, who was ripped apart by walkers right in front of him. But then Carol and Daryl took him in. His life got better after that. Something close to normal. His parents were tough on him sometimes. But they were never intentionally or unnecessarily cruel. No one ever hurt Sam the way Lydia was hurt.
Sam pulled his arm back through the bars. He moved gently. But even that small motion had Lydia jerking awake with a frightened gasp. He pulled himself up to his feet and got himself a drink of water, bringing the ladle back so Lydia could get a drink too. She gulped down the contents of the ladle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I think I'm ready," she said. Sam gave her a questioning look. Ready for what, he wondered. Lydia looked down at her hands. Then back up at his face. "I want to help you get your sister back. I don't want anything to happen to her. I'll tell your parents whatever they want to know."
Sam's face lit up with excitement. He knew that being kind to Lydia would get them further than turning his crazy uncle loose on her. He darted off towards the stairs, skidding to a halt at the bottom and rushing back towards Lydia's cell. She jumped back at first, startled by his sudden reappearance in front of her. He smashed his body up against the bars, reaching his hand out to her. When she grabbed it, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"I'll be right back," he promised. Sam was ready to make another dash for the stairs. But Lydia was still holding tight to his hand. She moved towards him slowly, leaning in until her lips were pressed against his. Sam supposed that was his moment to kiss her back. Or hold her as best as he could through the bars. But he was so surprised, he jumped back. Then he lifted his hand to his lips, touching them with his fingers. They still tingled a little where she kissed him. His face lit up into a big smile. And he pushed back against the bars again. This time he grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her closer, kissing her back. The second kiss was a little more lingering than the first. But still barely more than a peck. But he still felt it all the way down to his toes. "I'll be right back," he repeated. This time continuing on his way after he darted over to the stairs.
Sam burst into the small trailer where his parents were staying. They were both fully dressed, curled around each other on top of the blankets. His mother was the lighter sleeper of the two. But the force of the door hitting the outside of the trailer had even Daryl up and moving in a hurry.
"She said she's ready to talk," Sam announced. "Lydia. She wants to help us get Mika back." Daryl nodded, telling Sam that he would be right out. Sam hurried down the trailer steps, shifting his weight impatiently from one foot to the other while he waited for his dad. His Aunt River shuffled down out of the trailer next door, her hair a giant rumpled mess. She was in her underpants and one of Merle's dingy white tank tops. Sam laughed at her as she stretched her shoulders out and yawned.
"It's too early fer door slammin'," she scolded. "Where's the fire?"
"Lydia. The girl we brought in yesterday," Sam explained. "She said she's gonna help us get Mika back."
River nodded her approval of this. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her young son appeared behind her in the doorway of the trailer. Without warning, Axel launched himself onto his mother's back, nearly knocking her down the trailer steps. She let out a string of foul curses, elbowing the boy off her and encouraging him to go bother his father instead. Sam heard the boy tearing back inside the trailer like a rhino on crack. There was a loud thump. Followed by a lot more angry cursing from inside. Axel tore back out the door, heading across the small space and barging into the trailer where Carol and Daryl were. Whether the boy was looking for someone else to harass or just trying to hide from his father was anyone's guess.
"That little fucker kicked me right in the goddamn balls," Merle lamented, appearing in the doorway behind River in his boxer shorts. He noticed Sam standing close by and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "You get her talkin'?," he asked. Sam nodded. Merle limped down the steps and clapped Sam on the back. "Good job kid," he said, making Sam feel a little rush of pride in his chest. Compliments from his uncle Merle were a rare commodity. The man only dolled them out if he was sincerely impressed. Merle gave Sam one more rough pat on the back before he headed back inside his trailer to get dressed.
Lydia held tight to Sam's hand, quietly answering every question that she was asked as honestly as she could. She didn't know directions, like north or east. And wasn't sure which direction she was brought in from to orient herself. So she couldn't tell them which direction her camp was. But if they took her back to the bridge where they captured her, she was pretty sure she could give directions from there. She listened quietly while Sam's parents and his uncle debated about what to do next.
"Can I take her to the trailer for breakfast?," Sam asked. Carol rose to her feet and nodded, following after them. Lydia guessed the woman trusted her some. But not enough to leave her alone with Sam when she wasn't locked in a cell. Lydia looked around as they walked. She saw gardens almost everywhere she looked. People were coming and going. A man walked by her with a horse on a lead. And a stray red chicken was running circles near a vegetable garden, chasing after a large grasshopper. This place was what Sam said it was. It was real. And this wasn't even his home. He told her he lived in another town. They were just here visiting some friends when his sister went missing. Lydia remained skeptical. But it was becoming more and more obvious that the things her mother told her weren't true. Places like this did exist. People were living normal lives. There were other ways to survive besides living among the dead.
"Good mornin' sweetie!"
Lydia turned towards the woman that greeted her. She was pretty despite the sideways crook in the bridge of her nose. When she offered Lydia a big smile and stuck her hand out, Sam whispered to her, explaining that the woman was his Aunt River. Lydia took her hand, letting the woman pump it up and down a few times. She instructed Sam to take Lydia into her trailer and get some of Beth's clothes out for her. And to show her how to work the shower. Lydia assumed that this meant the woman thought she needed a shower. Which was probably true. She washed her hands and face in the creek sometimes. But she couldn't remember the last time she actually bathed. They didn't bathe often. Because it was easier to blend in with the dead if you smelled like them.
The water wasn't really warm. But it was warm enough to not feel frigid. Lydia used the items Sam pointed out to her, washing her hair with shampoo and the rest of herself with a bar of goat's milk soap that someone named Maggie made. She dried herself off and looked nervously at the clothes she was being lent. Lydia was pulling the shirt over her head when Sam's aunt River poked her head in and checked on her.
"Does that stuff fit alright?," the woman asked. "...If it's too small, I can get ya somethin' of mine to wear." Lydia shook her head. The clothes fit her. And she was grateful that the shirt had long sleeves to hide the scars on her arms. River grabbed a hairbrush from the small bathroom area and led Lydia outside. The brush was handed off to a younger blonde woman, who introduced herself as Beth. Lydia quietly thanked her for the clothes. The woman gave her a gentle smile. Then she sat down behind Lydia on the picnic table bench and began combing the tangles from her long dark hair. Lydia wasn't sure if she liked having the other woman so close to her. But she was being so kind and gentle with the brush, it felt silly to object. Lydia just sat and watched the people around her as they interacted with each other and went about their business.
River was cooking breakfast in a large cast iron skillet. There was leftover bread from the party that had gone just a tiny bit stale. She sliced it up and hollowed out the middle, putting in the skillet with some bacon fat and cracking an egg in the middle of each slice. She sat the kids down first, warning her son to let his food cool off before he bit into it. Lydia was surprised when she was fed next. In her group, the strongest ate first. Everyone else had to fight for the scraps that were left over. A man approached and introduced himself to Lydia. He had wild curly hair and a friendly smile.
"I'm Luke," he said, "Beth's boyfriend." Lydia heard Beth giggle as she combed through the last section of her hair. After he introduced himself, Luke took the seat on the other side of Beth, leaning in to kiss her softly on the cheek. Sam's aunt River seemed quite interested in this exchange, commenting loudly on what the man said and then making a loud whistling noise.
"Boyfriend huh?," she teased. "Have the two of ya been makin' music together?" Luke let her know that they had in fact been making beautiful music together. This made everyone laugh and Lydia wondered if maybe they were using music as a code word for something else.
"Don't mind my Aunt River," Sam said, taking the seat next to Lydia. "She thinks everyone's love life is her business." He lowered his voice and whispered, "...don't tell her that we kissed."
More people were starting to arrive, filling in the other seats. So many new faces at once was making Lydia nervous. She was grateful to have Sam next to her. He didn't seem to mind that she was clinging to his hand under the table.
A married couple took the seats across the table from them. The woman was Beth's sister. And two of the children at the next table over were theirs. Lydia was shocked when the man explained that they were the leaders of this community. They seemed far too nice to lead anyone. And certainly not a group this size. Lydia wondered how they got people to do what they wanted.
Sam's dad and uncle were at the table where the kids were sitting, poking at a map they had laid out on the wooden surface. Glenn got up from their table and joined the other two men. They didn't agree on the matters they were discussing. But Lydia noticed they resolved the conflict with more talking and some negotiation. The argument didn't turn physical, as it would have with her people. Lydia felt herself go stiff with fear when one of the kids spilled a glass of water on the table, wetting the edge of the map. She was certain the boy was about to be beaten severely. But Sam's dad just hollered at the kids, sending them away from the table since they were done eating anyway. The two dark haired children ran over, climbing onto the bench with their mother and hugging her. The third boy had lighter hair that looked like it was growing back from having his head buzzed. He was wearing overalls with no shoes or shirt. And he knocked into her when he climbed onto the seat, barging in between her and Sam.
"This is my cousin Axel," Sam said, rubbing his knuckles into the boy's head. Sam gestured towards Lydia. "This is Lydia. She just got here yesterday." Axel glanced up at her, as if he hadn't noticed her until that moment.
"Yer the girl that was with the bad men," he announced loudly. "...those bad men killed Jesus. My dad's real mad. Jesus was a fairy but my dad still liked him."
"A fairy?," Lydia asked, not understanding what the boy meant. Sam made a feeble attempt to shut the boy up. But it was already too late.
"A fairy is a boy that likes to kiss other boys," he explained, much more loudly than necessary. "My dad's not a fairy. He only kisses my mom. Sometimes, he kisses her on her private parts. I'm supposta knock before I go in their room."
Lydia's eyes widened. She wasn't sure how to respond. Almost everyone else was laughing. Including the boy's mother. His father got up and hollered at him.
"Axel! Remember how you were asking fer a kitten?," the man asked. Lydia cringed back as the boy climbed to his feet, standing on the bench next to her.
"Ya said no fuckin' way," the boy announced, his eyes suddenly hopeful.
"Well I changed my mind," Merle responded. "So ya better get down to the barn right now and get the one ya want. Make sure ya take yer time and get the one that'll be the best mouser."
Axel leaped down from the bench, landing on his feet in the dirt. Hershel leaped up and the two boys took off running at full speed towards the barn. Hershel's little sister went tearing after them, trying her best to keep up.
"What in hell did ya tell him he could get a cat for?," River asked, heading past their table to plop down a plate of toast and eggs in front of Sam.
"It got fuckin' rid of 'im didn't it?," Merle asked, "he'll be down at that barn fer half the day at least." River snorted with laughter.
"Yeah. But when he comes back he'll have a goddamn cat with 'im," she lamented.
River stopped on her way back to the grill, leaning down over her husband and kissing him hard on the mouth. After that, the men resumed their discussion over the map. And everyone else ate breakfast. Lydia was stuffing the last bite of egg into her mouth when another unfamiliar man ran up to their table.
"There's a whole lotta people outside the gates with masks on," he said. Lydia instantly felt her body go stiff. Maggie started to rise from her seat, ready to follow the man back to the gates. But he stopped her, glancing towards the grill where River and Carol were getting the last of the eggs cooked up.
"They weren't asking for you. They're asking for Carol."