Red River Blue
Chapter 50
"There's a down wagon up ahead," Aiden said, speaking just loud enough so that Glenn could hear him as he slowed their horses to a stop. Glenn rose to his feet, signaling to the wagon behind theirs. Then he turned, grasping Hershel by the back of his shirt before the boy could launch himself out of the wagon to satisfy his curiosity.
"All you kids stay in this wagon," Maggie warned, turning around on the bench and giving them her most intimidating mom stare to make sure none of them had any bright ideas about not listening before she hopped down. Annie and Hershel were hard enough to wrangle on their own. Adding Gracie and Dwight's son Finch to the mix only increased the possibility that one of them would do something stupid. Thankfully, all they were doing at the moment was crowding towards the side of the wagon where the wreckage was and hoping to see something exciting.
Maggie pulled her handgun from her holster, flipping the safety off as she approached the overturned wagon. Adien was right behind her, holding the large double barrel shotgun he favored. Aaron climbed down from the driver's bench of the second wagon and was hurrying to join them at the wreckage. Glenn moved to the bench of their wagon and stayed there to keep hold of the reins and make sure the kids stayed put. But he had his gun out, prepared to back Aiden and Maggie up if they needed it.
Maggie skirted around the overturned wagon. One of the back wheels was broken. But it was hard to tell if the broken wheel caused the wreck or happened during it. There were several dead walkers scattered around. But no other signs of a struggle. There was no blood or bodies around that weren't long dead and rotted before they fell. The straps that kept the horses attached to the wagons had been cut cleanly through. And the contents of the wagon were strewn about but not taken. Which meant the occupants had probably not been hit by raiders. Because raiders would have taken the contents of the wagon.
"It's Miles and Hilde's wagon," Maggie observed. She recognized not only the wagon, but the box of Hilde's unique wood burned jewelry. Maggie urged the couple to wait and leave for the fair with a larger group. But Hilde was anxious to get to the fair and set up her booth before all the good spots were taken.
"Do you think we ought to spread out and look for them?," Aaron asked. Maggie hesitated, glancing back at the wagon full of children and the wagon behind that one that had at least six months worth of grain and a full steer carcass in the back. She was worried for the possibly missing couple. They were her people and she was responsible for keeping them safe. But Maggie didn't want to risk leaving the wagons stopped on the road too long.
"They cut the reins," Aiden said, holding up a length of cleanly cut leather strapping. "If a herd came through, they might have left the wagon and booked it for town on the horses." The Kingdom was only about another hour away. "I think we oughta check the Kingdom first so we know we aren't searching for people that aren't missing. If they aren't there, we can leave the kids in town and round up a better search party." Like one that included some of his people. Aiden liked Aaron and Glenn and Maggie but he wasn't eager to wander the woods aimlessly without his own people for backup. Plus, if Hilde and Miles were missing or lost in the woods somewhere, they would find them much faster if they had Daryl or Merle with them. Or even Mika. She was just as good a tracker as her father when she felt like it.
Maggie nodded her agreement to Aiden's plan. He was right. With the disguised walker threat, it was even more likely that Hilde and Miles booked it for town at the first sign of trouble. They really should check there first to make sure they weren't risking their lives on a wild goose chase. Maggie leaned down, scooping the spilled jewelry back into the box it spilled from. Aiden followed her example, poking through the wreckage and pulling out a second box of items that were clearly meant for the trade fair. He also checked the scattered items for food. Not because they needed it. Although they tried not to ever let food go to waste. But because the presence of it would attract animals. And they would tear up the rest of the wagon contents trying to get to it.
"All the food is gone," Aiden said, furrowing his brows. He knew Hilde and Miles left with food. A lot of food. Maggie packed them up with everything they needed so that Hilltop could take their turn providing breakfast for the entire fair group. He doubted that Hilde and Miles took all that when they rode off on just their horses. "Maybe they were attacked by another group." Maggie's face clouded over with worry.
"I think we should get the kids out of here now," Glenn suggested. "I've got a bad feeling. Like we're being watched." The loud frightened whinny of a horse broke the quiet air around them. And it was quickly followed by Hershel's loud warning.
"MOM! WALKERS!"
Maggie spun, her eyes widening at the large line of walkers coming out of the woods on the other side of the road. Something about it just felt wrong. First off, before Hershel yelled they weren't making noise. They were barely speaking above a whisper. They weren't doing anything that would attract such a large herd. And it was also the walkers themselves. They were spread out in an organized line, all coming out of the woods at once. Like someone was leading and controlling them. It gave her a sick feeling in her stomach.
"The wagons," Aaron hissed. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
Maggie nodded, running for the wagon with the kids inside and swinging herself up into the bed. Glenn cracked the reins, starting the horses moving the moment Maggie swung herself inside the wagon. She flipped open the large trunk they kept behind the drivers bench, pulling out a loaded rifle. Maggie turned, fighting against the movement of the wagon. She didn't aim for the walkers closest to them. Their wagon would be out of reach by the time they reached the street. She aimed for the ones closing in on Aaron and Aiden's wagon.
Aiden was standing in the bed, his foot braced against a pile of grain bags as he began to spray the small herd with the buckshot he had loaded into his shotgun. Maggie heard the pop of a gun next to her as she fired. And she glanced down with a smile. Finch had one of the smaller rifles. And he was picking off walkers one by one. He was a good shot too. Much better than her kids. She made a mental note to make sure Annie and Hershel got more shooting practice. As is, they were still helping. Pulling marbles from a cloth bag, Annie and Hershel were using their slingshots to drop the walkers that were close enough to hit. Gracie was watching the other side of the wagon with a long pointed stick in her hands, making sure nothing was able to take them by surprise.
The walkers got a little closer to Aaron's wagon than Maggie was comfortable with. But with Aiden's help he made it away from the small herd without any serious problems. Glenn kept the horses moving away from the threat at a brisk pace, knowing they could water and rest the animals as soon as they arrived at the Kingdom. When Maggie saw the first multicolored banner hanging across the roadway between two trees, she breathed a sigh of relief. The Kingdom was close.
As they rounded the corner, Maggie noticed a large group of men on horseback were riding towards them. They weren't men she'd seen before. But as close as they were to The Kingdom, Maggie wasn't really worried. She guessed they were just part of another group. Maybe even a new group. Which was getting to be more and more common every year as word of the trade fair slowly spread.
Glenn slowed the wagon as a man in a cowboy hat approached. He had a warm smile and Maggie laughed when he removed his hat and tipped his head to her.
"I'm Ozzy," he said, "...leader of the Highwaymen. We're here to escort you safely to the fair." Maggie smiled back, knowing her guess was right. They were a new group. And it was smart of Ezekiel to have them out patrolling. It wasn't uncommon for raiders to wait on the road that led into the Kingdom. Though most of them had learned better by now. If they got caught by Alexandria they'd find themselves strung from the closest tree and left there to rot. Or worse.
"I think we've got it from here," Glenn said. "But we saw a downed wagon about ten or fifteen miles back. It belongs to a few of our people. A woman named Hilde with long blonde hair. And her husband Miles. Have you seen them?"
Ozzy plopped his hat back on his head, scratching at his beard as he tried to remember. He'd seen a lot of people come in. More people than he'd seen in years. They'd been arriving in a steady stream since the night before. He tried to remember if he'd seen a couple that included a woman with long blonde hair. Most of the women had long hair. The most memorable blonde he'd seen was the one with the angry scowl and the killer rack. But she arrived days ago. From Alexandria.
"I think I saw a blonde woman in a green dress. She came in late last night. And she had a man with her." Ozzy remembered the guy more than the woman. Because he was a chatterbox. "I don't remember their names though, sorry," he said apologetically. If he took this job again next year, Ozzy was going to keep some kind of a list of who came in. Because almost everyone that showed up asked him whether or not their friends had arrived yet. And he was tired of not having an answer for them.
"You said the wagon was about ten miles out?," he asked. Glenn nodded.
"Give or take," Glenn replied, laughing when Ozzy rousted up his fellow cowboys and took off in the direction that Glenn indicated. "There's a bunch of walkers that way," Glenn hollered after them. "Be careful."
"They look like experienced walker killers," Maggie joked, climbing up onto the driver's bench with him.
"They looked like something," Glenn responded with a laugh. He wrapped his arm around Maggie, managing to get one kiss in before Annie pushed between them.
"Mom? Was that a real cowboy?," she asked. Maggie laughed. She was pretty sure the closest that guy had ever been to a cow was at McDonalds. But since Annie seemed impressed with his act, Maggie saw no reason to ruin her daughter's fun.
"He sure was," she told the girl, trying not to laugh at how hard Glenn was trying not to laugh.
With the real cowboys out of sight, Glenn cracked the reins once and got the wagon moving towards the Kingdom again. As they moved, the colorful banners became a more frequent sight. And they were soon joined by long ribbons of multicolored streamers and sparkly pinwheels sticking out of the ground. When the community gates finally became visible, Maggie could already hear the people on guard duty whistling and cheering about their long awaited arrival.
Annie was already waving like crazy. And Maggie noticed her daughter's face lit up when they got close enough for her to see Merle's son hollering down at them from the top of the guard tower. Maggie could only smile. Annie had been making googly eyes at the boy since she was two and he was three. She suspected there would be a time when he finally started making them back. But it probably wouldn't be for at least a few more years. Both Axel and Hershel were at the stage where catching frogs was more interesting to them than girls.
"Use the fuckin' rungs," Merle screamed, shaking his head as Axel positioned his boots on the outside of the metal ladder and slid down it like it was a fireman's pole. He launched himself into the back of the wagon, tackling Hershel and nearly sending Gracie flying over the side. "You little shit!," Merle added with a loud guffaw.
Rick and Daryl were laughing at the top of the platform while Merle climbed down to retrieve his son before the boy could do any further damage. Merle grasped the back of his overalls and drug Axel away from Hershel, setting him on the ground next to the wagon and warning him that he better calm down. He didn't care if the boys were wrestling. But Maggie and Glenn had a whole wagon full of grain and shit that Merle guessed they would prefer not to have spilled out all over the ground. And since some of it was probably going to River for her bakery booth, Merle would also rather it wasn't ruined by his son's idiot behavior.
Instead of jumping back into the wagon, Axel started tugging on Merle's shirt and pant leg as he demanded to be picked up. Merle sighed, hoisting the boy into his arms though he was really too big and heavy to be carried around like a toddler.
"What do we have here?," Merle teased, leaning over the side of the wagon and giving the rest of the kids a wicked smile. "I see Aye-Ron junior," he said, referring to Gracie by her least favorite nickname. "The two cat eaters," he added with a laugh before he turned his attention to Finch. "...and a birdbrain."
"Hey!," Annie squawked. "We don't eat cats!"
Her loud objection to his joke only made Merle laugh harder. And he lowered Axel to the ground so he could snatch Annie up, hugging her against his chest. She struggled against his embrace. But only for a moment before she gave in and wrapped her skinny arms around his neck. Merle hugged her back, waiting until she released her hold on his neck before he shifted her so she was clinging to his side with his bad arm supporting her slight weight.
"Ya know ya might not eat cats but I seen yer dad eat a dog once," Merle informed her. Annie glanced at her parents, noticing that her mother was already rolling her eyes.
"Everyone ate those dogs Merle," Maggie countered, "...it wasn't just Glenn."
"Everyone mighta ate them dogs…," Merle started. His voice was quickly drowned out by Daryl and Rick yelling down from the platform.
"...BUT ONLY GLENN LIKED IT!"
Rick and Daryl were laughing their asses. Not at Glenn. But at Merle. For telling the same horrible joke for so many years that everyone knew the punchline already.
Glenn was laughing right along with them as he hopped down from the wagon. Merle lowered Annie down onto her feet so he could wrap his bad arm around Glenn. He was thinking about giving the man a little more shit. But they were both already too busy laughing at the way Annie was holding onto Axel for dear life as he tried his best to wriggle away from her.
"Have you seen Hilde and Miles?," Glenn asked. "They left yesterday afternoon. They would have come in on just their horses." Merle shook his head.
"They're not here yet," he said with certainty. Merle was sure they weren't here. Because River was waiting on some sort of custom carved wood sign Hilde was bringing her that she wanted to hang up in front of her bakery booth. She'd been watching for the woman's arrival like a damn hawk.
"Shit," Glenn cursed, cringing when Maggie shot a dirty look at him for cussing in front of the kids. "We passed their wagon on the way in. It was overturned. We didn't see them or the horses anywhere so we were hoping they were here." Merle shook his head again, rubbing his fingers over the stubble growing in on his chin.
"When we stopped to check it out, walkers came out of the woods. Almost like they were waiting there for us," Maggie added. "Something about it didn't feel right."
"Ozzy and his friends went to check it out," Glenn said. "Maybe we should have stopped them." The more he thought about the whole situation, the more worried he was getting. "I think we better go back, take a look ourselves," Glenn added, glancing at Merle hopefully.
"I can't. River'll have my ass if I try and leave Axel at the booth with her. I can take the kids back to camp for ya though," Merle offered. Glenn nodded, laughing when Merle immediately started hollering at the kids. "Hey! Listen up ya little shits! Who wants ta come with me? We can stop by the booth and steal some cookies and then y'all can play with Daryl's new dog!" This offer was met with a chorus of wild shrieking squeals. And Merle headed off down the street with Gracie on his back and Annie hanging off his bad arm while the boys ran ahead, racing each other to see who could get there first. Aaron took off, trailing after the little parade in obvious concern for the colorful vocabulary lesson his daughter was about to receive.
"We gotcha," Daryl said, giving Glenn a whack on the back. "Lemme go gear up and get Carol." Rick also extended an offer to help and waved Aiden off, knowing the man hadn't seen Rosita in a few days and was probably eager for some time with her and the little ones. Glenn and Maggie needed to get the wagons put up and corral their horses. So they agreed to meet back at the gate in half an hour. With the little search party they were assembling, Maggie felt like she ought to be happy. It was like getting the old gang back together. But instead she felt an odd sense of foreboding forming down in the pit of her stomach. She had a bad feeling she just couldn't shake. Her mind kept drifting back to the weird formation of walkers that emerged from the woods. Maggie was still going to go. It was the right thing to do. But she was sure the only thing they were going to find when they went looking for the owners of the wagon wreckage was trouble.