Red River Blue
Chapter 65
"I hate it when she does that," Harley grumbled, rolling her eyes at her sister before she went back to scanning the road ahead.
Wren was riding double with Carl. Her legs dangled down listlessly on either side of the horse, swaying with the animal's movements. She had her arms wrapped around his waist and her cheek resting between his shoulder blades so his hat could shade both their heads. From the relaxed posture of her body, it was obvious that she was fully relaxed if not already halfway asleep.
"One of these days, she's gonna fall right off that horse and land on her damn head," Harley added.
"I've got her," Carl promised, moving one hand off the pommel to rest it on Wren's forearm. "...and we haven't seen a walker since we left the Kingdom."
"I'm not worried about the walkers," Harley countered. She wasn't worried about the dead. She was worried about the people that were controlling them. Though the sheer lack of walkers was unnerving in and of itself. It felt the same as it felt when all the birds in the forest suddenly stopped chirping. Something bad was coming. She could feel it. Just like she could always feel it when she was being watched.
"We know those skin freaks are back," Harley said. "We should go on the offensive. Now. Take them down before they know what's comin' fer 'em."
Harley felt Rick's grip around her waist tighten. And she felt a surge of anger and resentment mixing in with her warmer feelings for him. When they got home, she was going to bring up the idea of hunting the whisperers again. And Rick would vote her down. Again. What was irritating Harley was that she knew his vote was not motivated by the coalition's agreement to follow the treaty like he claimed it was. It was personal. I wasn't that he didn't want someone going after those freaks. He didn't want her going after them.
"Let's get home and radio the other leaders," Rick suggested. "That's not a decision we can make on our own."
Harley sighed. They'd been arguing in circles about this all winter. She briefly considered giving Rick the business and kicking him off her horse. But after a moment's indecision, she snuggled a little closer to him instead. After the heat of the fire, the air around them felt cold. And she was enjoying the shared body heat and the way he was wrapping his jacket partly around her body as they rode. But that wasn't the only reason Harley held her tongue. She saw Carol on the back of Daryl's bike when he fired it up and headed for home. And if Carol was back, that changed everything. Harley wouldn't need Rick's vote to swing the council. Carol could break the tie. And she knew Carol had to want revenge on those freaks just as badly as she did.
The sound of rapidly approaching hooves brought their little debate to a momentary halt. Harley reached for her gun, only to relax her grip on it when she saw a familiar face round the corner and ride into view.
"Get off the road," Negan urged, gesturing towards the treeline.
Harley didn't wait for an explanation. She pulled the reins, steering her horse up the gentle incline and between the trees. Rick swung down, grabbing the lead of the horse they had tethered to their saddle and carefully leading the animal around a thick crop of bushes. The reason they were riding double in the first place was because one of the horses was favoring its back leg. They couldn't ride or pack that horse. So they packed their supplies and the greenhouse produce they got from the Kingdom onto one horse and rode the other two. There would be no quick escape for them today. Even if they left the injured horse and all their supplies behind, they'd still be riding double on the two remaining animals.
Once they were off the road, anyone left in their saddle swung down. They each took the lead of a horse, leading them slowly and carefully further away from the road. Harley adjusted her ball cap, tucking a stray curl back away from her face.
"Walkers," Negan whispered. "...a shitload of them." Harley nodded, glancing at Rick. He ticked his head, indicating that he wanted to keep going and get them as far away from the road as possible.
Harley lifted her hands and used the simple signs they'd all learned so they could communicate with Connie, telling the rest of the small group to follow her. If they veered off to the right slightly, they would still be heading away from the road. But that direction would also lead them to a small river where they could water the horses. Depending on which way the herd turned, they could either follow the river back towards home or cross it and head for one of the hunting cabins Harley knew the location of and hole up there for the night.
"Give me a boost," she said, glancing up the trunk of a large oak tree. Negan laced his fingers, making a step for her boot. And Rick moved closer to the trunk of the tree, spotting her in case she slipped. Harley wasn't a tiny person. But she was still slim enough that it wasn't difficult for Negan to lift her high enough for her to be able to grasp a sturdy branch and pull herself up into the large oak. Harley began to pick her way up the tree, moving fast enough to make Rick nervous.
"I hate when she does this," Rick grumbled, cringing slightly when he heard the sound of cracking branches coming from above his head. To be fair, Harley climbed up a lot sketchier looking trees than the one she was in now and never fell. And he'd even let her hoist him up with her a few times, in the hanging tent she favored for overnight hunting trips. But seeing her climb that high off the ground still made his stomach flip.
Harley climbed, moving higher and higher. She kept going until she had a view of the road. At first she didn't see much. But soon enough, the large herd of walkers Negan warned them about rounded the corner and entered her line of sight. Negan was right. There were a lot of them. And they were clearly being herded. She was too far away to be able to tell the skins from the dead. But the whole herd was walking straight down the road towards Alexandria. They weren't moving fast. The dead never did, even if they were being corralled. With the distance, she guessed it would be early morning before they arrived.
"I told ya we shoulda put everyone on alert," Harley groused, hanging from her hands from the lowest branch and dropping to the ground with a soft thud. "Those fuckin' freaks are leadin' a whole mess of walkers right towards town." Rick sighed. He didn't mind being wrong. No one was right all the time. But Harley had her father's way of rubbing it in.
"They've got extra guards stationed," Rick countered. "...they can handle a few walkers."
"Maybe we should cut through and try to get back to Alexandria before the herd," Carl suggested, running his hands down over the mane of his horse. Harley considered his idea, calculating the distance in her mind. She spent more time in the woods than the rest of the group combined. Since they were officially a couple, Rick started coming out with her more. But he always relied on her or Daryl to guide him.
"We can't take the road. And if we have to pick our way through the woods with the horses, it's going to put us walking in the dark moving parallel to that herd," Harley said, scowling at the thought of it.
"That does not sound like fun," Negan announced.
"No it doesn't," Wren agreed, leaning in closer to Carl and wrapping her arm around his waist. To his credit, he was keeping a mostly straight face. But it wasn't exactly a well kept secret that Wren was afraid of the dark. She was as bad as Judith and Monroe, always turning all the lights in the house on.
"I know a spot. Let's hole up for the night. In the morning we can come in behind the herd and help clear it," Harley said, glancing around the group to make sure there weren't any objections. Once she knew everyone was in agreement, she moved towards the horse that was carrying their things and fished through her pack for her map. Harley removed it from the plastic baggie it was sealed in and smoothed it out. There was a safehouse close to them. But it would take them back in the other direction from home. They decided on a slightly further one that was closer to Alexandria. It would be a longer walk. But they could still make it to the cabin within an hour or two.
They walked the horses, not wanting to ride them over the uneven terrain. It was the time of year when the snow melted, leaving the ground mushy and muddy in some areas and still partly frozen in others. The air felt colder with the trees blocking most of the sunshine. Harley was afraid her teeth were about to start chattering when Rick moved in next to her and draped his coat around her shoulders. He smiled when she threaded her arms through the sleeves without objection, quickly fastening the snaps that would hold the jacket closed.
"You were right about the alert," he said. "I'm sorry." Harley smiled at him. She had a beautiful smile, especially for someone that didn't smile much. She almost looked like an entirely different woman when she wasn't scowling..
"There's no reason ta be sorry," she assured him, reaching for his hand and holding it in hers. "You were just doin' what ya thought was best." Loosening the reins on the horse he was leading, Rick leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. Harley returned his affection. But she was quick to pull away. At first he thought she might still be irritated with him about their disagreement over the alert. But then she put her finger to her lips.
"I swear I hear voices," she said. Harley snapped her fingers, signaling the rest of the group to keep quiet. The cabin wasn't in view yet. But they were close. Which meant the voices likely belonged to someone they knew. Harley didn't want to startle them, whoever they were. That was a good way to get shot. So she crept slightly closer and whistled her family hunting call. Not everyone in town knew it. But anyone from Alexandria who would be at the hunting cabin would definitely know it. Harley relaxed when she heard the answer call almost immediately. It was followed by the sound of leaves crunching as a large dog charged in Harley's direction.
"Hey Piper," Harley chirped, roughing up the dog's coarse fur with her hands. "Is Dog here too?"
After she got her fill of Harley's attention, Piper shot off back towards her owner. Harley headed after the animal, waving at Leah when she stepped out into the clearing around the cabin.
"Who else is here"," Harley asked, glancing around curiously. She could have sworn she heard two women's voices. Which is why she tensed up in the first place. With Mika gone, Leah was the only other female hunter besides her.
"No one," Leah quickly answered.
"I could have sworn I heard voices," Harley countered, narrowing her shrewd eyes at the woman. Leah shook her head.
"It was probably just me. I was talking to Piper," Leah told her with a laugh, leaning down to ruffle her dog's fur. Harley shrugged. She guessed that could have been what she heard. She could have sworn one of the voices was much higher pitched than Leah's. But it might have just been her being silly with Piper. And Harley couldn't think of any reason Leah would lie about it.
"What are y'all doing in the woods with the horses?," Leah asked, effectively changing the subject.
As the rest of the group filed in and unsaddled the horses, Harley explained to Leah what was going on with the herd of walkers. When it got dark enough to obscure the chimney smoke, they made a fire inside to warm the cabin. The horses were secure. But since they didn't have an enclosure for them, they decided to take turns keeping watch over the animals. Wren and Carl volunteered to take the first watch. They headed outside with mugs of hot tea and a bag of venison jerky while Harley and Rick snuggled down into their sleeping bag by the slowly dying fire. Negan managed to convince Leah to share his bedroll. Harley stifled her laughter against Rick's chest when Piper leaped onto the small roll and settled her large furry body directly between Negan and the object of his desire.
Despite the warmth of Rick's arms around her and the long exhausting day and night they had fighting the fire, sleep didn't come as easily to Harley as she expected. She kept replaying her walk up to the cabin. Something about the odd high pitched voice she heard had her on edge. And when she was finally able to sleep, her dreams were filled with the faces of the family and friends she lost.