Chapter Twelve: Revelations (pt 3)

Mami was not happy that I'd gone out with Glenn to walk Dottie, but she wasn't angry either. More like she was upset at herself for not having come to check on us herself so that there wouldn't have had to have been an intervention on Glenn's part.

Though, we were pleased to learn that we'd actually be allowed to go outside as long as she was around. Apparently, Mr. Hershel had said that the farm hadn't been plagued by many muertos, and that they really hadn't actually seen any since the very beginning of the pandemic... which was almost as unbelievable as the idea of muertos walking around in the first place.

The Greene farm was huge, with a large field separating the house and the area where the RV's were parked from the forest's edge-which meant that with someone on watch, there'd be plenty of time to see any muerto stumbling onto the property. There was still the underlying concern that a huge herd, like the one from the highway, could accidentally stumble upon the farm... so that was why Mami was making it an official rule that we weren't allowed to wander and always had to be at a sprinting distance from our RV.

That, and we weren't allowed to go out when she was not around to supervise, or without her permission. Which made sense, and no one was allowed to go out at night. Not even to take Dottie out to pee. The group would be staying at the farm until Carl recovered and the grownups found Sophia, so Mami felt that firmly establishing the ground rules was real important.

My mother had even spoken to Mr. Hershel about Dottie and her puppies. Mostly to let him know that they existed -this was his property, after all- and that we'd keep them inside the RV except for brief moments to let Dottie use the bathroom.

He'd been really kind about it. Said that we could let her out whenever we wanted as long as Dottie was on a leash, so that she wouldn't be able to chase his chickens, and that he'd be happy to give her and the puppies a check-up. Apparently, Mr. Hershel had been a veterinarian before the fall and not a people doctor. Xavier's eyes had nearly popped out at that revelation, not that I'd been much better.

-We were right about certain other individuals in the group getting angry about the golden retriever. But it wasn't like you could stay angry at Dottie's goofy doggy grin for long, especially not after she went around giving wet kisses to everyone who came too close. Mami said that it helped that Dottie was a quiet dog, and that she'd had training as a service dog. She said that we'd keep the puppies in the RV, a secret from the sheriff's group for a while longer, even if Mr. Hershel already knew about them.-

Mami was even less pleased about our observations on Shane... because she didn't really like him either. Something about how he'd looked -half-crazed, already gone- last night when he dropped off Carl's life-saving supplies. She made us promise not to be around him if we could avoid it.

Shane had also been the one most... expressive of his anger over Dottie's existence. He'd downright glared at me the whole time I stuttered over how I'd gotten her into our RV when I saw that she'd been abandoned in Mr. Nielson's yard. He didn't even stop when Mami put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me against her side. I'm pretty sure that I continued to feel his angry eyes on my back the whole time I walked Dottie to our RV.

With the RVs no one really needed to set up tents, but I could still spot two of them being set up under the shade of the tiny grove of trees. Even with the new-found space to roam outside, Mami was taking a well-deserved nap in the bedroom with the little kids, while we entertained Dottie and her puppies in the front.

"We should give them names." Isabella giggled as the male puppy licked her face, "Eww, gross. Dog drool."

Alexander snorted, "You're such a princessa, Izzie."

The glare my sister sent him was full of loathing, "Don't call me a princessa, Alexander."

Before he could retort, I cut in, "What names were you thinking of Izzie?"

"Leo." she nodded decisively as she lifted the puppy up, "You know, sort of like Leo the Lion, cause he's a golden. At least that's what I got for this one."

"I like it."

"It's kinda corny." Alexander piped up with a teasing smile, "But... it does suit him. What about these little ladies?"

"I was thinking about calling this one Luna." I said as I cradled the lightest-colored puppy on my lap.

"Ohh, that's cute!" Isabella squeaked as she tickled her fingers along Luna's snout.

"Guess it's my turn to name the last one." Alexander lifted the nameless puppy up to eye level, chuckling when her tiny tongue poked out and tried to kiss his nose, "Let's see, what do you look like? Lola? Nah, maybe Alma? Nope- huh, this is harder than I thought." he huffed, "Oh, wait, I know! Kiara! Angelica's dog was named Kiara, and this one looks way more like a Kiara than her dog did."

"Kiara?" Isabella drawled out, "Like from the Lion King II?"

"Yup." my cousin bobbed his head, "She looks like a Kiara to me."

"I like it." I grinned, "So now we got a Leo, Luna and Kiara."

"And Dottie." Isabella threw her arm around Dottie's neck to pull the golden closer so she could leave a smooch on her furry forehead. My sister looked utterly content for a moment before sadness bled onto her features, "Do you think they'll find her? That girl, Sophia?"

"I don't know." Alexander answered honestly, his brows pulled together as he hummed contemplatively, "I mean, the woods are probably full of muertos, and she's been missing for over a day and a half. That's two whole nights on her own in the forest... the odds probably aren't in her favor."

"You think she got eaten?" Isabella choked out, horrified.

"It's a possibility." he shrugged, though Alexander refused to look at either of us, so I knew his nonchalance was all for show.

Isabella looked pale, "I think I'm gonna be sick." she whimpered.

I rubbed her back gently, "We'll be okay." I swallowed back the bile bubbling up in my throat.

Alexander snorted, "Yeah, for how long?"

"Xander!" I hissed as Isabella's eyes watered, "That's not helpful!"

He rolled his eyes, "It's not meant to be. All I'm saying is, we gotta learn how to defend ourselves. There aren't any walls around here, only those flimsy fences for Mr. Hershel's cattle. If a herd like the one on the highway blows through here, we're screwed."

"But we could just hide again! Can't we?" my sister asked desperately, breaths short and panicky even as Dottie leaned the full weight of her body against Isabella, "They'd just walk right by us."

"Don't think so-"

"Why not!" Isabella cut him off shrilly, "We'd just be quiet 'til they all marched through."

"Because," Alexander huffed, "The herd wouldn't just pass through this time. No, they'd stop and feast on all the freaking cows and other animals."

"They'd probably stick around for a long time." I mumbled as I contemplated the scenario Alexander was describing, "Long enough for some of them to come investigate the RVs."

"Exactly!" he pointed at me, "Hell, maybe some people will roll on through here like they did at the nursing home. Muertos aren't the only threats out here anymore. We gotta learn how to protect ourselves."

Isabella shuddered, hiding her face in Dottie's fur.

"Who'll even teach us?" I asked defeated, "I mean, I know a little judo 'cause that's what we were learning before we got into gymnastics," I gestured to myself and Isabella, who was nodding in agreement-even if she was refusing to look at either of us, "but I don't think we should really get that close to muertos... hitting or kicking them-it'd be too risky without a weapon... especially since Papi said that the muertos don't feel pain."

Isabella gasped as she perked up, "What about those guns I saw Mami putting away in the storage?"

"I almost forgot about those..." Alexander rubbed his chin, "I don't know how to use a gun, but maybe one of those cops can teach us. Not Shane, but Carl's dad."

"We do!" Isabella practically bounced in her spot, "We know how! We went hunting with Papi and Mr. Anderson. "

I nodded, "Mr. Anderson showed us a lot. How to clean them, and take 'em apart. He made us shoot targets for hours as practice. Only thing is, the guns we got in storage aren't real guns. They're like the BB guns Mr. Anderson loaned us. Good for shooting small game... but I don't think they'll work too well on people or muertos."

"BB guns have killed people before." Alexander waved his hand dismissively, "I've seen that on the news before, but BB guns are better than nothing... plus, what about that crossbow you found, Pili? Maybe Mr. Daryl could give us a few pointers."

"That's true." I hummed.

"Ooh! Maybe we can make some spears!" Isabella piped up, "You know, so that we can stab muertos in the head without getting too close."

"That'll work." Alexander grinned, "We'll need to collect some really long but thick branches... they can't be wimpy or else they'll snap and be completely useless."

"How're we gonna get a knife stuck on the other end?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

Isabella scratched her head, "Rope?"

"Duct tape might work better than that." Alexander pondered, "If we wrap it up real tight, it'll be impossible to dislodge the knives."

"Won't water or rain be a pro- "

"Why are you three talking about knives?" Mami cut me off with a pointed and serious look. She looked tired as she leaned against the door of the bedroom, but my mother was also very awake as her gaze bounced between the three of us.

Alexander shrugged, "Just making plans for the future, Tia."

"Uh-huh, and what kind of plans do you have that you need knives?"

"Just the life-saving kind." I piped up, "But we wouldn't do nothing without your permission first!"

Mami's stink-eye was particularly powerful, "I see... You better!" she warned, "None of you are too big that I won't take out the chancla."

"Si, Mami/Tia." the three of us quickly nodded in agreement. No one sane ever wanted to face the chancla.

Words: 1899

(I know, I know... it's been a while. I worked all summer, and didn't have any time or energy to write... and then my last semester in University started, plus work hasn't let up at all-I've also had some upheaval in my personal life, mixed in with a sprinkle of writer's block-and here we are six months later. LOL. I hope you all enjoy the update and I'll try to be a little more consistent. Happy Reading!)