We've been on the road for two days straight, only stopping every four or so hours to eat, stretch and siphon gas. When the sun sets, we pull over and try to get some rest, then wake up the next morning to repeat the process all over. We've made good time and were already in Virginia. Although, we still were a ways from Richmond and hadn't seen any signs of Abraham's regimen.
It was late afternoon, when we stopped in a small town that I can't actually remember the name of. On our last stop, about five miles back, Rick had uncovered a fallen billboard on the side of the road advertising for a local outdoor sports store. Rick, Daryl, Sasha and I were headed there now to check it out, while the others stayed behind with the cars to find us a place to hunker down for the night. I was shocked when Rick selected me to come along over Carol or Michonne. But I wasn't going to question it, it felt good to be asked to do something other than watch Judith. Not that I don't love watching her... I do. But I don't want things to go back to the way they were before, at the prison, where I was weak and all that was expected of me was to be a glorified babysitter. I am different now, changed. I've finally come into my own. Thanks to Daryl, I realized I was strong, and learned how to take care of myself. I was no longer that scared, weak girl that left the prison. I am an asset to the group, an equal. The fact that I am here, on this run, was proof of that.
As the store came into view, I took in our surroundings. The streets were barren but the buildings were in still in good shape. It was like a ghost town. Any minute I expected to see a tumbleweed blowing by like in the old westerns in a deserted town right before the big dramatic showdown. But it never came. Instead we marched up to the door, banged on the glass and waited. Silence. With a firm nod from Rick, Daryl opened the door. We entered cautiously still on the lookout for any stray walkers that may be trapped inside. Again, we were met with silence. "Sasha and I will take the right. You and Beth take the left." Rick instructed Daryl.
He grunted in acknowledgment and grabbed a shopping cart. I followed closely behind him. It was amazing that the store had managed to go this long untouched. All the products were still neatly on the shelves collecting dust. I looked carefully at each item hoping to spot anything useful. I read a sign marking the upcoming aisle as "Camping" and was surprised when Daryl passed it. Then he continued to pass several more aisles that contained valuable supplies we desperately needed like he was on a mission. "Where is the heck is he going?" I questioned internally.
"Daryl-"
"We'll come back for it. Just need to find something first." It was like he could read my mind. Thoroughly confused, I started trying to figure out what he was searching for as I blindly followed him. Once he turned the corner, it all made sense. I chalk it up to hunger and lack of sleep clouding my thought process because the answer was so obvious.
"Pick one." He gestured to the wall before me that held every kind of bow you could ever imagine. There were crossbows, compound bows, regular recurve bows, long bows... you name it, they had it. Below the bow buffet hanging on the wall, there was a shelf that contained arrows, bolts and all kinds of archery accessories. In that moment, it became clear why I was chosen to come on this run. As soon as we stopped, I saw Daryl whisper something to Rick but I didn't think anything of it. He wanted me to come so I could pick out my own bow. "Really?" I squeaked out in disbelief.
"Yeah. It's 'bout time you got your own." He paused for a moment rubbing his chin. "Sides I'm sick of sharing mine with ya."
I chuckled knowing he was just giving me a hard time and stared back at the wall. It was a little overwhelming. All these bows in front of me and I had to pick one. I had no idea where to even begin. "Which one would you suggest?"
He turned his back to me and gazed at the selection of crossbows for a minute. "Here." He picked up one of the more compact crossbows and handed it to me. "Try this one."
I instantly held it up, aiming it at the first thing my eyes landed on, a lantern on the end of one the aisles to my right. I pulled the trigger, I cocked it back as though I was reloading, attempting to test the resistance and get a good feel of the weapon. Normally I struggled to manually reload Daryl's crossbow, having to use the built-in crank. But this one I was able to knock it back by hand. I could feel Daryl's eyes on me as I examined the weapon. "How do you like it?" He inquired.
"It feels good. It's lighter and smaller than yours. I think it fits me well."
"That's the idea." I ignore his sarcasm and continue to play with my new toy. "Want to try another?"
"No, I like this one." I give him a smile and strap it to my back. His lips twitch upward and then he slowly looks me up and down. My stomach flutters under his intense stare. The look on his face, I can't help but wonder… Is he checking me out? I feel my face flush at the thought. He clears his throat and adverts his eyes to the floor below. "C'mon let's get us some bolts." His attention turns to the shelf, kneeling down to find what we need. Suddenly I feel silly, Guess not.
I was about to sit on the floor next to him when I spotted a recurve bow with an intricate design carved into the wood. I picked it up to take in all the details. It was truly beautiful. "Daryl..."
"Mm." He hummed as he stood dumping a ton of bolts in our cart.
"Do you know how to shoot one of these?" I ask still not looking at him.
"Yeah."
"Would you teach me?"
He huffed causing me to look at him. "They're a pain in the ass. More difficult and very different from a crossbow."
"I know. I still want to learn. I kinda always wanted to be Katniss Everdeen." I admitted with a little laugh.
"Who?" His brows furrowed.
"Katniss Everdeen." I search his face for any recognition... nothing. "The archeress from District 12..." I try again. Still. Nothing. "The Hunger Games?" The blank expression on his face told me he had no clue what I was talking about. "Forget it. Will you teach me or not?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll teach ya." He said. I placed the recurve bow in the cart along with arrows and a leather sheath. "Let's go Evergreene."
"Everdeen." I corrected.
"Yeah... well I like Evergreene better." He smiled at me as we went to retrieve the items we originally passed up.
The others found a small local library for us to take shelter in for the night. It wasn't anything fancy. Just a plain storefront in a strip mall located at the edge of town. An old dilapidated sign hung above it with the word "Library" painted on it in simple script. The sign looked as though it was barely hanging on. One big storm and it would be done for.
The inside was surprisingly bigger than I would have guessed. The size and layout reminded me a lot of the prison library. When you first walked in, all you could see was the front desk and a sea of bookcases. As you ventured further in, the rows of bookcases opened up to unveil a reading/study space, fully furnished with two comfortable lounge chairs and a medium sized table. Tall bookcases framed the area creating a squared "U" shape. From this place, you could see the rest of the library. There was a half bookcase which divided the reading/study nook from the ill placed children's section. Just beyond that, the back wall was dotted with more bookcases and three cubicles with a computer at each station.
We moved the table to the back to set up camp in the reading area. It had been a quiet evening until Michonne who was on first watch saw headlights approaching in the distance. People. The atmosphere which was light and warm with soft conversations turned silent and frigid in an instant. We all were still on edge from our last encounters with strangers. I had been kidnapped by ego maniac rapists and held captive with Noah while the rest of the group was hunted down by a group of sadistic cannibals. Maybe the people behind the headlights were just passing through, going in the direction we just came from. If they stopped, maybe they were good people who didn't mean any harm. Maybe this place is a trap like the funeral home. A whole lot of maybes….
Unfortunately, they stopped, parked right across the street. Six shadowy figures emerged from the vehicle and began walking right towards the library. Per Rick's instruction, we all hid in such a way that when they came inside, we'd have them surrounded with weapons drawn. I was in the far back corner crouched behind the half bookcase with Sasha on my left and Daryl on my right. I was scared, but I knew with him and my family here with me, it was somehow going to be okay.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
After waiting a moment only to be met with silence, they entered the building. I couldn't see a thing. The lantern we were using for light was off the moment Michonne announced the presence of people. With being temporarily blind, all my other senses were heightened as I listened to their footsteps draw nearer. My heart was pounding so loudly; I was sure the intruders could hear it too. Their steps slowed and finally stopped at the reading nook.
Cliiiiiick.
The sound of the hammer lowering on Rick's revolver echoed throughout the room.
"Drop. Your. Weapons." Rick commanded.
"Now why would we do that." A voice, clearly the leader sassed. "There is only one of you and six of us. I suggest you drop your weapon."
"Who said I's alone?" Rick countered. There it was the signal we had been waiting for. We all appeared from our hiding spots, aiming at the six black shadows. My eyes had adjusted enough to see them all look around the room. The leader raised both hands in submission, then knelt down to surrender his weapon. The other five figures followed suit.
"That's it." Rick purred. His silhouette froze in his signature stance, gun aimed with his head slightly tilted to the side. "Nice and slow."
One of the shadows looked up… "Rick?" That voice was eerily familiar.
"Well, kiss my shit." The leader said in amusement.
Suddenly the lantern flicked on and the beam of light illuminated the room.
"Glenn?" Rick's voice raised in disbelief. He gazed at all of them.
Sure enough, there was my brother-in-law knelt beside a large ginger man who I assumed was the leader, Abraham and Maggie on his other side. Behind them were two women and a man with a mullet. They slowly stood as we lowered our weapons. I couldn't believe it. Unable to process it all I simply watched amazed, stunned, confused…. They all had their backs to me now facing Rick. Glenn hugged him and gave a tiny glance around the room smiling at the faces he could see before turning his attention back to Rick. Maggie did the same, she too didn't see me.
"You scared the hell out of us." Glenn chuckled.
"Likewise" Rick hugged the last woman. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be almost to DC by now."
"Well we were but we decided to turn back and meet up with you guys." Glenn said.
Rick raised his eyebrows. "I thought the mission was too important to wait on us."
"Mission's scrubbed." Abraham spat.
"Eugene lied." Glenn's voice dropped along with his shoulders. Everyone's gaze landed on the man with the mullet. There was a moment of silence. I looked around at everyone's facial expressions as they soaked in the information. Sasha. Baffled. Carl. Disgusted. Carol. Unfazed. Gabriel. Devastated. Michonne. Baffled. Rick. Disgusted. Tyrese. Devastated. Noah. Confused. Daryl. Unfazed. Maggie, Glenn and the one of the women. Disappointed. Abraham and the woman with pigtails, daisy dukes and combat boots. Disgusted. Eugene just looked at the floor and took everyone's judgement. The whole idea of a cure now seemed too good to be true to me. But I guess it gave some people hope, something to hold on to, and that is why they found the news so disturbing.
"Y'all still want to try for DC?" Rick finally asked.
"I don't know." Glenn sighed. "Eugene still thinks it is a good idea. Honestly, we wanted to see what you thought first."
Rick considered the information for a moment before speaking. "It's a good alternative."
"Alternative?" Pigtails inquired with a hint of curiosity.
"Yeah. We can try for Richmond. Planned on stopping there anyways. If it doesn't work out, then we will go to DC." Rick answered.
"What is in Richmond?" The other girl asked from behind Glenn.
"My family." Noah stepped forward. They all looked at him with furrowed brows, then to Rick, asking the unspoken question: Who is he?
"This is Noah." Rick put a hand on Noah's shoulder. "He's originally from there, but was separated from his family almost a year ago. He arrived after you left with Daryl, Carol, and…" He trailed off and his eyes shifted from them, to look past them, at me. They all still had their backs to me as they watched Rick.
"And… who?" Someone asked. Rick didn't speak, eyes still locked on mine as he just dipped his head in my direction. They followed his gesture and turned to see who is was talking about.
I heard Maggie gasp at the sight of me. My eyes found hers. She had her hands over her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. "Beth?" She choked.
All eyes were on me now. I could feel the weight of them trying to push me back against the wall. But I ignored them, held my ground, and just stared back at my sister. I gave her a small smile and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Hey Mags."