She was in a bad mood. Jeep-guy had been trying to boss everyone around, acting like he knew exactly what to do. He had been a cop and, despite the fact that the rule of law was as good as gone the minute the dead started eating the living, he still had a giant stick shoved up his ass. Firewood had been gathered at the man's behest by the men while the women were tasked with preparing what little food they had. The group was making introductions while trying to set up the few supplies and shelter items they had, most of which had come from an RV. Jeep-guy's name was actually Shane, and he'd come in with his best friend's wife and son, Lori and Carl; her husband had been shot in the line of duty. Dale, an older gentleman, had been in the RV with Amy and Andrea, sisters over a decade apart, whom he'd picked up on the side of the road as they were trying to get out of the city. There was a Hispanic family of four that seemed to keep to themselves, a friendly African-American couple, a man, his wife, and their very skittish looking daughter, and several other random Georgian citizens she had no attention span to catch the names of.
She hadn't been paying much attention at all until a strong southern accent and the tell-tale vernacular of a redneck rang out, pulling a smirk to her lips. Merle Dixon, who had come with his younger brother, Daryl, wasted no time in letting the majority of the group know exactly what he thought about them, which was nothing good. He especially didn't like the cop, Shane, as the guy had apparently arrested him a few times for drunk and disorderlies and getting into fights. The man spent a lot of time complaining and talking down to everyone who dared to even so much as look his way. Every time someone spoke up to say something, he'd shoot back at them with a racist or sexist remark, flirting with the women and sizing up the men. It wasn't at all surprising to her how the others reacted to him, though a couple of his remarks made her laugh. He reminded her a little of her papa back home and the numerous people she'd interviewed when she was working on her PhD. Of course, that didn't mean she escaped his ire, either, when he noticed her laughing at his tirade towards the cop.
"Fuck you laughin' at, sugar-tits?"Merle asked, giving her a once over.
"Nothin' much, Mr. Dixon," she replied, looking him in the eye before gesturing with a nod at the others. "Jus' find the look on their faces funny, that's all."
Her words seemed to mollify him enough as he scoffed and started muttering under his breath about dumbass little girls as Daryl gave the girl a once over himself. It seemed that every guy in the camp had done so at least once, with the exception of Jim and Dale, though she was used to it by now. As a bonfire was lit to keep people warm, some sat down on lawn chairs Dale had provided while others perched on larger logs that had been found. She and the Dixons were some of the few just sitting right on the ground, not really caring about it getting cold. The Dixons sat a bit away from the rest of the group, Merle laying down with his head on his arms, propped against a log while Daryl leaned his back against it. Tea sat a little off to the side, far enough away to see everyone and not get snuck up on, with her legs crossed in front of her with her elbows on her knees. The Dixons shared a look that she caught when they noticed her sitting further away from the group than even they were. It had been a force of habit to her since she was young; leaving a blind spot or an opening could be the difference between seeing what was coming and being blindsided every time.
The conversation seemed to flow freely, although Merle eventually made some rather uncouth comments about the sexes and races that had many in the group angry. Shane tried unsuccessfully to get the man to quiet down or go back to the truck, but he only got more and more heated until he'd gotten high off pills. The whole thing ended when Merle stopped cussing and pitching a fit about the group being a bunch of pussies and democrats and went to Daryl's truck. While Tea watched on amused by the entire event, the rest of the group stayed quiet and shared looks of caution before returning to swapping tales. Eventually the conversation returned to the time before. Everyone was going around and talking about what they had been doing before everything went down and what they did for work, though Tea purposely stayed silent. She was well outside her comfort zone and talking just wasn't high up on her list of priorities for the evening when none of it mattered anymore. Merle kept up his quips nearly every time someone said something he didn't like for a while, although he wasn't nearly as loud about it. Daryl amused most of the others when he mentioned how the whole situation they were in reminded him of when he had spotted a Chupacabra on one of his numerous hunting trips in the mountains. The others immediately started laughing and laying into him, clearly embarrassing him and making him feel like a fool with how he clammed up; even Merle was going off on him for it. Daryl ended up looking down while biting his thumb and trying to disappear into the background because of the treatment he was getting and it irritated her to no end. Tea hated it when people dismissed the beliefs of others because she had seen some things herself that she couldn't fully explain.
"How's believin' in a Chupacabra any differen' than believin' in a damn god?" she asked just loud enough to be heard above the litter of giggles and words, her words ending all taunts and turning several sets of curious eyes to her.
"God's a different subject altogether, girly," Shane said.
"Not really," Tea shrugged. "I mean, where's the proof? Ya got 'bout as much proof in any kind a deity existin' as ya do Mr. Dixon's Chupacabra. I mean, I've seen my fair share a shite I can' explain, too," she explained quietly. "Not everyone has ta believe in the same damn thing. In fact, it's actually a part a the Declaration a Independence that we be given religious freedom. Kind a a shite thing ta do ta be up someone else's ass for their beliefs if ya goin' ta get defensive ova someone sayin' it's the same as y'all belivin' in ya's."
Several murmurs could be heard throughout the camp, discussing what she had said and whether or not they agreed. Some were clearly offended by what she had said while others were going on about things they'd seen but couldn't explain. Most of the conversation revolved around how many of the people didn't believe in the New Age or spiritualist beliefs that had popped up in recent years and how ghosts weren't real. Scanning her surroundings, she was unsurprised to see the numerous dirty looks being cast her way considering T-Dog had rolled up in a church van with a bunch of his fellow church-goers. Not many people shared her beliefs, which was why she wouldn't let people try to silence her by using their own beliefs as examples. She didn't argue against the existence of any deity, she just didn't believe in monotheistic deities because of all the bad in the world. It was much easier for her to believe in a pantheon than to believe in a being that claimed to be all-loving, -knowing, and -powerful when kids were beaten half to death by their parents. No amount of prayer to a singular deity had ever done her any good, but putting her thoughts and wishes out to the universe normally did. That alone had made her look into paganism and spirituality and changed her mind about religion in general. A group of Christians having their deity and religion called into question by the silent young woman who'd walked in alone wasn't going to appreciate anything she had to say about it, though.
"First time we heard you speak," Shane said as he leered at her, making her uncomfortably shift where she sat as she turned her gaze back to him. "What's your name?"
"Jus' call me Tea, like the drink. Been called that since I was a teen, might as well keep usin' it now."
"How old are you? 'Cause, no offense, you don't look much older than a teen," Shane asked.
"I'm twenny two," she replied somewhat harshly, "and I know full well how I look."
"Alright," Shane said, holding his hands up.
Tea wasn't tall at all, only reaching five foot three inches, but she was athletically built from years of training in martial arts and self-defense. Her muscular legs joined her wide hips and round backside while her corded arms connected to wide shoulders and large chest to complete her perfect hourglass figure. A heart shaped face with full lips sat on her elegant neck, a small nose, high cheekbones, and strong jaw adorned it. Her slanted eyes were small and framed with thick, dark lashes that made her irises pop. The emerald color of her eyes paired well with her amber colored hair; the thick, wavy locks were braided down her back ending between her shoulder blades. It fell all the way to the center of her back when she left it down, which wasn't very often because of how wild it was. Due to her small size and features, she looked much younger than she was and always had been a focus of attention because of it, from her peers to adults when she was a child. All in all, she knew she was attractive, but it always made her feel objectified when men like Shane looked at her like he was. Even now, there was a glint in Shane's eyes that she knew would mean trouble for her sooner or later involving the man.
"Where are you from, anyways? Can't be from around here based on your accent," Dale said, distracting her from her thoughts and bringing her gaze to him.
"Michigan."
"No way," said Glenn, "so am I."
"You talk different, though. Kinda funny," a little girl, Sophia, spoke up.
"Kind a Irish," she offered. "But my momma wanted me ta talk propa. She got a mix in between."
"What did you do before all this?" Jim asked.
Daryl looked up and over to the girl who was now looking at the older man sitting near the RV in one of the folding chairs. Not that he actually cared, but the way the girl talked and held herself was intriguing, especially since he'd been watching everyone in the camp and had seen her doing the same thing. Any time someone would move, her eyes would flit over to them as if to make sure nothing surprising was going to happen before returning to whatever had gained her attention before. When her eyes had moved to him and his brother, he had to admit that they were not what he was expecting; while her face held no trace of any kind of emotion, her eyes were wary and calculating. They weren't the innocent or young eyes a little girl like that should have, but were cold, haunted and hard as he watched her watching him. When they narrowed ever so slightly, he'd looked away while cursing himself for backing down when he'd had no reason to. He hadn't been able to look at her again after that until now, and it was only because his curiosity got the better of him.
"Honestly? I was a forensic psychologist workin' with the Atlanta PD while working on my PhD in the same field," her low alto tone rang out with a hint of gravel to it.
"Just fuckin' great. 'Nother fuckin' cop," Merle said.
"Not a cop, Mr. Dixon. Forensic psychologist."
"Forensic psychologist?" Jim asked.
"Eva watched Criminal Minds? Kind a like that, though that's way ova-dramatic. Part a the job is ta give the police profiles a the most likely suspects, from their probable looks ta their behavioral pattern and areas they're likely ta hit, jus' like in the show," she explained. "My specific skill set revolved 'round cases with abuse and addiction," she said, noticing in her peripherals how Carol and her daughter as well as both of the Dixons tensed at that. "The betta part a my job has been doin' evaluations, risk assessment, researchin' criminality so as ta provide betta psych services ta inmates, bein' a consultant on cases and strategies involvin' cases or perps, bein' an expert witness 'bout what I found on the defendant, and helpin' design correctional programs for those who had been victims a abuse and/or had problems with addiction, primarily those in prison, though I did help their victims as well when they'd come in ta testify."
Lori cut in, "That's a little advanced for a twenty-two year old, not to mention intense."
"Not really. I graduated high school at thirteen, got my Associates in general psychology when I was fourteen, a dual Bachelor's degree in cognitive and behavioral psychology when I was sixteen. I got my Masters degree in forensic psychology at nineteen. Moved down 'ere at fourteen and started workin' with the fuzz when I was sixteen as an intern ta one a their investigators. They liked ta joke 'round and call me their personal Sherlock Holmes 'cause I'd point out a few details they didn' even think 'bout. Would a already have had my PhD if I'd'a been more inta school afta I started workin' with 'em than workin' cases," she stated plainly, meeting the eyes of the woman. "Took a little bit ta get all the research I needed ta correlate my hypothesis, too."
"You're one of them Beautiful Mind, genius kids, ain't you?" T-Dog chimed in.
Tea looked at him with a small smile, answering, "I'm jus' a freak a nature, that's all."
Several people coughed awkwardly when she said that before Tea stood up and walked to her vehicle, leaving everyone to think whatever they wanted to about her. She knew that she was a freak of nature, a fact that had been made known to her from all sides all of her life. It had started when she was really young, being unable to sit still in preschool as well as being unusually smart, her teachers notifying her parents who then had her evaluated. When the doctors told her parents she was ADHD when she was five, that was when the beatings really started. Her parents had been socialites and were the talk of the town, some even wanting her dad to run for Mayor. Having a child that wasn't normal wasn't something they could accept, and it only got worse as she had gotten older and received more diagnoses, such as autism and anxiety. It hit an all time high after she had proven to be a genius and skipped so many grades to the point that she was in her older sister's class, and then ahead. Her parents had played off as if they were proud when they were out and about or hosting parties, but behind closed doors they had been monsters. Her body was a patchwork of scars from broken glass, knives, and whips while her brain was addled with the scars from neglect and non-physical abuse. If it had been just them, she might have been able to stop thinking about how freakish she was and move on from the trauma of her past. But being a prepubescent girl in high school had taught her that even the outside world thought that she was little more than an anomaly of nature that needed constant reminding that she was one.
"That's one weird little girl," Shane mused as he watched her walk off.
"She's a looker, though," Merle replied with a low whistle. "What I wouldn't give for a night with that round ass. Could bounce a fuckin' nickle off'n it. And damn those tits. I bet ya a pretty penny you could bury your face in 'em and die a happy man, eh Daryl? Damn if I ain't gonna get me a little slice a that."
"Knock it off, Merle," came Shane's response, although he couldn't help but agree with him looking at her retreating figure.
Merle just scoffed and went to the pickup truck and his bike, Daryl following closely behind him with a pensive look on his face. Dale, Jim, Andrea, and Amy went to the RV with Jim climbing on top to take watch even though they really didn't have any way to defend against walkers at the moment if they showed up. The Morales family went back to their vehicle shortly after that and the rest of the members slowly followed suit, drifting off into their own vehicles to turn in for the night. Lori and Carl were in a tent that Dale had in his RV while Shane was walking around the camp to make sure the perimeter stayed safe as he had one of the only guns in the camp. The silence that descended the quarry had Tea's nerves shot as she tried to get comfortable enough to get some shut-eye. In short order, the sounds of night floated over the camp, lulling many of the survivors to sleep. Many others lay awake like Tea, thinking about what the future held for them now that the dead had risen and what life would look like from then on. No one knew what was going to happen or if they'd even be able to eat when the morning came, let alone if they'd live to see morning. All Tea knew was that she wasn't about to let the thoughts overwhelm them as she sighed and gave up on sleep.
~x~
Tea was scouring over the maps she had of the city with a small LED lantern she'd borrowed from Dale earlier, notebooks, pens, and pencils from college close by. The windows of her SUV were tinted, so, even with the light from the lantern dimly illuminating the space, she couldn't be seen. She sat in the back of her SUV with the back seats down to make enough room for her little project. She had, from memory, marked down where each store that could be useful to the group's survival would be and the best routes to get to them on one of the maps, color coding each store based on what supplies it could provide. It wouldn't be perfect, and she'd need to ask the others if they knew of any that she'd missed in her planning, but it was the best she could do to quiet her mind at the moment. On top of that, she was also making a list of everything they would need immediately, such as tents, traps, weapons, and non-perishable food. If they could get clothes or items for first aide, she would count herself among the stars. What they really needed, though, was an early warning system a good few feet outside of the edge of the camp so that they could tell when walkers were coming at them through the woods.
The kids would need to be educated as well, but not for what she knew their parents would most likely have them studying. She would have to look for suitable weapons for them and teach them not only how to use them, but also conceal them. The true problem with that, though, would be the children's willingness to keep what she taught them a secret from their parents. She knew how to trap, hunt, and track and also had combat training in the academy and self-defense lessons from her young teens and MMA training for the last seven years. Now she hoped that she could pass on those lessons so that the kids knew how to defend themselves if they ever got separated from the adults. It was an invaluable skill to know how to fight in case they ever got attacked by a walker or, worse yet, another human. If she could convince the parents to let her teach the kids to track and how to forage, she had a way to teach the kids the stuff that would mean the difference between life and death in this world. The one thing she couldn't do just yet was assess the strengths and weaknesses of the group; that would have to wait until tomorrow, if not the next few days while she kept tabs on everyone.
When she was positive everyone else was sleeping, she opened the glove compartment of her vehicle and pulled out her grinder, bowl, and weed. She knew she couldn't smoke much and, although she had a little over a pound in her car, a little 'good job finishing your dissertation' gift to herself, she didn't know when or if she would be able to resupply. Trying to conserve it was going to be hard but she didn't have any other options as there was no point denying she was going to run out. Being a versie and changing up the routine was like being a Christian and converting to Paganism, but she wouldn't have a choice in this. She would simply have to take it one step at a time and try to consume less and less as the days went by to the best of her ability. She'd already gone most of the day without smoking and was on edge after the campfire. She felt like she deserved to indulge a little and allow herself to feel calm for however long she would be able to before coming back to strangers asking her about her life. She left her vehicle at close to two in the morning thinking that no one would be awake to question where she was going anyway. With her small backpack containing a day's worth of supplies, along with her weed and an extra machete, she walked out into the woods away from everything else. The need to be truly alone weighed as heavily on her as the desire to smoke after spending most of the last forty-eight hours in a traffic jam or around strangers.
She hadn't cared about the various sets of eyes she felt on her from the people on watch until she saw someone coming towards her in her peripherals. Tea inwardly groaned as she realized who it was right before Shane grabbed her arm and asked her where she was going rather roughly. Responding that she had to take a shit and asking if that was a problem, she removed herself from his grasp with a bit more force than necessary and continued on into the woods. She had not liked that Shane had decided to man-handle her instead of just using his words, let alone the superiority complex he was trying to use to intimidate her. The experience had left her a bit shaken; the look in his eyes had reminded her of when her dad would be pissed at her when he needed to be nice, a look that always ended with her in pain. She had half expected him to pull a punch when she responded to him with the way his nostrils flared and his lips pulled into a thin line as he glared at her. It was only a matter of time before he crossed her bottom line, and when he did it was not going to be good. Her temper always got the better of her when she felt threatened by people she didn't care about, and that was the last thing she needed in a group of people who most likely knew nothing about neurodiversity.
If she was truly scared or felt threatened, she would shutdown and simply not be in the moment due to being overwhelmed. It used to be that when she shutdown, she would just curl in a ball and although she could feel everything happening to her, she was not mentally present. The last eight years, however, a flip had switched in her head that forced her to shutdown mentally, but become physically violent. It was like an out-of-body experience that she had no recollection of doing in the moment, but remembered every moment as if a movie was playing in her head after. And it was never a pretty picture; she had no control of her strength and absolute accuracy to be able to cause the most damage to her victim. The worst part was if she flew into a true rage, she wouldn't be able to back off, and no one could make her unless she allowed it. It had taken two grown men to successfully stop her from being able to fight the last time she'd shutdown due to being threatened. She had a feeling that Shane was going to be her undoing in the group sooner rather than later. If he kept up with the macho man attitude and grabbing at her without permission or a good enough reason, eventually she would see red. The one thing she hated more than anything else in the world was being touched in general and it grated on her even more when she wasn't expecting or wanting contact. It was a part of her being a versie, and a fast way to throw her into a rage that wasn't easy to come out of.
When she reached a fallen log overlooking another section of the quarry, she sat down and did her best not to think too much about the darkness that surrounded her. Without that one aspect, the view was actually rather relaxing and peaceful and Tea couldn't help the contented sigh that escaped her lips as she pulled her bag onto her lap. Reaching into it, she pulled her weed, bowl, and grinder out, along with a bottle of water before opening her grinder. She found it half full and used the contents to pack the bowl before putting her grinder and back in her pack. Fishing her lighter from her pocket, she placed the bowl to her lips, flicked the light, and took a long hit of the much needed drug. She held it in for a couple moments before exhaling, reveling at the feeling of her vision going black and her body going fuzzy. Those were the hits she lived for and found herself trying for every time she sparked up. It wouldn't be long now before this luxury would be lost to her, so she just savored her time in the woods relaxing and enjoying being alone.
The quiet ambiance of the forest was welcoming, the sounds of the nightlife cutting through the silence that had been everywhere in the camp. As she sat and smoked, she looked down at the quarry thinking about whether or not she should be completely open with the group about herself. Being neurodiverse in a group of seemingly normies was not something she looked forward to. It was hard enough for her to be a versie without all the looks normies gave her, the last thing she needed was pity or fear. Hell, she could almost hear Merle's taunts about it, mirroring her momma's in her mind, his attitude towards those who weren't white and male evidence enough of his reaction. She could see a few of the others either not caring or not understanding anything about what she said, but the majority would probably become wary of her. Everyone treated her differently after they found out she wasn't normal, more than just being too smart for her own good and sounding funny when she spoke. As she finished the last hit of weed in her bowl and packed up, she decided that she would just take it one day at a time and deal with it when the time came. If push came to shove, she could just get enough supplies to last her a bit and head out on her own without a backwards glance.
Standing up and dusting off her pants, she decided against returning to the campsite right away, the thought of running into Shane making her scrunch her nose. Instead, she walked through the woods and found good areas to set traps and various snares, as well as checked for any trails that could be good for hunting for the next couple of days. She found some edible berries that would be good with breakfast for the kids, at the very least, and nibbled on a couple of edible flowers as she walked. A little closer to camp she found a couple of weeds that could be used for medicinal purposes and picked them, too, knowing that they'd need to start stockpiling such things for whenever they needed it. It was still dark, but due to how good her night vision was, she was able to see well enough to keep her footing and notice a few things off to the side of her flashlight. Although it wasn't as good as an animal's, it was still better than most people's thanks to the amount of time she'd spent in the dark. Then again, it was probably just another part of being a freak, though she also had to suspect it was genetic as her grandpa had been the same way. It had gotten her through some of the toughest nights when she had run through the woods to get away from home and allowed her to pick up her own trail before her light hit it.
She realized she had been gone a lot longer than she had intended when she got back to camp and found more people milling about. While the sun itself had not broken the horizon, the telltale colors of the sunrise were beginning to spread up into the night's sky. She was not surprised to find a pissed looking Shane waiting by her vehicle, though it did surprise her to find that Dale, Glenn, and Lori were also looking at her with concern. She knew she didn't smell like weed as she had smoked outside and she'd been smoking for years, so she didn't have the obvious signs on her face that she'd been using. Tea could only guess that it was because she had been gone for so long in general that they all had were concerned. Her thoughts were confirmed when Shane, with Lori following close behind, stormed over to her and grabbed her arm before taking a couple of steps away from the others while dragging her with him. It immediately put her on edge and had her bristling like an animal trapped in a corner.
"Where the hell have you been?" he practically growled.
"Walkin', what's it matta ta ya?" she spat back while trying to yank her arm out of his grasp without being too forceful.
Tightening his grip, he responded, "You were gone for damn near three hours, Tea! What the hell?!"
"Let go a me," her voice dropped an octave as she seethed through gritted teeth.
Dropping his hand at the look of venom in her eyes, Shane's lips thinned as he ran a hand over his face while placing the other on his hip. He was pissed as hell that not only had she wandered off, but at the fact she kept pulling away from him every time he touched her, something he found disrespectful. He was thinking about grabbing her again as she turned her back on him, but Lori shot him a look and held a hand up to him. Backing off, he turned in a circle and decided to let Lori handle it, not sure what either of them should do to make the young woman realize how much she'd screwed up. Tea turned to practically run back to her vehicle only to be asked by Lori to wait, causing her to pause in her steps, thankful for the use of words rather than touch. It only lasted a second, though, as Lori's hands met her shoulders and she was gently turned to face the older woman. She only stood up to the woman's chin and it didn't help that Lori had a sickly sweet smile on her face, the telltale signs of a mother trying to diffuse a situation with kindness. The whole situation with the pair acting like parents to her made Tea hate both of them almost immediately, the disrespect of being looked down on for her age eating away at her as it always had. She had always had to prove herself to the people she worked with and to her teachers because of how young she was. The last thing she wanted to deal with was proving herself to people she didn't even care to get to know anymore.
"We were worried about you, you know," Lori stated in a motherly tone that Tea couldn't help but roll her eyes at. "It's not safe."
"I was jus' walkin' in the woods. Ya know, someone's gotta scout the perimeta. I couldn' sleep, so I figured I might as well be useful. Found some berries for the kids for breakfast and some herbs I can use for medicine."
"That doesn't explain why you were gone so long," Shane huffed angrily.
She didn't respond to him, choosing to instead give the small bag of berries she'd gathered to Lori before walking off and silently praising herself for staying calm. If she had remained near the two older individuals and wasted any more breath on Shane's obscenities, it was going to get ugly, and she knew it. Hopefully, she could just get to her car and get a couple hours where she at least rested before she started to put her plan into motion. Their altercation had already removed whatever was left of her buzz which had her even more irritated at the situation. Every fiber of her being wanted to stay as far away from the man as possible with how he was already behaving towards her, and her thoughts of Lori weren't much better. Of course, Shane wasn't going to let it slide and quickly caught up to her before he once again grabbed at her arm. It was out of pure instinct that, when she felt the tips of his fingers moving to grab her bicep, she whipped around and hit his forearm away from her, hard, with her other hand, causing his whole arm to fly backwards and the man to stumble a step.
"Don't. Fuckin'. Touch. Me," she seethed through bared teeth. "Ya have nah fuckin' right ta touch me, ya bastard."
"Now you listen here," Shane started, completely ignoring her, "it's dangerous out in them woods, especially at night. You stay in this camp, you got it?"
"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me right now?," she spat out, standing straight and rolling her shoulders as she squared up to fight. "I'm pretty sure the only ones in this entire group who know how ta hunt are me and the Dixons. I'm pretty damn sure that I'm the only one with knowledge in natural medicines more'n the basics! There ain' nah damn way in hell I'm goin' ta be stayin' in the camp when there's kids who need feedin' and protectin'. I ain' lettin' nah kid starve 'cause some macho-man asshole seems ta think 'e can orda me 'round. Ya can', Shane. Get that fact through ya fuckin' head right this fuckin' second. I ain' opposed ta doin' as told when I agree with it, but I will do what I think is right whetha ya like it or not," she practically shouted before she walked away, noticing Daryl standing by the tree line not far from his truck, nodding at him out of embarrassment for lashing out at Shane more than anything before entering her SUV and lying in the back seat.
Shane made to go after her again, but Lori stepped up and grabbed his shoulder, her other hand going to the small of his back, "Just let her go, Shane."
"She's just like the damn Dixons. She ain't all there, Lori. She can't be trusted," Shane said, turning to her. "That look in her eye. She's gonna go off on someone."
"I don't know," she responded. "Seems like she just doesn't like being touched. You should've felt how tense she got when I grabbed her shoulders. And think about it. She started college at fourteen. She said she moved down here, but she didn't say anything about her family. She might've been alone since then. She's probably used to doing things a certain way. And she's not wrong about the foraging bit. There's a good amount of berries here, and if she can make any kind of medicine, that's gonna come in handy."
"She can't take orders, Lori" Shane flat out stated. "If she can't take orders, how we gonna keep this place safe? How we gonna keep her from wandering off and gettin' taken out by a walker? What if that walker ends up finding this place? We can't risk the camp just because one little girl can't follow the rules."
"Shane, think about it," Lori said calmly. "You're telling her what to do when she just met you. On top of that, you just grabbed her twice while raging like a bull. What reason does she have to trust you?"
"Yeah, I guess. But still. Girl needs to learn to listen. Gotta be smart about things. Just wanderin' off like that ain't a good idea," Shane said, staring at the girl's vehicle before noticing Daryl leaning on his truck smoking.
"I agree, but there's nothing that can be done about it now," Lori said. "Come on, let's get some sleep," she suggested before she walked towards the tent she was sharing with her son, letting him in, going over to Carl and laying down next to him while Shane lay on the opposite side.
Daryl had seen and heard the entire conversation from the time the girl had walked out of the woods to the moment she'd noticed him standing there. It had confused him at first how she reacted to Shane and how her face had remained completely blank the entire time. Her eyes were what gave her away, though; while her face remained stoic, her eyes burned with rage as she stared the other man down. He had seen the way the girl had instantly frozen each time Shane had grabbed her and she had remained tense when she walked away as if she knew he would try to grab her again. The force of the blow to Shane's arm wasn't anything to scoff at, either, with how she'd managed to get him to step back with a seemingly simple shove. Again, he felt confused as he watched the girl pull away from the cop completely and notice him, nodding even though she couldn't look him in the eyes. It hadn't gone without notice that she was cautious, which was smart, though he didn't like where his mind went when he thought of why she was like that. The fact that she was gorgeous was not lost on him, either, nor Shane from the way the man's eyes followed the girl around. Her being as smart as she was and still talking like she did confused Daryl, though, even if she had said she was Irish, especially since she was college educated. It irked him how Shane was just grabbing her like that, which made him scowl all the more at the fact that he cared enough to be irritated on her behalf. The scowl deepened when Merle walked up, simply looking at the officer and woman walking to the tent and back to his brother's scowling face as he looked at the SUV the little girl was in.
"Whatchya thinkin', baby brother?" he asked Daryl, noticing how his eyes immediately removed themselves from the car and back to the ground.
"Dunno what you're talkin' about, Merle. Ain' thinkin' nothin'," he replied chewing on his thumb.
"Don't you go lyin' ta me, Darylina. You been watchin' that little piece o' ass since last night. What? Wanna see what's under them cargo pants and get some college educated cooch? That it?" his eyes narrowing.
"Shut it, Merle."
"That why I caught ya starin' at her car like a dog that's lost 'is bone, huh? Where's your head at boy?"
"It's not like that," he defended. "Just watchin' her tell Shane off is all. Girl's got grit."
"She's a fuckin' snitch, that's what she is. Don't go thinkin' she's gonna even be willin' ta talk to you, ya hear? Bitch like that, they ain't want nothin' to do with a Dixon."
"Ain't fuckin' like that," Daryl practically snarled back.
"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, little brother," Merle sarcastically replied before walking off.
Merle knew his baby brother, and he knew his type well enough to know the man was lying through his teeth about what he thought of the little girl in the SUV. Most of the women around the camp might as well have been twigs, what with their stick figures and hardly any meat on their bones. Yet, the little bitch had curves in all the right places, and enough meat on her bones to hold them without thinking she'd break. Didn't help she had them emerald eyes his brother had always chasing after, especially in the last year or so. He knew his brother was going to fall for the bitch eventually if they stuck around and he couldn't let that happen, no matter what it took. Merle wasn't afraid to make sure the little girl knew her place, nor to keep his brother in his. That had been something he'd been doing ever since Daryl was born, and he wasn't about to lose the last bit of family he had, least of all to some prissy cooch. No matter what, Merle wasn't going to let that smart-ass little bitch take his brother from him, even if that meant getting rid of her.