Callie groans as her back aches from the hunting. She needed to get used to this. She watches Tabby go off to the RV when her eyes drift to a blonde sitting on a log, clearly looking bored out of her mind. She approaches her and watches her playing with a pen knife.
"Are you ok?" Callie finally asks her.
She flinches and glances up at Callie before nodding her head. "Yeah. I just feel useless."
"I understand that, that's why I did something about it. So why don't you?" She looks to her curiously. What's on her mind?
She finally stops playing with the pen knife and finally looks up to Callie. "I don't want to. Ever since this whole apocalypse started, I've felt nothing. Like I've given up. That I shouldn't fight anymore. That I shouldn't live anymore."
Callie's eyes widen at her casualness about it. "You can't give up. Andrea and Amy care about you. They need you."
She shakes her head and Callie notices her eyes glisten, if she was sitting far away, she would have still noticed. "No. They're fine. I can't live anymore."
Callie holds out her hand for the knife. "Hand it over and then we'll talk."
She contemplates it for a moment before she hands it over, then she bursts into tears. "I lost everyone. Amy believes that Florida is fine but... it's not. The whole country is gone. What is left to fight for?"
Callie tucks the knife in her boot, far away so she wouldn't be able to grab it, and takes a deep breath. "You want to know what's left to fight for?" She nods her head. "A future. Josie is carrying the future. We fight for her baby girl. She needs a place where she can grow up and live a happy life. But there's the kids too, Carl, Connor, Maya and the rest. That's who you fight for."
She smiles warmly at Callie. "Thank you."
"If you need to talk, come to me or to Josie or anyone in camp. We understand what you're going through right now." Callie returns the smile before walking away, the knife in her boot getting lighter with each step. Leaving her to her thoughts.
Tabby's PoVOnce she gets into the tent that she shared with Glenn, she takes off her boots and just dives onto her bed.
"Oh my god!" A scream erupts from Tabby and she hears the other person scream in reply.
Tabby stops screaming and sees Glenn having a hand over his heart and taking deep breaths.
"What's the matter with you?" Tabby yells at him.
He glares at his tent mate. "What's the matter with me? What's the matter with you?"
Tabby rolls her eyes and throws a loose sock at his face.
"So... how was hunting with the devils?" Glenn grins at his friend and she groans.
"Merle is a lot dirtier than I thought."
Glenn scoffs. "Understatement of the century."
Tabby turns to him and notices him already looking at her intently. "Daryl is the quiet one and they follow Callie. They listen to her."
He nods in agreement. "She is a good person. She's smarter than what she shows us. Believe me."
"Can I tell you something?"
"Sure." He says skeptically. Okay definitely unsure.
"Don't tell anyone this."
He groans. "Oh no, no no no no. No. I suck at lying."
Tabby stares at him. "You won't be lying if no one asks you."
He stares at her for a second. "Good point."
"I think Callie is a better leader than Shane. He's only allocated himself as leader since he's a cop. If we had democracy to vote for someone as a leader, it would be Callie. She's smart. She talks to people..." She trails off and Glenn gives her a Really look. "Not that much but she talks to everyone. She thinks with her head like how she trusts the Dixon brothers."
Glenn nods thoughtfully at this. "Yeah, she's the one that persuaded me since I didn't trust them at all. She knew right away they were good but she still asked them if they could hunt."
"She'll be a good poker player." Tabby points out to him and he hums in agreement. "Josie wanted me to spy on her."
Glenn's eyes bulge out of his head. "Are you serious?"
Tabby nods her head. "Yeah. She wanted to know what type of person Callie is. Soon I'll have to find her and tell her."
"What are you going to say?" Glenn asks her.
"The truth. That she's a good person, just awkward. That she's smarter than she looks. That she analyses everyone." Tabby lists off and Glenn looks at her weird. "What?"
"She analyses people?"
Tabby nods her head. "Yeah. I guess that's how she can tell if you're a good person or not."
"That's creepy." Glenn notes and Tabby hums, giving him an obviously look.
"Yeah but it's smart. She has a conversation with you, makes you feel comfortable with her so you can drop your guard."
"So she can read your body language." Glenn finishes and Tabby nods. "Hopefully she doesn't know that you spied on her."
Ohfuck Callie's PoVCallie heads towards Shane who is sat by the fire pit, cleaning his gun and Lori sat next to him with Carl between her legs, reading a book.
"Shane, we need to talk." Callie points out to him and he looks at her with a cocky grin.
"Yeah. Is that right? We need to talk or you need to snap at me for something." He states and Callie clenches her jaw. Don't punch him in the face.
"Fine. We can have it here in the middle of camp where anyone can question your authority or we can talk like adults about what's right about camp."
He sighs before standing up.
"Shane." Lori dejects but he gives her a look.
"It's ok." He assured her before walking off. Callie casually glanced at Lori to see her glaring daggers at her, she rolls her eyes before she decides to follow Shane. We come to a secluded part away from prying eyes and ears as he turns to her. "What is it?"
"We need people to defend themselves. Start training everyone at camp." Callie tells him and he scoffs. I want to plead with him but that will stroke his ego too much.
"No way. They could mistakenly shoot someone." He comes up with an excuse.
Callie gives him a bewildered look. "Are you serious? Everyone needs to learn. They are more at risk of shooting someone without gun training. We'd have more muscle defending camp and won't have to worry about lazy Ed up on top of the RV who falls asleep every two hours. We can take out the dead easily with everyone defending camp than five people."
"I said no, Callie." He pauses and she gives him a look. "What do you want me to do? Aubrey who's suicidal every five minutes, if she has a gun she'll blow her brains out in the middle of camp. The kids won't be able to hold a gun."
"What about Connor? He's fourteen." Callie reminds him. "He'll be able to hold a gun. Defend himself and his siblings."
"Elijah is there for that." Shane reminds her and she grits her teeth in anger.
"What happens when the dead leave the city? Glenn has been there a couple of times and told us that there's thousands of those things there."
"They won't leave. We are safe here." Shane calms me.
"We are not safe here. The city is right there." Callie points in the general direction of the city skyline just peaking over the hill. "If you want to be safe, get more people trained to defend camp. That way you don't have to worry when me and Daryl leave camp."
"The answer is no, Callie. That's my final say." Shane walks away and Callie closes her eyes in frustration. Oh my days.
Callie quickly heads over to the RV where she sees Tabby, who hands over a piece of paper and notices it's a list. A supply list.
"This is all the crucial items that we need. If you find anything else just grab it." She doesn't keep any eye contact with Callie and she frowns, what's up with her?
Callie accepts it anyway. "These will be top priority." She nods before walking away and she reads the list, seeing all the meds listed. She's preparing for the long term. Smart.
"Hi." Callie looks up to see Josie, sweating through her top, it doesn't help that she's pregnant with this Summer heat. "I'll be needing these." She hands her another list and sees some baby clothes, and other items. And pickles?
"Pickles?" Callie raises a brow at her.
She nods her head sheepishly. "Yeah. For the cravings. It doesn't have to be a priority, if you see some, grab them, please?"
Callie nods her head. "Yeah, they'll be top priority." She smiles at her and Callie takes notice of the sweat again. "Do you want new tops?"
"What?"
Callie points to her top. "Do you want tops suitable for the weather? I'm sure it's not comfortable for you in this heat."
"Really? That'll be fantastic if you can find stuff. Jeremy doesn't want anymore clothes but I didn't want to chance going back home for more."
"He's an idiot. He should know this heat isn't nice for a pregnant woman."
"Yeah." She furrows her brows and snaps her head at Callie with wide eyes. "No he's not an idiot. He's nice. And caring. And loyal." Callie just laughs at her. "Stop laughing." Callie gives her a look, clearly amused. "You think you're funny. Don't worry I'll get you back."
Callie raises her hands in mock surrender. "Better watch my step." Callie glances at the list again and back to her. "I'll make sure I'll get everything."
"Thank you."
Tabby's PoVIt was nice to see people joking around after watching... okay spying on Josie and Callie. We need some normal in our lives. But that seemed weird, I don't know.
Tabby notices Josie look at her and quickly whips around but it was no use.
"Tabitha." She cringes at the mention of her full name and spins around to her.
"Josie." Tabby clears her throat. "Josie. Fancy seeing you around here? How's things?" Really? How's things?
"Well. I was walking this way and saw you staring at me. So I was wondering if you're ok. But I see you're your usual self."
"Look, I just saw how happy you two were and I got nosy." Tabby admits.
She raises her brows. "Ah."
"I'm sorry." Tabby apologise to her and she smiles warmly at her.
"It's fine. It's nice to talk to people other than my husband."
"Things are rocky, huh?"
She scoffs. "You have no idea. It was like this before. Strained."
Tabby pulls a face. "Why stay together if you're not happy."
Josie shrugs her shoulders. "For our children. They need us at a united front."That was a horrible way to put it.That they stayed together even though their relationship- no marriage is strained. "I don't even love him anymore. I don't even know what I am still holding onto."
"Hoping that things will go back the way they used to be?" Tabby suggests to her and she nods.
"So what do you think of Callie? Is she a good person?" She asks Tabby and she winces. I knew that was coming.
"She's a good person. Analyses people. Definitely leader material."
Josie nods. "Yeah that's what I thought."
Tabby looks to her confused. "Wait you knew. You were using me?" This bitch.
"I just needed to make sure that my kids' lives won't be in danger with her around."
Tabby grits her teeth. "Well, next time Josie. Do it your damn self."
"Tabby, I'm sorry."
Tabby scoffs. "I don't want to hear it." I don't want to listen to anymore bullshit.
Callie's PoVThe truck drives along the road whilst Callie and Daryl sit in silence. Just basking in it. Callie reaches into her pocket and takes out the main list, leaving Josie's as private. He doesn't need to know.
"What do we need?" He asks, head turning to her every now and then.
Callie looks at the list. "A lot of basic supplies, meds, cans, cereals."
"Cereal?" He looks to her confused. The fuck do you need cereal for?
"It'll be good for the kids as snacks." Callie points out to him and he hums. "You think Tabby is spying on us?"
Daryl glances at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? Why would you think that?"
"Tabby ignored us except for one worded conversations. Now she wants us to help her defend herself which is true. But, I read her body language, she's hiding something and I think she was spying on us."
"To see if we're good people?"
She breathes out. "Yeah. To see if we're worth staying at the Quarry." Sneaky littleshit.
"You think Shane put her up to it?" Daryl asks, chewing on his thumb. That could be true but I don't think he would risk Tabby for it.
"Please. He doesn't want her far from camp since she's the closest thing we have to a doctor. Someone else is behind it."
Who the hell would send a doctor out to spy on us? She definitely wanted to learn how defend herself, but who would take advantage of that opportunity?
Daryl stays silent for a minute, clearly pondering over it. "Lori?"
Callie shrugs her shoulders. "Maybe. Only one way to find out."
So do you guys agree with Tabby that Callie is a good leader? She has the head for it but she still has a good way to go if she gets allocated as a leader. She needs to mature more. Also spying on each other? Josie is only doing what's right for her children, but now Callie knows something was up with Tabby. Also Shane can be frustrating can't he?