BLOODY MARY || c. grimes

fifty-three - arrow

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE,
arrow
————

————

DENISE JOGGED OVER to Ellie as the girl walked towards her home.
"Ellie, hey." The doctor stopped in front of her, smiling softly. "Have you seen your dad around? I wanted to ask him something."
"Uh, no I haven't seen him today." The Dixon girl stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. "Why? What'd you need to ask him?"
"It's just...we're running low on medicine and I think we should go out and get some more." Denise caved with little pushing. Ellie furrowed her eyebrows.
"We?" She resorted in confusion.
"I wanna go." The doctor nodded confidently. "Listen, I know I don't know what I'm doing, but look-" She pulled a map from her pocket and unfolded it, Ellie moving to stand beside her. "It's an apothecary. We could probably get some drugs there. I just wanna check."
Ellie thought about it, nodding slightly. "Alright. Let me..." She caught sight of Rosita speaking with Spencer. "Rosie! Come here."
The Espinosa woman jogged over, looking relieved to get away from the Monroe man. "Yeah?"
"You up for a run today?" The Dixon girl crossed her arms.

"After I got out of DC, I just drove. I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going." Denise reexplained her idea to Rosita and Daryl. "Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs."
"How do you know they still got'em?" Daryl asked immediately, not totally comfortable with the idea of going outside the walls.
Denise shrugged, looking at Ellie for reassurance. "It isn't that far. I just wanna check. And you, Rosita, and Ellie aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts."
Daryl nodded. "We'll go." He motioned to the Espinosa woman and his daughter pointedly. Denise hesitated.
"I wanted to check." She nodded unconsciously. "I just wanted to help."
"How much time you spend out there?" The Dixon man motioned towards the front gates.
The doctor hesitated again. "None."
"Forget it." Daryl tried to walk away.
"Wait, Dad." Ellie held a hand out to stop him. "She can ID the meds. Rosita's been teaching her how to use a machete."
"I've seen roamers up close, too." Denise added in, determination filling her eyes. "I'm ready."
Daryl glanced at Rosita. "You good with this?"
"No." The Espinosa woman scoffed lightly.
"I'll go alone if I have to." Denise stood her ground.
"You'll die alone." Daryl reminded her, not even trying to sugar coat anything any longer.
"I'm asking you to make sure I don't." The doctor raised her eyebrows in challenge. Daryl looked at Rosita.
"I'm not babysitting her by myself." The woman placed her hand to her chest, glancing at Ellie.
The Dixon girl shrugged. "I'll go, too." She looked at her father. "Come on, Dad. You want these people to learn? They gotta get out there."
Daryl hesitated for a long second, glancing between the women in front of him before he sighed heavily. "Fine."

————

THE GEARS OF the old truck squeaked loudly. Daryl drove, Denise, Ellie, and Rosita all squished next to him. The silence was almost unbearable for the Dixon girl. She was contemplating just flinging herself from the window when Daryl shifted the gear loudly.
"It—Uh..." Denise stopped herself.
"What?" Daryl urged her, shifting the gear and causing the truck to jolt forward.
"Forget it." The doctor tried to dismiss.
Daryl shifted the gear once more. "No, what?"
Denise hesitated. "I think, maybe you're disengaging it too soon." She told him, causing the archer to look over unamused.
"I've been driving stick since I was fifteen, usually beat up trucks like this." She informed them. "I mean, before-you know, before I left home." Daryl shifted the gear after a few seconds of hesitation, the grinding of the metal quieting down slightly. Rosita and Ellie sighed in relief as their ears were met with peace.
"My brother taught me, so I just know." The doctor shrugged. Purposefully, Daryl twisted the gear around to cause a horrible sound to emit from the truck. Denise was just shaking her head absently.
"Dad..?" Ellie perked up, a large tree in the road causing her anxiety to peak.
The Dixon man sighed. "Yup." He slowed the truck to a smooth stop. "Stay here." He ordered the nervous blonde as he shut the engine off.
Rosita popped the door open, waiting for Ellie to jump out after her before she slammed the door closed again. The trio slowly and cautiously walked towards the tree, a walkers growling coming from under a large branch.
"I got it." Rosita looped her gun over her shoulders and yanked up the branch. Ellie climbed up to where the stump of the tree still sat in the ground. She poked the wood with her knife.
"It wasn't people." She informed the adults, pushing herself up and sheathing her knife. "The tree rotted out."
Rosita nodded in agreement, grabbing her machete and slamming it into the walkers head. She then dug in the monsters bag, yanking up a clear bag full of alcohol.
"Oh, jackpot." The Espinosa woman laughed. Ellie rolled her eyes with a smile towards the woman, walking back to the car and pulling the door open. Denise jumped at the sudden noise.
"Come on, it's clear." The Dixon girl motioned her out. The doctor hopped out, looking towards the Espinosa woman.
"What'd you find?" The blonde called over.
Rosita smiled softly. "Bottles of booze. Any takers?" She chuckled.
"No, thanks." Denise snickered back.
"For later. I'm not bringing these to the pantry." Rosita scoffed humorously. Daryl held Ellie's bag towards her, the girl looping her arms through the straps quietly.
"I'm good." Denise repeated calmly. "They were...kinda my parents thing. Which is why they aren't mine." There was a pause where no one spoke at all. They hardly even breathed, having not expected the admission. Daryl tossed Rosita's bag to her.
"That truck ain't gonna make it past this tree." The Dixon man informed them "Come on, let's walk." Ellie and Rosita followed instantly.
"Hold up." Denise stood still. When they turned, she was looking down the tracks she stood on. "Looks like a straight shot if we follow the tracks."
"No, that's not safe." Ellie dismissed, pulling her hair up and out of her face. "We should stick to the road."
"That's twice as far." Rosita argued. The Dixon's sighed, turning to the stubborn women.
"Go whichever way you like." Daryl snapped. "I ain't taking no tracks." He and Ellie maneuvered into the woods easily.