Who's Darcy-Ann Dixon? 》Rick Grimes

Chapter 9-Andrea, NO!

"It's a good lead," Andrea says.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick mentions.

"No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse. Head up to this ridge up here,"—he points to a ridge on the map—"take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her."

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too," T-Dog remarks, and for a second my mind flashes to the night we had told the camp that, and then it flashes to the time where Daryl and I swore we saw a chupacabra. Or at least something like it. The both of us are convinced though.

"Chupacabra?" Rick inquires amused.

"What, you never heard this?" Dale asks now next to me. He unzips the bag of guns that he placed on the hood. "Our first night in camp, Daryl and Darcy tell us that the whole thing reminds them of the time they went squirrel hunting and they saw a chupacabra."

Dale hands Rick a rifle and Rick checks it before setting it down. Jimmy next to Rick laughs silently.

Daryl next to me scowls and I ask him, not liking the insult behind the laugh, "What're you braying at, jackass?"

"So you believe in a blood-sucking dog?" Rick asks, the amusement in his tone.

"You believe in dead people walking around?" Daryl counters.

Jimmy reaches out for one of the guns set down on the hood. Rick reaches out and grabs it, stopping him.

"Hey, hey. Ever fire one before?" Rick asks him.

"Well, if I'm going out I want one," Jimmy states.

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees," Daryl remarks placing his crossbow on his shoulder.

"Why don't you come train tomorrow? If you're serious, I'm a certified instructor," Shane offers, poking out of the truck as Jimmy starts to walk away.

"For now he can come with us," Andrea offers.

"He's yours to babysit then," Shane tells her. People start to look at the guns again.

"All right. Andrea, T-Dog, I want you guys..."

___________________________________

Rick, Shane, and I had been paired together. Talk about awkward. The whole walk has been silent so far. Tension's thick in the air between the three of us.

Shane pins a red cloth to a tree. Rick steps in line with me as we continue walking ahead and I stare down at the ground, looking for any sign she's been anywhere in here. It was silent for a moment.

"I don't think she's been in here," I state, not having seen anything to signal she was here. Rick didn't respond, more than likely just not having a response. It's silent for a moment.

"Back at the church," he starts quietly so Shane doesn't hear. "I said we needed to talk. Now would be a pretty good time."

I sigh and roll my eyes. A lump slowly gathers in my throat thinking of the positive test back in my stuff at camp.

"I told you. It shouldn't have happened," I say in the same quiet tone.

"Maybe not. Either way how do we go forward from here?"

"We go on as if it never happened. You lead the group, and Daryl and I will sort of hang back. Like it should've always been," I pay him a glance, and focus back on the grounds in front of me.

I take a silent shaky breath that even Rick doesn't hear.

I glance back quickly to make sure Shane isn't in the hearing range of our quiet voices. He's still hanging back just a little ways, looking around.