Deadland

Chapter 17- Hit

"Why, Rick? Why? Because Adrian just woke up? Because both Carl and Daryl have been shot? Because T-Dog's arm is basically slit down the middle? It's been bad luck after bad luck here! So why can't we Rick?" 

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol finally speaks up. 

"Okay." Shane scoffs and puts his hands to his mouth and breathes deeply. "Okay, I think it's time that well all start to just...consider the other possibility." "Dad!" I exclaim. 

"Shane! We're not leaving Sophia behind." "I'm close to finding this girl! I just found her damn doll two days ago." Daryl approaches my dad. 

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll." 

"Man you don't know what the hell you're talkin' about!" Daryl roars, swinging his arm and stepping closer to my dad. 

"Look man, I'm just saying what needs to be said! You get a good lead, it's in the first forty-eight hours-" "Shane, Shane stop!" Rick yells.

"Let me tell you somethin' else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you comin' all methed out with your buck knife-" Alyssa gasps and covers her mouth. 

"And geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!" "Shut up!" Daryl yells, trying to grab Shane but Rick stands in the middle of them as they try to fight. Everybody begins to help as it begins to escalate. 

"Dad!" I yell, running up to him and grabbing his hand. "Man get the fuck off of me!" My dad yells as he rips his hand out of my grasp and back hands me straight on the side of the face. 

Silence.

I stand back, appalled with my hand holding my cheekbone. Nobody says or does anything, they all just stand there, including Alyssa. "I-" I try to speak but for some reason it's incredibly difficult. "Adrian, I-" Shane tries to approach me, but I step back. 

"You hit me." I can hear a few people's breath shudder as they hear the complete betrayal in my voice. 

"Adrian, I didn't mean-" "You hit me!" I scream, slapping my dad across the face. He barely even flinches, he just stands there, accepting the slap. 

"I didn't mean to!" He yells. "Really? You didn't mean to as you looked me directly in the eyes and backhanded me?!" "Okay lets all just-" Rick starts but Shane and I both turn and yell, "Stay out of this!" and turn back to each other. 

"I'm your fucking daughter! I just tried to kill myself like seventeen hours ago and when I'm back on my feet I get slapped by my own father!" "Adrian, I thought you were someone else!" "So you would slap another person of this group?!" "No-I-" 

"Man what the hell is wrong with you?!" I yell, shoving my dad and turning around. I walk back up the hill, not turning my head to see if anyone is following or even looking; though I know they all are.

My cheekbone stings as I walk back up to the tents and enter my own, sitting on my cot. My eyes fall onto my backpack but almost immediately I look away.

I smile at myself, proud of myself for barely even thinking about the stuff in my backpack. 

If it's even in there, I would go check but I'm worried that if I see the pills or get my hands on the pills, I'm not going to be able to shake the thoughts. 

"Adrian?" Alyssa enters my tent and sees me sitting on the cot. Her eyes fall onto my backpack then back at me. 

"I didn't take anything, don't worry." I groan. "I honestly don't know if anything is in there and frankly, I don't want to look." She smiles, "Yay."