𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 │ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 ¹ [✔]

[30]: this creature

"I said, leave the rest to me," he said gruffly. "Is it too late to take that back?" he joked, referring to his and Rick's conversation from earlier.

"I hate you going alone," Rick croaked, still weak from the blood transfusion.

"He won't be going alone," I piped up. I didn't know where those words came from. They just seemed automatic.

"I know you want to help," Shane said, in a tone you would use on children. That royally pissed me off. If I could, I would emit steam from my ears.

"Yes, I do! I can't sit on my ass here while someone else helps one of my best friends! I can't even look at him!"

"Marley, if you hadn't noticed," Shane now sounded more like an angry parent. "You cannot shoot a gun, and you ran off into the woods when danger came about."

"You pushed me into the fire that night, in case you didn't remember," I seethed. "And what makes you think I can't shoot a gun?"

Now I was going to tell a small lie. Small. Maybe part of it was true, but I didn't even know myself.

"I was with the Dixons for weeks. I picked up a few things."

Before Shane could say a comeback, Rick cut him off. "Shane!"

We all looked to his pale face.

"She can go... we- we don't have time to argue."

Shane huffed in anger, crossing his arms.

The truth was if I had picked up anything from the Dixon's in any amount of days. Today would be the day that I would know for sure if that was true.

"Fine, but you'll have to put your scaredy cat act aside," Shane instructed, pointing his finger in my face.

I nodded strongly.

"Doc, why don't you do us a list and draw us a map," Shane asked.

Otis stepped forward some more in the corner of my eye. "You won't need a map," he said. "I'll take you both there. Ain' but five miles"

"Otis, no!" Patricia protested.

"Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible. I ain't gonna sit here while this fella and lady take this on by themselves," Otis continued, a guilty look clear in his eyes. "I'll be alright."

Normally I would say, more people, more chance of disaster, but I felt that Carl was too important to worry about bringing too many people. We needed anyone who could help, to help. That included me.

I just wanted Carl to get better sooner rather than later.

So, I was all for Otis coming along.

+

Shane had told me to wait outside on the porch as he and Otis prepared things.

I looked out to the green vast fields. Again, I had this feeling that I knew this place. That I had at least seen it once.

I breathed in the fresh air.

It reminded me that the thing I hated most about walkers was the smell. It wasn't that I didn't like the smell that was the worst part, it was that it was constant and always lingering in the fabrics of the wind. Not only that but added into the mixture was general dead corpses and rotten food.

Whereas here, it was like if the smell of walkers was a loud sound, here it would be silent.

Even if there was that underlining of cow manure.

A door suddenly opened behind me, followed by rushed footsteps.

I turned to my right in time to see Maggie, the doctors daughter. She passed a kind smile to me, before trotting down the steps, a baseball bat in hand. She was going to find Lori and bring her to her family. Bring her to the farm and to the man that shot her son.