Daring To Feel: A Walking Dead Fan Fiction

Chapter 16: Cherokee Rose

We get to the farm the next morning after leaving some supplies and a sign for Sophia if she got back to the road. We get the good news that Carl will be okay, thanks to Hershel and his family. He owns the farm that were on and allows us to set up camp some yards away from the home. I help Lori and Glenn set up some tents after parking the RV by some trees. I see a few others gathering by a truck and make my way over there, "how long has this girl been lost?" The owner of the farm asks.

"This'll be day three." Rick informs him.

"County survey map. Shows terrain and elevations." His daughter Maggie comes over unrolling a large piece of paper on the hood of the old truck.

"This is perfect." I say putting a rock in a corner, standing next to Shane.

"We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams." Rick states taking a look at the map.

Hershel shoots him down, "not you. Not today. You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out." Rick looks down at his feet, not liking what he heard, "and your ankle. Push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to anybody." He directs to Shane, who got injured getting the supplies they needed to help Carl.

"Guess it's just me." Daryl swings his bow around his shoulder "I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."

Shane argues will Hershel, "I can still be useful. I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back."

Wanting to help, "I can go with you" I say looking at Shane. He ignores my comment and just stares at Rick.

"All right, tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right." Rick nods.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them." Shane says, aware of fact not many have guns on them.

Hershel responds, "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."

Shane disagrees, "all due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here—"

But Rick interrupts, "look, we're guests here. This is your property and we will respect that."

I leave the group then, annoyed with Shane ignoring me and not wanting to be around to discuss the choices of weapon carrying on the farm.

I wander off towards Dale to see if he needs help keeping watch, "want me to take over?" I yell up to him on top the RV.

"Would ya?" He responds and I nod, "great" he sighs beginning his way down, "gonna figure out the water situation here, see what we can scramble together."

He hands me the binoculars and tells me the rifle is resting against his chair, "won't need it" I smile, hiding my real feelings for the thing.

"You never know" he smiles back leaving me to it. I climb up on top and start off by covering myself in sun block. The Georgia heat wearing on me already. I sit in the chair under the umbrella and watch.

Some time passes before I see Daryl leaving Rick by the front of the house, going to look for Sophia. I wanted to help him but he seems pretty pissed off, and I don't want to get in his way.

Dale and T-dog gather up who they can and I go down to see what the problem is. As I get closer with everyone else I hear the sounds of one of the dead. We peak down the well and Dale comments "looks like we've got us a swimmer"

"How long you think it has been down there?" I question with a gross look towards it, the body clearly decayed and bloated from the liquid.