BLACK

Episode 6: Red Hands

Sorry for posting it so late in the day. I had this chapter done like Monday morning but I just me.ed until today to post it and it nearly killed me. I don't know what it is but once I finish a chapter I HAVE to post it. Like when it just sits in my phone complete but unposted I feel sad. I literally already have episode 7 and episode 8 already done. I'm working on episode 9 now ._. So I guess my question is this: SHOULD I POST ONLY ON WEDNESDAY OR SHOULD I JUST POST WHENEVER I GET ONE DONE?

I feel like when I do the every wednesday thing it gives it some stability, but it's y'alls choice in the end. I live to serve (and watch netflix). Oh and fyi, SAM WINCHESTER IS NOW A RESULT. So this is a story with four possible love interests. I had a few people ask and first off I cant say no to you guys anyways, secondly you guys asked me for Sammy. SAMMY. Our own little moose. I cant resist him.

Anyways, I'll stop now. Enjoy this chapter, and remember that I have PICTURES in the comments below!

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The CDC was a dead end.
It didn't save anybody, only added to the ever growing body count. The decision to try Fort Benning was made, but what were the chances of it not being like the CDC? Of it not being another dead end?
A day had passed since the explosion. The group spent the night hidden in Atlanta and in the morning they prepped for their 126 mile journey to what they hoped would be safety.
You sat on the side of the road as T-Dog and Shane siphoned fuel from the truck to use in the RV and station wagon. Daryl would be riding his bike to save fuel. Your fingers clenched around your knees. Jenner's last words had been eating away at you.
Your eyes glanced around the area and stopped on Rick. He was speaking to Lori by the edge of the station wagon. You knew what you had to do. Quickly, so you wouldn't back out of your decision, you walked over interrupting their conversation.
"Rick?" Lori and Rick both turned their gaze to you. You swallowed the lump in your throat, "Rick, we really need to talk."
"Sure, what is it?" He gave you a worried look.
Your eyes darted to Lori who was staring at you, "Umm, can we talk alone?"
"Whatever you have to say to my husband you can certainly say to me." Lori spoke. Rick glanced from Lori back to you, as if asking if you were ok with that. You shifted your weight from foot to foot.
"Rick, please." You glanced away and scratched a spot on your neck.
"I'll be back." He set a hand on Lori's shoulder. She gave him a hard look before he took your shoulder and led you away from the group. You glanced at his hand to see the silver watch around his wrist. It was nice, probably a gift from Lori.
"So what's wrong?" Rick asked. He crossed his arms and stood in front of you which blocked you from everybody else's view. For some reason this small action felt nice. It made you feel safe.
"Jenner- Jenner told me something, Rick." You could feel your face losing color, "I just don't know what- I don't know what to do, but I trust you."
Rick uncrossed his arms, "When he hugged you?"
"Yeah."
He glanced over his shoulder before taking a step toward you, "I knew something was wrong, you've been too quiet. Are you ok? Was it something with your blood test?"
"It was something with all our blood tests, Rick." You bit your lip as his eyes narrowed in confusion. The lump in your throat was back, "He said we were all infected. Everyone. That it didn't matter if you were bit or not, if you die you come back."
Rick's eyes widened, "What?"
"Whatever this- this sickness is, it's already in us. We already have it. I could drop dead right now without a scratch on me, and I'd come back."
He looked away from you and squeezed the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut. You noticed he did this whenever he was upset or thinking. It was silent between the two of you before Rick came even closer so there were only inches between the two of you.
"Is it just us now?" He whispered, "Just us that know?"
You nodded, "I didn't know what to do, but I just felt like you should be the person I tell."
"Thank you." He nodded, "Just don't talk about this anymore. I'll handle it."
Having this news on your shoulders was heavy, but knowing that Rick was handling it alongside you made it seem lighter. You weren't as worried anymore.
"Hey, we're heading out!" Shane yelled.
Rick gave your shoulder a comforting squeeze before the two of you headed back toward the group.
You wanted to ride with Daryl, on the back of his bike. It'd be better than being cramped up in the RV with five other people, but he wouldn't let you. You had it in your head that he was concerned for your safety. Of course the exact words he used were 'Don't need you fallin' on your ass halfway down the road'.
You walked toward the RV, but had to pass Daryl and his bike. You gave him a bright smile to which he gave you a skeptical glance.
"Get movin', sunshine." He barked and motioned with his head toward the RV.
A chuckle escaped your lips as you did as he said. You headed toward the RV but paused when you noticed Lori and Rick. Her eyes shot at you warily before she pressed her lips against Rick's. You glanced away only to spot Shane glaring at the two of them. Even at the CDC, hungover you had noticed the tension between them.
"Come on, Aj." Glenn waved you over.
You jogged up into the RV with a smile, "Hey, don't rush me."
The convoy began to roll forward as everyone got situated. Daryl led the pack on his bike followed by the RV, which held you, Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, Dale, and Glenn, and the station wagon rolled up last with everyone else.
Dale drove while Glenn sat in the passenger seat. T-Dog was in the back, by the bed, napping while you sat on the floor between Dale and Glenn so you could talk to them. Andrea sat across from Shane at the table.
The drive wasn't so bad. Glenn and you talked about random subjects while Dale occasionally added a story here and there. You found yourself laughing and smiling with the two of them. About an hour and a half of driving had passed and you were leaning against the back of Glenn's seat staring at the symbols on your knife curiously.
"Looks complicated." Andrea said. You glanced up to see her watching Shane take apart and clean his gun.
"The trick, is getting all the pieces back the same way. I could clean yours. Show you how." Shane nodded and set down the piece he was working on. He dug through the bag by his foot to find a new gun. He glanced over at you and nodded you over, "Get over here, Aj, learn something."
"Sure." You shrugged and stood. You walked over and leaned against the counter across from them to watch.
Shane lifted the gun and studied it, "It's a sweet piece."
"It was a gift from my father", Andrea seemed proud of it, "Gave it to me just before Amy and I took off on our road trip. He said two girls on their own should be able to protect themselves."
"Smart man, your father." Shane nodded. As they spoke your eyes were glued to the taken apart gun in front of Shane. The black, metal pieces sat apart like a puzzle that was begging to be solved. "Now look, it's a limited capacity, see? Only holds seven rounds."
You could already see where each part belonged. You could see a pair of familiar hands working diligently on a gun. A laugh echoed in your mind.
'I'm gonna teach you how. Get over here.'
"Aj?" Shane said snapping you out of your daze.
You lifted your eyes to his, "I'm sorry, what?"
"You with us?"
"Yeah I just-", You paused and returned your gaze to the gun, "I know how to do this."
"What?" Shane questioned.
You closed the space and sat beside Shane. He scooted over to give you room, but the two of you were still pressed together. You paused for only a second before letting your hands grab the pieces and quickly put them together again. It took about a couple minutes or so, but once you were done you set the gun back on the table.
Now you and Andrea hadn't been on good terms since the CDC. You didn't like how she had given up so easily, and Andrea didn't like how you were trusted so easily by the group's leaders.
"You can throw knives, you're covered in scars, and now you can put a gun together?" Andrea snapped as everyone's attention was turned to you. Even Dale who was driving had his curiosity perked. "Who really are you?"
"I don't- I don't know about the scars." You said slowly, "But the knife and the gun-- that was my dad. He taught me, so I could hunt."
That was a bold faced lie. You did feel you were a hunter in your life at one point or another, but you couldn't remember any sort of father figure in your life. Even in the shadow of a memory you just had about the gun, it didn't feel like a father.
"You can remember your dad now?" Glenn asked. He had turned in his seat to you at you. You felt terrible for lying to Glenn, he had quickly become one of your closest friends.
You gave a short nod, "A little, yeah."
"That's great, Aj." Glenn gave you a congratulatory grin.
Andrea scoffed, but Shane shook his head at her, "Ease off, Andrea. Now Aj, I'm impressed and all, but I won't hand you a gun until I know you can shoot-- and by shoot, I mean shoot well."
"No problem", You breathed, "I don't want a gun anyways."
"Oh jeez." Dale blurted from the front. You rose up from your seat and kneeled down between Dale and Glenn again so you could see out the front window.
"Oh no." Glenn sighed.
The entire road was backed up with abandoned cars and overturned trucks. A familiar motorcycle rode back toward the RV from the maze of cars and stopped by Dale's window.
"See a way through?" Dale asked.
Daryl nodded and motioned for Dale to follow him before turning and heading back into the wreckage. The RV rolled after him slowly.
"Um maybe we should just go back." Glenn unfolded a map and glanced over it, "There's an interstate bypass--"
"We can't spare the fuel." Dale interrupted.
The convoy slowly traveled through the area. It was silent as everyone gazed out the window looking at the abandoned cars. Most had their doors and trunks thrown open as if they were in a rush to grab something and run. They probably were.
A sudden loud pop startled you and made you fall back onto your butt as steam flew up from the engine. Your back was against Shane's shins. He pulled you up to your feet.
"Thanks." You mumbled as Dale pushed by you out of the RV. Everyone followed him to the front. Even Rick, Lori, Carol, and the kids had gathered around. Daryl walked up but his attention was elsewhere.
"I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water." Dale threw his hands up in a frustrated manner.
"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked but by his tone you could tell it wasn't a serious question. You glanced over at him to see him staring over the cars. Daryl began to dig through the trunk of the closest one.
"Well just the small manner of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of--" Dale paused, "Ok that was dumb."
"If you can't find a radiator hose here." Shane nodded toward the cars.
Daryl pulled something out of the trunk, "There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find."
"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog nodded.
Carol spoke up next, "Maybe some water."
"Oh, food and clothes too." A smile graced your lips as you gazed out at the endless possibilities.
"This is a graveyard." Lori snapped catching everyone's attention. The group got quiet, but despite her words ringing true you didn't feel any guilt in taking from these cars. "I don't know how I feel about this."
It was silent another moment before people slowly began to move. Shane nodded, "Come on y'all. Look around. Gather what you can."
You ran back to the RV to get your knife. As you stepped out everybody had already started gathering. Dale was on top of the RV with a pair of binoculars, while Rick stood a few feet from the doors with a rifle. He wore his usual hat and uniform. The sunlight caught the gold star and shone in your eyes.
"You heading out?" Rick asked as you held the knife in your hand.
You gave him a nod, "Yupp. I need some clothes and a bag. This is all I have left."
You had motioned to yourself. It would be a mission success if you could find extra clothes to wear plus a new bag to hold it all. Rick stared at you for a second, "Just be careful."
"Will do, Officer Grimes." You gave him a mock salute before turning on your heel and heading into the graveyard.
The first group you passed was T-Dog and Daryl. Daryl had an arrow held between his teeth as he used a metal screwdriver to pop open the gas lid of the car. T-Dog immediately began to work on siphoning the fuel.
"Hey", Daryl pulled the arrow out his mouth, "Don't wander too far."
"I won't!" You gave him a wave before continuing.
It got quieter as you went along. You could see Lori, Carol, and the kids off to the side working. As you walked you passed a car that was stripped of everything except a bloody car seat. Your body tensed at the thought of a poor baby going through all this. Babies didn't belong in a world like this, it was cruel.
You pushed past the car to find a new one. It took you looting through three cars before you finally got lucky. A big blue truck had all its belongings underneath a tarp in the back. You ripped off the top to see suitcases and supplies.
"What the-" You leaned over to pick up a book bag filled with softball equipment. A metal bat was strapped to the side and inside the bag was a glove, batting gloves, sliding pad, and more. "Who takes softball gear with them in the apocalypse?"
As you stared at it though the bat seemed like a fairly simple weapon that would come in handy, and the bag had a strap for it and everything. You dumped everything out of the bag, but left the light green and blue bat on the side.
It took a couple minutes for you to dig through the suitcases for something to wear. Buried underneath a few shirts was a small bag. You opened it up and let out a laugh. The bag was filled with candy of all things. Most of it had melted and was beyond eating but there were two suckers that could be saved. A smile lit your face. One for Carl, and one for Sophia.
As you continued with your search for clothes you quickly noticed that most seemed too big for you. The closest you could find were some t-shirts that might be a bit baggy on you and some plaid button up shirts.
"I like plaid." You thought aloud with curiosity, "Why do I like plaid so much?"
You stuffed the new clothes into your bag and slipped it on before hopping out of the bed of the truck and continuing on. As you headed back towards the RV you spotted Glenn and Shane working together. You stopped to help them.
"Nice bat." Glenn chuckled.
You shrugged, "Might come in handy."
Glenn popped open the hood of a car and began to work on it. You assumed he was getting parts for the RV. As he did so you watched as Shane stepped over to a large delivery truck that was only a few feet away. He pulled up the shutter and chuckled. Your eyes widened at the wall of bottled water. It was in those giant gallon tubs that people used in offices.
"Were we short on water?" Shane asked you jokingly. Glenn glanced over curiously when Shane popped one open sending a flow of water over him. Glenn let out a half laugh half cheer as he worked.
"Hey", You dropped your bag and rushed to stand beside Shane, "Sharing is caring!"
The two of you were slowly getting soaked to the bone. Shane let out another laugh, "It's like being baptized!"
"Guys!" Glenn tried to work faster, "Save some for me!"
You ran over and took the red cap off his head before returning to Shane. You filled it with as much water as it could hold, though it obviously was slowly leaking out, then rushed over and slung the hat on Glenn's head. The three of you laughed again as Glenn let the water run down his head.
You pulled your bag back on and pushed your wet hair out if your face when your eyes noticed something in the distance. You began to walk towards it which took you further from the RV. Shane called after you, but you kept going.
There were fewer cars in the area you wandered into, but your gaze was on a red two door sports car. You stopped as you realized what had caught your eye was a body. You still couldn't see most of it, just the top of its head. Shane pushed you back and raised his gun in a wary matter.
"Back up." He whispered.
Something wasn't right.
"Wait Shane", You pushed by him and slowly walked to the front of the car. He hissed something at you, "Just trust me."
You came to a stop in the front of the car and your breath caught in your throat. A man was lying on the front of the car passed out. It wasn't as if he had just fallen asleep though, the glass was broken and half his back was pushed into the car slightly. As if someone had thrown him against the front.
He had lightly tanned skin and jet black hair that was currently matted with blood. There was a wound on his hairline that made blood drip down his face and dry like that. His lip was busted as well. Despite the hot Georgia weather, he wore a black suit, jacket and all, with a bloodstained, tan trench coat over it.
His chest moved in a short, raspy breath. You moved forward, but Shane held you back.
"He needs help!"
"How do you know he's even alive?" Shane replied.
You tore from his grip and carefully checked for a pulse at his wrist. You nodded, "Shane, he's alive. We have to get him to the RV."
"Are you kidding me? He could be dangerous!"
You bit your lip and glanced back at the unconscious man. A part of him was familiar. You didn't recognize his face at all, but his blue tie spoke volumes to you. It had droplets of blood on it, but the strangest part was that it was tied backwards. As if a child had tried to tie it.
"Shane, please." You turned with pleading eyes, "Please help me get him back."
Shane stared at you a moment before letting out a scoff and hanging the shotgun around his torso with the strap. The two of you peeled the guy off the car and struggled to get him back. One arm was around your shoulders while the other was around Shane's. Glenn had already headed back to the RV, but Daryl and T-Dog were at the truck pulling out the gallons of water to take with us. They turned in surprise.
"What the hell, sunshine?" Daryl barked and raised his crossbow at the man.
"He needs our help. Can you-?" The weight of the man was slowing you down and the fact that you were shorter than Shane made it that much harder for the two of you. T-Dog rushed over and took your place.
"To the RV." Shane huffed and moved faster now that T-Dog was his partner. You tried to follow after them but Daryl stopped you.
"What are you doin'?"
"Helping somebody who needs it." You replied.
Daryl scoffed, "You don't know 'im! Could be a danger to all of us!"
You paused and shook your head, "He's not."
Daryl watched as you ran off toward the RV without another word. It came to your attention that the RV was jam packed and most of them didn't seem happy. Dale still stood on top.
"Good luck, Aj. You'll be needing it." He said.
You bit back a sigh and made your way in.
"There she is", Andrea said, "Are you out of your mind?"
"Don't believe so, no." You pushed past her.
Lori shook her head, "This is ridiculous. We don't know who this guy is, he could wake up and hurt somebody. Rick, he could hurt the kids!"
"The kids aren't even in here." You replied and continued to make your way to the back.
"I should've just left him on the car." Shane shook his head.
Rick was standing beside the bed that the man was now laying on. Shane was on the other side, "Well, brother, you didn't. Aimee, what's going on?"
The RV got silent and waited for your response. You stood at the base of the bed, "He needed our help. We couldn't just leave him for the walkers."
"Why not?" Somebody mumbled.
You spun around with a glare, "Because we're human!"
Rick clenched his jaw and stepped in front of you, "Everybody get out. Keep gathering."
He waited until the only people left in the RV were you, him, and Shane. You dropped your bag in the corner and then grabbed the first aid kit without a word.
"See, I don't know how I feel about using our own supplies on him." Shane announced as you took a seat on the bed beside the guy.
"Fine. Pretend the stuff I'm using is on me. Next time I'm injured I just won't take a bandaid." You snapped. How could they be so willing to let this man just lay out there for a walker to come along?
"Aimee." Rick sighed, "We don't mean it like that. Fix him up."
Glenn came into the RV, but before Shane could shoo him out though he held up a cup.
"Thought you might need this, Aj." Glenn walked over and handed you a cup filled with water and a rag.
You smiled at him, "Thank you."
Shane motioned with his head for Glenn to leave. You set the cup down after wetting the rag and began to wipe the dried blood from his face.
"I recognize him." You mumbled.
"What?" Rick questioned as Shane glanced at you.
You shook your head, "Not all of him, just his tie."
"Anybody can have a blue tie." Shane scoffed.
"Not the tie itself. The way it's tied." You picked it up with your hand, "It's backwards."
You didn't expect what happened next. The man's bright blue eyes shot open. He grabbed you by the collar, threw you over him, and then pinned you on the bed with a silver blade held to your throat.
The sound of two guns cocking filled the room as the man stared at you. His blue eyes were hypnotic and held a strange wisdom you never saw before. His lips were drawn in a tight line.
"Get off her, now." Rick said empathetically. His revolver was pressed behind the man's ear while Shane held a shotgun at him.
The man moved back slowly so he was sitting up right. Rick held out his hand which you took. He pulled you off the bed and held you to his side so you were partly hidden behind him. You tried to catch your breath.
"I apologize." The man spoke in a rough voice. "You startled me."
Rick nodded for Shane to keep the gun trained on him while Rick put his back in its holster. He reached out and snatched the stake looking weapon from his hand. It was probably a little over 12 inches long and made completely of a shiny silver. The handle part was rounded, while the edge was cut sharp like a stake.
"Who the hell are you?" Shane demanded.
"My name is Castiel." He replied with a downcast look. He used his hand to reach inside his jacket. Rick told him to stop, but as Castiel brought his hand back it was covered in blood, "I'm in pain."
The statement came out as one of surprise. As if the blood and pain weren't a usual occurrence for him. You stepped away from Rick and kneeled on the bed.
"Do you know me?" You asked, "Have we met before?"
He glanced at you for a moment before shaking his head, "No. We have not."
A part of you felt disappointment while the other half felt relief. If he truly didn't know you, your past was still hidden. You went around the side of the bed where Shane was and began to take his coat off.
"Aimee." Rick warned.
"It's fine. I just startled him is all." You replied. "Let me patch him up."
"Rick! Shane!" Lori called, "Come here!"
You nodded, "I have my knife. I'm fine."
Shane took your word and rushed out of the RV to get to Lori. Rick hesitated a moment giving you a worried look. He pulled out his revolver and held it out to you.
"Rick, you need it."
"For an emergency. I have my rifle outside, I'll be back for this." Rick gave you a tight nod before turning his gaze to Castiel, "If you hurt her-"
"I understand." Castiel replied with a blank stare.
"Rick!" Lori called again.
Rick gave your shoulder a squeeze before leaving the RV with Castiel's weapon. You began to work again by tossing the trench coat off to the side and then taking off his suit jacket and tie.
"Your friend took my weapon." Castiel spoke and winced as you took his shirt off leaving his torso bare.
"Yeah, well, you'll get it back when we know we can trust you. What happened to you?"
"I don't recall. I seem to have problems remembering things."
"Yeah, well, I know how that is." You replied. What were the chances that he had amnesia too? "What do you remember?"
"My name is Castiel. Sometimes Cas." He had the most serious thinking face, you couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "Your friend took my weapon and I'm not...complete. Something is...missing."
"Vague." You nodded.
You rolled him onto his side and began to clean up his wound. It was a gash that would need stitches. As you got out the materials and began to sew him up you noticed a marking on the other side of his torso, under his chest. You finished sewing and then covered the wound in a bandage before rolling him onto his back.
"Thank you." He replied. You grabbed the rag and began to wipe away the dried blood that covered his tattoo. "I truly am sorry for attacking you. It was an accident."
The tattoo consisted of a group of symbols. They weren't the same, but they were eerily similar to the symbols on your knife. You ripped it out of your boot and held it up.
"What are these symbols? Are they like the ones on your chest?"
His eyes widened and he tore his gaze from the blade to his chest, "I have a tattoo?"
"Yeah." You sighed and lowered your knife. He was as clueless as you probably. "What about this?"
You quickly began to unbutton your shirt. You pulled it down to show him your own tattoo. Castiel stared a moment before shaking his head, "I don't know. I recognize it, but I can't remember what it stands for."
You shook your head and continued cleaning the blood off him. This wasn't a real connection. You refused to acknowledge it. It was a coincidence.
"You don't know either." He murmured, "You can't remember anything?"
"Nope. Amnesia." You replied bluntly, "What a coincidence huh?"
"That seems too strange to be just a coincidence." Castiel said.
You didn't move. His wounds were taken care of. The dried blood was gone and all he needed was some clothes that weren't crusty with blood. You glanced up at him to see him staring at you.
"Let's keep this between us." You said, "Don't tell anybody about our strange connections. As far as they know we've never met each other before. Understand?"
"Why?" He narrowed his eyes.
You bit your lip, "So we can get through this alive. Apocalypse is rough enough without these secrets trying to kill us."
"Apocalypse?"
You let out a bitter laugh, "You're just like Rick and me."
Somebody stepped into the RV. You glanced back to see Andrea glaring at the two of you. She sat at the table without a word and began to tinker with something.
"She doesn't seem happy."
You scoffed, "No kidding. Listen a lot of people don't trust you, and for good reason. Just lay low and keep quiet about all this."
He gave you a nod, "I understand. Thank you."
"Sewing you up was nothing."
"Thank you for taking me in." He further explained, "For helping me. I'm in your debt."
You gave a tight nod, "We should get you some new clothes. Yours look like hell."
You stood up and froze. There were three windows in the back of the RV. The two large ones on the side had blinds covering them, but the small one over the bed had a view.
"Walkers." You murmured as you watched a large herd of them stumble around the RV. They surrounded you. No wonder everything outside had gotten so silent. "Andrea."
She heard your whisper and looked out the window. She dove onto the ground so she couldn't be seen through the window and the crawled into the bathroom where she shut the door.
You quietly closed the curtain that separated the RV's bedroom from everything else. Castiel looked confused.
"What is--"
You slammed your hand over his mouth and pulled him off the bed to the floor, "Stay quiet."
The knife was in your boot and Castiel sat beside you shirtless. You griped Rick's gun in your hands. If you had to use it, a part of you knew that you could and you'd be good at it, but the noise from the gun would attract all of the herd.
A single groan grew louder than the others. Footsteps shuffled onto the RV. There was a walker on board.
You pressed your back against the wall and motioned for Castiel to stay quiet. The shuffled footsteps grew louder as panic began to build up in you. You could hear Andrea tinkering with something in the bathroom and you silently begged her to stop. It was silent as the curtain began to move forward. It was coming in. The walker was coming in, and within seconds it'd be on top of you. The sound of something metal falling on a hard floor cut through the air. The walker turned from the curtain and immediately began to try and push down the bathroom door. Andrea screamed and cried as the walker pushed the door open a crack and reached in.
You jumped up to help, but surprisingly Castiel beat you to it. He ripped the knife from your boot and threw the curtain back. The walker was still set on Andrea so all he had to do was bring the knife down into its skull.
It crumpled to the ground without a sound as Castiel just stood there quietly. You pushed past him and opened the door.
"You alright?" You whispered.
Andrea nodded and held her head with one hand. You let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the RV walls again. Castiel wiped the blood off the knife onto his pants and handed it to you.
"Thanks, Cas." You breathed.
He narrowed his eyes in thought. It rang familiar to him, "I do remember this. These creatures."
"Yeah the dead that don't stay dead." You replied.
"We call them walkers, sometimes geeks. Thank you." Andrea nodded at him, "My name is Andrea."
You bit back a scoff. Now she was little miss friendly. At least he had gained a little bit of trust.
"Castiel." He said in his same no nonsense tone. "They are the forgotten ones."
"What?" You questioned.
"They are rotted souls, ones who were left behind."
Andrea and you shared a glance. She gave a small shrug, "Well everyone calls them something different I suppose."
Silence had fallen again, but as quickly as it had come it disappeared. The sounds of a little girl screaming rang through the air.
Sophia.
You ran out of the RV followed by Andrea and a confused Castiel. Dale had climbed off the top and followed the three of you as well. You reached halfway down the road where Lori held back a sobbing Carol at the side where it was only a few feet from the forest line.
"What happened?" Andrea asked. She had calmed down since the attack.
"My baby!" Carol cried.
"Two walkers chased after Sophia. Rick is running after her." Lori explained her eyes rested on the gun in your hands, "You have his gun? So he's out there now with no weapon??"
You had forgotten you had it. Everyone glanced at you, "He handed it to me for an emergency. He said he'd come right back for it! Rick said he had his rifle."
"You mean that one." She motioned toward a rifle that Glenn had picked up for Rick. Lori walked over and snatched the gun away from you then looked at you in an appalled manner. A part of you did feel sick though. Rick was out there with Sophia and had no weapons.
"He has my blade." Castiel spoke up.
Before Lori could snap at the stranger Shane shook his head, "Look he couldn't use a gun right now anyways. It'd bring back that herd. Now Aj's little patient is right, Rick did still have the stake thing and it seemed like a pretty solid walker killer."
"What if he needs help? Shouldn't somebody run out there?" You asked.
"You volunteering?" Andrea questioned.
That was the final straw from her. You headed toward the guard rail with the thought process of helping Rick, but someone else called out to you.
"Hey, I need help." Daryl was half dragging T-Dog toward the group. T-Dog's shirt was covered in blood and his arm was sliced open from wrist to elbow.
"Rick has it under control." Glenn set a hand on your shoulder, "T-Dog needs you."
You nodded, "We gotta get him to the RV. Cas, follow me."
Glenn helped Daryl drag T-Dog toward the RV while you and Cas ran ahead.
Cas stayed outside the RV while you grabbed the first aid kit. You hadn't seen the wound up close yet, but from all that blood you could only assume it'd need stitches and a lot of them.
"I'm out of dental floss and I don't have enough fishing wire to sew him up." You ran out to see they had set T-Dog against the side of the RV.
"Sunshine, you kidding me?" Daryl scoffed.
"Your name is sunshine?" Castiel asked. You realized then you had never actually introduced yourself to him. To be fair he had never asked. Things were just going too fast.
Daryl stepped forward into Castiel's face and glared at him. He stared back with his eyes narrowed in that same confused manner.
"I- I don't understand." Castiel said, "Why is he staring at me like this?"
"Just stop." You pushed Daryl back lightly and then knelt down to look at T-Dog who was near passing out, "He lost a lot of blood."
You needed something to wipe away the smeared blood, but had nothing on you so you unbuttoned the lower half of your shirt, used the knife to cut it, and then ripped it all off so it showed your midriff.
Daryl scoffed, "You have a problem with keepin' your clothes on or somethin'?"
As you began to wipe away the blood on T-Dog's right arm the wound became more visible. Another loud wail could be heard from the group waiting on Rick and Sophia.
"Damn it they're gonna bring back the walkers." Daryl barked.
"That sounded like Carol." Glenn said. You stopped as your face paled. That wail hadn't been one of happiness. You stood and glanced over to see Rick and Shane running toward the two of you.
"Daryl, Glenn, come on." Shane ordered, "We gotta find Sophia."
The look on Rick's face was absolute dread. He glanced at T-Dog, "What happened?"
"Nevermind that. I have it covered, find Sophia." You had him a short nod, "Lori has your gun."
Rick seemed confused at first, but turned and ran off with the three others leaving you alone with T-Dog and Castiel. "Ok, Cas I need your help."
"Of course, sunshine." Castiel nodded.
"Aj, my name is Aj", You explained, "Now I need you to dig around these cars and look for dental floss or fishing wire."
"Dental floss? I don't- what is-"
"Do you know what fishing wire is??"
"I do."
"Then go."
He turned and jogged toward the nearest car while you turned back to T-Dog. He chuckled weakly, "That guy is something else."
You let out a small laugh, "Yeah. His name is Castiel, or Cas."
"Weird name." He flinched in pain, "Cut myself on a ripped car door, can you believe that?"
"Accidents happen." You replied. As Castiel searched for your needed items you grabbed some water and cleaned up T-Dog's wound best you could. Castiel came back with a shake of his head.
"I couldn't find any, but I brought this." He handed you a light blue bed sheet. "You ripped your shirt earlier for cloth so I thought this might be helpful."
"Actually", You shrugged and took it, "It will help. Listen, T, I can't sew you up, so I'm just gonna bandage it until we get something."
He nodded, "That's fine. I'm feeling better."
"Well you're not actually better." You cut through the sheets and began to make long bandages, "So don't exert yourself."
Castiel hovered over your shoulder the entire time you worked. It only took a couple minutes to wrap the sheet strips around his arm and tie it off. You stood and turned around only to stumble back to avoid running into your new friend.
"Hey, give me some room." You pushed him back lightly. Then you realized he was still running around shirtless, "Let's find you some clothes."
Dale was sitting with T-Dog when the two of you walked away. You stopped at a dark blue SUV a few yards away from the RV since you could already see a suitcase sticking out the back.
"This looks good. Find something and meet back at the RV. I need to change." You said pushing the suitcase filled with mostly male clothing articles toward him. You pulled your knife out and handed it to him handle first, "Just in case."
"What about you?"
"I'll be at the RV I don't need it as much as you." You shrugged and then added as an afterthought, "Just...just don't make me regret putting this much trust in you so fast. Alright?"
Castiel's face seemed to brighten a bit as a look of resolution settled in his eyes, "I won't. Thank you, Aj."
You nodded and jogged back to the RV. Your bag was in the bedroom still. As you reached the RV you realized more people had gathered around. Dale and T-Dog still sat beside each other, but Andrea, Carl, Glenn, and Shane were back. Carol stood closer, but remained at the road side railing with Lori comforting her.
"What happened?" You asked wondering why Shane and Glenn were back, but Rick and Daryl weren't.
"Everything's fine. They're still looking." Shane replied, "Now come on guys we still have some work to do. Rick'll bring Sophia back, and once they're up here we need to head out. We'll start moving these cars out of the way, and finish gathering supplies."
"Hey", Glenn spoke up, "Where's that guy?"
"His name is Castiel." Andrea said.
Shane took a step forward in you direction, "You let him out of your sight?"
"He's just looking for a shirt." You replied, "He's a good guy."
"You don't know that." Lori said as she walked up and joined the conversation. Her eyes glanced over your torn shirt in confusion.
"He saved my life." Andrea shrugged drawing everyone's attention, "Seems decent enough."
You rushed into the RV before any more comments could be thrown your way. How could such a slow day pick up speed so fast? It was the end of the world after all, no day could stay slow and safe.
You pulled on one of the T-shirts you had found. It was a size too big for you and was a shade of pale yellow with dark blue words that read 'Summer Days'. You paused at your moment of peace, and glanced at your hands. Red. A mixture of T-Dog's blood and Castiel's as well. At least today you could say it wasn't your own.