Unprecedented Disposition [TWD]

II

"Do you guys have any food?" I blurt out.

The man narrows his eyes. He slowly nods his head, not taking his sight off of me.

"We will stay. For a little while."

He still eyes me greedily, barely even blinking. He eyes me as if he's the predator and I'm the prey - the sorry doe that crosses paths with the hungry lion.

The man in the sheriff's outfit walks over. He put his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"You talk to them yet, Shane?"

"Yea. They're stayin'."

"Welcome to the camp, girls." The sheriff flashes a welcoming smile, the most welcoming gesture we'd received since our arrival.

Remember, Lauren. This man held a gun to your head, not even an hour ago. Don't trust these people.

I don't smile back. I simply stare at him, taking in his appearance.

"I'm Rick Grimes." He holds out his hand. I grasp it, shaking it slightly.

"-And that, that's Shane. Shane Walsh. He wasn't exactly in favor of keeping you at the camp." He nods toward the dark-haired man, the same one who had been eyeing me like a piece of meat. He now patrols around the camp, staring down everyone he passes.

"I could tell." I mutter.

"Well, I'm-"

"C'mon! I ain't got all day over here!" A deep southern accent roars across the camp.

Rick shoots around, glancing at the southern man pacing back and forth in front of a moving truck.

"Who's that?" I question.

"That-" he nods at the man in the green shirt. "That's Daryl Dixon. I met him not too long ago, myself. He's not the welcoming type, either."

I nod in agreement again, meanwhile the southern man hollers some more pointless jibber-jabber.

"I have some stuff to do - things. Shane's gonna' be keeping an eye on you." He narrows his eyes at me, leaning in closer.

"You try anything, hurt anyone at this camp? Well, you're gonna wish that you hadn't woke up this morning. I will not hesitate to kill you when I get back. You become a threat to my family, you're practically dead already. Her too." He nods toward my sister, whom had been practically hovering over my shoulder the whole time. I almost forgot she was there. Rick spins on his heels and strolls away.

"Hey!" I call after him.

He continues walking, slightly turning his head.

"What happened to the whole 'officer friendly' act?" I smirk.

"Prove yourself to this camp, maybe you'll meet him again before you hit the road." He continues walking toward the truck that Daryl now sits in.

"Bout' time. Let's go get ma' brother." Daryl commands gruffly.

"Where are they going?" My sister asks in a hushed tone.

I shrug, not really caring. My only priority is to get Chloé and I some food, then be on our way. We stand there, waiting for some sort of further instruction. I look over at the brunette with the children. She catches my gaze, immediately looking away. She whispers something to a young boy in the group, then she strolls over to us. She slows down as she nears my presence.

"Hi, I'm Lori. Rick's wife - the sheriff's wife. Did he introduce himself yet?" She smiles warmly.

I nod.

"Are you hungry?"

"Could you get my sister something?" I ask in a hushed tone.

"And get her something too, please?" Chloé chimes in, gesturing toward me. I shrug.

"I'll make ya'll a plate! Sit down, make yourself comfortable." She smiles, disappearing before I can respond.

Get comfortable, I chuckle. As if the splitting log was a cushioned lounge chair. As if it was possible to feel any comfort at this point.

I sink down onto the log, tugging at my sisters hand, indicating for her to do the same. I notice some faces scattered around the camp, watching us from a distance. They look away when I catch their gazes.

"Stay close to me, Clo. Don't trust these people." I whisper.

She exhales loudly. "I got it, Laurie. I know you still see me as some naive little sixteen-year-old who can't handle herself, but I can. I don't need your constant instruction."

I sigh. She's right.

We sit in silence for several minutes. I clutch a stick from the ground in my right hand, tracing patterns in the dirt. Sudden memories begin clouding my brain.

"And this, this is a dog," he exclaimed, pointing down at the etching in the dirt. He grinned proudly, clutching a stick in his right hand.

"You're such a dork, Justin." I chuckled.

"Well, you know you love this dork." He pointed at himself.

"Keep telling yourself that." We both shared a laugh.

We took a walk around the creek. The copper sun reflected off of the still glass water, so fragile and still, illuminating the reflections of the large trees framing the lake. The wind rustled through the trees, making leaves toss about. It was like a scene from a movie screen.

He sat down in the dirt. "Come on, Lauren! The dirt is lovely down here!" He joked.

"It's all muddy, Justin. My skirt is going to get dirty, I am NOT-"

He pulled me down by the arm, forcing me next to him. A wave of shock washed across my face. He laughed.

"Fuck you!" I threw a ball of dirt at him, earning another laugh.

"Justin, that was really immature. You are buying me a new outfit." He mocked and laughed at me, and eventually I joined in.

"Laurie!" My little sisters voice chimed.

"Mmhm?" I shake my head, glancing around at my surroundings. I'm not at the creek with Justin anymore. Slightly disappointed, I frown.

Just a memory, Lauren. Justin's not here anymore. He never will be.

I hear the chiseling sound of twine being cut. My hands are soon free.

"Something wrong?" Lori asks, concerned.

I shake my head, greedily eyeing the plates in her hands.

"Well, I fixed you guys some food. It's not much, but it's something." She hands both Chloé and I paper plates.

I stare at the contents of the plate, wide-eyed.

Nuts, berries and squirrel meat. This is more than I've had combined in the last week!

"Thank you, Lori." I mumble, quieter than intended. I give her a sincere toothless smile, appreciative for the hospitality.

She seems surprised by the sudden sign of gratitude, but beams happily.

"You're welcome."