𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 21

"-tine? Cristine!" Shaken from her thoughts, she turned in the direction of the person practically yelling her name. Blinking, the ashen face of her little sister jerked her into action. Her feet moved on autopilot and Cristine went to Hailey, the bizarre feel in her gut unwinding after pulling her smaller frame into a hug.

"Are we under attack?" Was the first thing her anxious sister asked. Her hands wrung the fabric of her shirt as the hugged. Distracted, her wide eyes darted over the fires one by one.

"I'm not sure," Cristine bit her lips and checked Hailey's flushed face for any wounds. She was really spooked and anxious. "If we were they'd already try to get inside. Most of our militia went out to check on the fires. They're trying to scare us..." Cristine couldn't help but avoid the wide eyes looking to her for the answer when she was as clueless as the rest.

"Well," Hailey squeezed out anxiously, "it's working. What're we going to do? Are we still safe here?" Repeating the words of her mother back inside their cabin, Hailey looked to her sister for knowledge with eyes like a frightened doe. Cristine slid her hands down her arms to link their hands together.

"I won't let anything happen to you. We'll be fine, this is a bluff to make us leave. Remember what daddy said at the service; together we're stronger and that's how we'll beat this. Them." She couldn't blame Hailey for looking unconvinced after her reassurance. Chewing on the inside of her cheeks, Cristine tried to steer the conversation to a subject less severe. "How's Mike doing?"

"He's still freaked out. We haven't talked and I- I think he's avoiding me," Hailey said with downcast eyes and her lids fluttered over her eyeballs. "I've never seen him like that." Her voice wavered, thinking about her boyfriend avoiding her. Hailey couldn't really handle that type of behavior and the two ended up arguing. Well, she did most of the arguing since Mike couldn't even be bothered to argue back. He was scared and that made Hailey scared too.

"He'll come around." Cristine wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Hailey or herself of that fact and exhaled. Rubbing her fingers over the back of her sister's knuckles, Cristine didn't say anything else. She didn't know what else to say or do, but be with Hailey as a silent support.

The fires burned out a few hours after the sun slowly climbed up from the horizon. With the new day the same people that were once so united after the memorial service of their comrades were now spooked and ready to run.

-

Cristine only had a few naps in between. She was too tired and frazzled to rest. It was as if the Ranch she once knew had changed. She watched as the same face went in and out of the pantry with sacks of flour, buckets of food, water and other supplies they put in. Her father was placating the ones that hesitated to do the same and from the shadows under his eyes this was an all-nighter for him as well. She could occasionally hear him urge the people to rethink their decisions. Some listened. Others didn't.

Whoever this Walker was, he was slowly reaching his goal. Without really making any real casualties for his side. Frightening the people that didn't know how to fight, let alone survive out there. They rather take the risk of leaving for a cold, cruel and merciless world with dead and living. It wouldn't be safer or better outside, they didn't know a damn thing about surviving. Self-preservation, yes, but they couldn't do what the militia did for them on a daily basis. The people, the sheep were too weak for that. None of them would survive more than a day out there.

Cristine walked around with no clear direction and bumped into Nick. The last time she'd properly talked to the young man was when she treated Luciana. His girlfriend left two nights ago and, to her confusion Nick was rather indifferent about, at least from the outside looking in. "Hey, how've you been?" Cristine asked.