CDC was a bust. And it has been a week since they left the CDC.
A week had passed since Amy, Jim and Jacqui were gone. The group has agreed to take a risk and go to Fort Benning. Of course, the journey wasn’t easy.
They fled Atlanta and began to travel to their destination immediately. Their cars are losing fuel, and their stock of food is horribly low.
All they have is their faith and hope. Hope that there will be someone else that can help them. Faith that maybe Fort Benning is the place where they can peacefully live.
Adelaide is happily and hungrily inside Dale’s van, along with Dale himself, Glenn, Shane, Andrea, and T-Dog. Daryl is on his bike since he ditched the car he drove because of the lack of oil. While the Grimes’ and the Peletiers shared one vehicle.
As Shane is cleaning his gun, Andrea is carefully watching him. Adelaide transfer the clothes she took from a store in Atlanta to her newfound backpack. She found the bag in a car’s compartment when they were rummaging for fuel for the van.
“I could clean yours. Show you how.” That was what she hears in her brother’s exchange of words with Andrea. “Adelaide, do you know how to clean a gun?” He implored Adelaide.
Adelaide shakes her head, “Nope. Don’t need to. I have my knife and my daggers.” She automatically declined.
Shane peeks over his shoulder, where Adelaide sat next to T-Dog, who is half asleep. Glenn is in the passenger seat, aiding Dale as he clutches a map in his hands. “Do you at least know how to use one?”
Adelaide bobs her head, “Grandma taught me how to use a gun when I was in high school. But, still, I prefer knives and blades. It’s a matter of preference, but thanks for the offer, Officer Walsh.” She replied; she glimpses inside her bag. It contains four skinny jeans, seven white shirts, three black shirts, a denim jacket, and her undies. Lastly, her sanitary pads. She cannot use tampons, so she sticks with pads.
Adelaide threw away tons of clothes that were ruined from the walker’s blood and some ripped. The clothes mentioned above were her only wardrobe as of now. And she’s still wearing the boots given to her as a gift from her grandparents when she celebrated her 23rd birthday.
Adelaide zipped her bag, put it on the side, and headed toward Glenn and Dale when she heard the elderly man whine. “What happened?” She stands behind Glenn’s seat, her knees bent. Shane stands next to her.
“Aw, no,” Dale grumbles again. Now, Adelaide can see that plenty of cars are blocking the road. The van stopped. Adelaide hears Daryl’s bike’s noisy engine, and he is also seen coming closer to the RV. “See a way through?” Dale inquires Daryl, looking over the window.
Daryl didn’t utter a word to Dale, but he signals that he’d start looking. Dale nodded his head.
“What happens next?”
Glenn sighs. His eyes are on the map he is holding. “Uh, maybe we should just go back. There's an interstate bypass—” He suggested.
“We would only waste more fuel if we do,” Adelaide replies.
Meanwhile, Dale followed Daryl’s tracks until the van could not squeeze in. There are more cars on the road which make it harder for them to pass through. There was also a lifeless body on one of the cars they passed.
“Can we get through here?” Glenn genuinely asked. Then, a noise spewed, and there was steam coming from the RV’s engine. The van halted.
Adelaide sighs in annoyance, “Holy shit.”
Dale was the first one to come out of the vehicle and was followed by the others. “I said it. Didn’t I say? A thousand times. Dead in the water.”
Adelaide watches the people who were in the other car get out of it. A smile rose on her face as her brown eyes are on the pale brunette kid.
“Adelaide!”
Carl jogged from his father’s grip to Adelaide’s. He squeezed his arms all over her waist. “Hmm. What made you so happy today?” Adelaide ruffles the boy's short brown hair.
“You will come with us, right?”
Adelaide had a confused look on her face, “I will if you tell me where we will be going.” Adelaide set her eyes on Lori while Rick was speaking to Dale.
“I mentioned earlier about our trip to the Grand Canyon when Carl was a baby.” Lori explained, “Now, he wanted to visit the Grand Canyon.” She added, establishing a sudden smile on her face.
“You will join us, right?” Carl coyly anticipates.
Adelaide beams as she nods her head, unable to say no to the young kid. “I will, but only if we arrive at Fort Benning safely. That is our priority for now.” She provided an answer, “Will that be okay for you?”
Carl bounces his head as he giggles, “Yes!” The kid also wraps his arms around her waist again, then he eliminates it and runs back to his father.
While Carl is away, Adelaide walks toward Carol. “What happened?” Carol asks, referring to Dale’s van.
“Van’s engine. It releases steam.” She replied, snaking her arms on Carol’s shoulder. “How is your day?” She awkwardly asks, wanting the conversation to keep on going.
“We’re doing great.” Carol asserted, “What about you?”
“I’m hungry, so if you want to join me and find some supplies on these cars, I’d be happy to have company.” She stated, her nose scrunched because of the scorching heat of the sun.
Carl sprinted to Adelaide, hearing what the maiden planned to do. “Adelaide, can I please go with you!” Carol looks at Adelaide, pouting and all that.
The kid is practically a tail of Adelaide. He would insert himself as long as he could just to spend time with his father’s best friend’s younger sister. Adelaide is not complaining, obviously; she adores the kid and loves his company as she always wanted to have a younger brother.
All of a sudden, their atmosphere came to be quiet. She catches sight of the men’s heads swerved to Lori. She must’ve said something controversial, Adelaide presumed.
“I don’t know how I feel about this.” She called out.
Daryl searches for food for supplies that they can use in a car’s compartment next to the van. T-Dog asked for assistance to siphon the fuel from the other vehicles and to look for a radiator hose.
They diverted from each other, searching for something that they can eat, drink or use. Before Adelaide could walk away, Carl was bugging her to go and start their scavenging. Adelaide couldn’t just snatch the kid away from his mother and not ask for Lori or Rick’s permission. She doesn’t want to reiterate what happened at the quarry when they went frog hunting.
Adelaide takes steps towards Lori, who’s leaning on a car. Her palms are dripping with sweat, and her hands were trembling a bit. Rick is standing right next to his wife.
Rick witnessed Carl tugging her arms, and he could see Adelaide’s face that she is having a hard time managing his hyperactive son, “Adelaide, is Carl bothering you?”
Adelaide shakes her head, “No! I just came here to ask you if I can—”
“You wanted Carl to go with you to search for supplies?” Rick raises the question.
“Well, it is more likely the opposite. I was supposed to ask Carol, but—” Rick chuckles at her comment. It seems like Carl shows much fondness towards Adelaide and the maiden can’t keep up with his child often.
She was interrupted by Lori. Adelaide’s eyes were blinking rapidly, afraid that she would be aggressive towards her. “Yes, Carl can go with you.” As Lori said those words, Carl jumps and hugs his mom.
Adelaide gleamed in solace. Rick notices how Adelaide’s hands were shaking. “Are you alright?”
Adelaide hid her hands behind her back, “Kind of, I think so. Just my nerves.” She paused, side-eyeing Lori before turning to Carl. “Do you want to go now?” Carl nods his head excitedly in response. He then moved next towards Adelaide and held her sweaty hand. “We will be back before you know it.”
“Listen to what Adelaide says. Stay close to her and never leave her sight. Am I making myself clear, Carl?” Rick looks at his son as Carl only nods repeatedly.
Rick turns to his wife, who is currently folding clothes that she found. “Carl seems to be extremely comfortable with her,”
Lori turns to Rick and scoffs. “You’re underestimating your son. I asked him about Adelaide twice. At first, he said that Adelaide was the older sister he prayed for. Then, a few months later—before you came back. He said that she is now his second mom.” Lori’s voice cracks. Rick quickly comforts her, rubbing her back as she leans her head on his chest.
“Is that why you were mean to her?”
Lori looks up at him, “Did she tell you that?” She pulls away from him, her eyes dilated.
Rick rubs his eyes, shaking his head. “Shane did. Said you were spiteful to Adelaide in front of Carl and sometimes in front of everybody a few times before I came back and oftentimes after. Lori, I noticed it too.” Lori’s eyes welled up, unable to speak. “You might think Adelaide is replacing you, but you are wrong. Adelaide cannot do that. Carl will never do that to you.”
Lori wipes her tears off of her face. “But that doesn’t imply that you have to be mad at her. Adelaide is a crucial member of our group. She put her life at stake just to provide for our food countless times. Adelaide protected you against the walkers. Lastly, it would be best if you never disregarded that she is the reason why I am here with you and Carl.”
Lori couldn’t process all the words that came out of Rick’s mouth. She was slightly disappointed. She thought that he would side with her. Lori knew that she was not innocent. She was a brat towards Adelaide. Guilt overflows her mind, so instead of responding, she strode away from Rick.
/
Adelaide and Carl spun around and walked to the car no one has gone to. Sophia is with Carol and Lori. After a few strolls, Carl points his finger at a grey-coloured car. “Here!”
Adelaide stops Carl with her hand, “I’ll check first if there’s a walker inside, okay?” Carl obeys the maiden as he stands still. Adelaide pulls out her knife from her sheath and is ready to attack.
The car is empty, with no walkers, but there is a lot of luggage. She tries to open the door, and she successfully does. “There's no one here. Can you check the compartment, Carl?”
“I can do that.”
“Call me, if you notice something good or bad. Don't leave without telling me and stay close, can you do that for me, Carl?” She instructed which the child replied quickly after a moment.
Shortly after, Adelaide opened the backseat and went through the two backpacks. A bunch of it was garbage, but she found a limited amount of biscuits. She cleared the other bag and put the biscuits inside, and went outside to check on Carl.
“What did you get?”
Adelaide stands next to Carl, and there are two duffel bags and a big box inside the compartment. “The box is full of canned goods, and the bags are packed with clothes.”
The younger Walsh opens the bags, “Good job, Carl!” It contains tons of clothes. Adelaide pulled out a flannel and gave it to Carl.
“You want me to have this?”
“You deserved it,”
“What about you? Are you going to get some of it?”
Adelaide pulls out the box from the compartment and settles it on the floor. “No. Heavy bags will be a problem for me if I run. Take all the things you like! Take something for your dad and mom, and the others too.”She smiled at the kid in front of her, running her hands on his soft hair to mess it up a little bit.
It took Carl almost an hour when he was finished picking the clothes he liked. They moved to another car, and there wasn’t anything left—there was a pack of chocolate that they decided to be a secret between the two of them and came back to where the RV is stationed and presented all the inventories they had found.
Rick welcomed them with a smile, “You found a lot!” He exclaimed, referring to the box on Adelaide’s hands and the clothes that Carl is carrying, a huge grin appearing on his face.
“Indeed. These are canned goods.” Rick offered to help Adelaide by carrying the heavy box. Adelaide isn’t stupid, so she accepted. “Carl got some clothes for you and Lori too.” She remembered.
“Give that to mom, Carl,” Rick instructs his son to pass the clothes to his wife. Carl fulfils Rick's command quickly.
Before Adelaide could walk away, Rick gently yanks her wrist, stopping her from walking. "Thank you,”
“Don’t say that yet. Carl requested to go back and look for more. I’ll just transfer this—”
Rick curled his eyebrows, “What’s on that bag?”
“Tampons! Lots of tampons.” Adelaide screamed as she pulled the bag away from him. The bag was filled with chocolate and biscuits, which she intends to share with the kids and Glenn. Rick nods his head slowly and lets go of her wrist. Adelaide forces a smile as walks into the van and quickly transfers the snacks inside her bag on her hiding spot.
As she exited, Rick was still there, minding his own business. “Where’s Glenn and Shane?”
“Still looking for the radiator hose,”
“And Carl?”
Rick junctures his finger to a truck, “He went over to that red car with Sophia after giving Lori clothes. Lori says, thanks, by the way.”
“The clothes are not even mine,”
“Carl said you helped to pick which blouse will suit Lori. He said you helped on his and mine too.” He mentioned. “So, thank you.”
Adelaide turns to Rick, “For what?”
Ocean blue eyes met Adelaide’s moon-brown eyes. “For taking care of my son. I know that he sees an older sister in you.”
Adelaide is flabbergasted. She fakes a laugh, “Is this the part where you will tell me that you see me as your daughter?”
Rick snorted as he disagreed, which made Adelaide sigh in relief. “You’re my best friend’s younger sister. You are a friend. A very good and trusted friend. What makes you care about Carl anyway? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Adelaide licked her upper lip and thought for a moment, “Growing up, I had my life planned. Finish college. Have a decent job that I love. Earn loads of money. Find a good man, date him and eventually marry him. I had this ultimatum to myself that I have to be engaged before I turn twenty-seven. Then, get married one or two years later and have a child afterwards.” She chuckles as she remembers how stupid her plan was. “As you can see, the world practically ended and mankind is on the verge of extinction. I’m now twenty-four and have no man. It’s not like I couldn’t live without a man. It’s just—I’ve always wanted to have my own family. It’s kind of stupid, but it was once a dream of a fifteen-year-old Adelaide.”
Rick furrows his eyebrows, “You see Carl as…”
“I’ve always wanted to have kids. The kids in the camp are the closest way that I could have one. And I am not trying to dethrone or replace their own mothers, no. I’ll be just with them like the awesome aunt they could have. It’ll grow out of this eventually,” Adelaide looks up at the clear blue skies, blinking rapidly. “I have to go, see what the kids are doing.”
Rick stood there in silence, astonished at the lady who just walked off. He kind of feels bad for her, Adelaide had her life planned out and it seems like having a family is something she has always dreamed of. It’s a shame that she can’t have it now.
Just like Rick said, Carl is indeed with Sophia. They are a few metres away from the RV, standing next to the red vehicle that the former uniformed personnel mentioned. “Have you checked this one?”
“Yes, and it’s empty,” Carl answered.
A few moments later, Adelaide sees Rick, running towards them holding a gun. “Lori, under the cars!” He commanded.
“Rick, what's going on?”
Rick turns to Adelaide, “A horde. It’s coming this way. Carl, Sophia. Get down now!” Adelaide assisted Sophia in crawling under the car that is next to the red vehicle. “Stay here and be quiet, okay?” Adelaide whispered before Carl followed her command and crawled under the red one.
Rick checks if his child and Sophia are already under, and they are already lying in two different cars. However, Adelaide hasn’t. “Adelaide, I said, get under the car!”
Adelaide huffs as she gets under the car where Carl was, pulling him closer to her by wrapping her arm around his shoulders, and shoots him an assuring smile. She put her index finger on her lips, signalling Sophia to stay quiet, and then she turns to Carl, making the gesture all over again.
Adelaide looks over and saw Lori and Carol next to each other, a few cars away from them. Rick is in the car next to where Sophia is under. Then Adelaide turns to Carl: his hands are shaking, and his lips were trembling. She then slightly rubs his back, hoping that it would calm him down. As she is doing that, she is mouthing Sophia to be quiet.
Countless walkers begin to pass by, and Carl’s shaking worsens. “This will be over soon.” She mouthed, then gleaming at him after seeing the kid nod his head.
It was the longest five minutes Adelaide has ever had, hence, she breathes in relief when the horde is almost over. She removed her arms around Carl who’s shaking has gotten better. Rick and Adelaide shared a look, and then she turns her head back to Sophia.
The kid is still scared, “Just one more minute, and it’ll be over.” Adelaide mouthed while raising her pointy finger. While they thought that it was over, Adelaide wandered her eyes around to see if it really was over.
Carl looks at Adelaide, “Can we get up now?” The boy whispered to her.
“I’ll go first, don’t go unless your mom or dad says so, alright?” She mumbles as she readies herself to crawl out. Adelaide peeks at Sophia as the child is already crawling out before she can hear a walker’s growl. “Sophia—”
Sophia’s sob was heard by the walker that makes the walker look under the car she is in. Not risking Carl and Adelaide’s life, she tries to reach the walker’s hand with her knife but fails.
Adelaide only had a glimpse of Sophia’s blue top as she rolls out of the grass, running away from the walker that is following her. Adelaide turns to Carl, “Stay here. Wait until your mom gets you, okay?”
Before Carl could argue, Adelaide crawls out under the car, and her left knee touches the ground. She saw another walker on the other side of the vehicle and quickly sneaks into it and stabs it with her knife. She saw Rick going after the two walkers that are after Sophia away from the road.
Lori is calming Carol, who is currently crying. “There are two walkers after my baby.” She sobbed.
Carl intertwined his hand with Adelaide’s hand. Adelaide flinched a bit, “Are you alright?”
The Grimes firstborn tugged his lips in a smile. “I’m fine. Are you?”
“I—”
“This is all your fault!” Carol claimed, pointing her index finger to Adelaide.
Adelaide’s pupils dilated, and her throat began to dry up. “How is it my fault?” Her voice cracks, putting her palm above her chest, generally confused why Carol is putting the blame on her.
“If only you did your job better, none of this wouldn’t happen.”
Adelaide’s eyes blink quickly, she clenches her teeth. “Hey! It’s not Adelaide’s job to watch after your kid. Last time I checked, you are Sophia’s mother, not my sister.” Shane defended his younger sister.
“Carol, I know you are scared right now. But, you cannot just blame Adelaide. She tried her best—we both saw her attempting to kill the walker, she has taken care of both of our children when we couldn’t at the quarry, do you remember that?” Lori gushes, which surprised Adelaide. Carol continued crying as Lori wraps her arms around Carol. “Carl, would you like to give Adelaide a bottle of water?”
“Adelaide, please come with me.” Carl requested, and Adelaide nods her head absentmindedly. She mouthed a thank you to Lori and her brother Shane for defending her when words couldn’t come out of her mouth.
Carl, alongside Adelaide, heads back to the RV to grab a tumbler. After they did, they went to the truck that contains gallons of water. Shane saw it. They walked together in silence.
“You know it was not your fault, do you?” Carl raised a question. Adelaide chuckles as she refills the tumbler and gives it to Carl afterwards.
“Yeah, but I could’ve done better.”
/
Glenn and Shane came back from the woods after they helped in searching for Sophia. They also mentioned that Rick and Daryl were still following Sophia’s trail.
Shane, Dale, and Andrea helped each other to move the cars to clear the road. Carol is still waiting for her daughter while Lori is looking for supplies. Glenn has his attention on how to repair Dale’s van. Carl and Adelaide, just like Lori, are searching for supplies too. Adelaide hasn’t seen T-Dog since earlier, and she hopes that he’s safe.
Adelaide looks back and saw Carl leaning into a window. She walks closer to him. There’s a corpse inside with a hatchet in its pocket. “See something you like?”
Carl smirks at her, “Can I get it?”
Adelaide’s lip twitched, her head tilted. “You have to ask your mom first.” Carl pouts and turns to her with his puppy eyes. “I will get it, and then I will hand it over to you. Before you can keep it, you have to ask your mom’s permission first. Promise?”
She lifts her smallest finger and is followed by Carl’s. “Pinky promise,” said Carl.
Adelaide beams at the kid and slowly opens the door. Just for safety, she stabbed the corpse’s head so it wouldn’t jump out to scare her. She flawlessly grabs the hatchet from its pocket. It turns out it was a roll-out bag. She handed the bag to Carl.
“Can I show it to Shane?”
Thanks to Carl, Adelaide has forgotten about the whole blaming fiasco a while ago, still, it lingers at the back of her mind, she was able to forget about it due to the kid’s adorable personality. It also helps the fact that Rick and Daryl are still out there, looking for Carol’s little girl.
“I’m sure he would love it,” Adelaide commented. From what she heard, Lori almost had a heart attack from her son’s shouting.
On the passenger seat, there is another black knife case. Adelaide grabs it and jumps out of the car. She opens the case, and it reveals throwing blades. A smirk appears on her face. She zipped up the bag and walked towards Carl and Shane.
“Shane. Shane, tell her to let me keep one.” She hears Carl talk as Adelaide walks into their conversation.
“Hey, man, go give them all to Dale now. Go,” Shane saw Adelaide standing a bit closer to them. “Adelaide, accompany Carl to Dale.” He ordered. As always, older brothers love to take advantage of their younger sisters.
“Woof,”
“Let's go, Carl.” Adelaide held the boy’s hand as they walked away from Lori and Shane. “We can ask your dad later.” She mumbled.
Carl snickers, “What is that?” He curiously looks at the leather case Adelaide is holding.
“Throwing blades.” It was time to get rid of her old dagger now—she’s got a dozen of new sets.
“Can I keep one?”
“You, little one, you really love to get me in trouble. We’ll have to ask your dad first.” The kid groans when he heard her response. Adelaide let out a laugh. The duo went back to the van, where everyone was surrounding it. Carl decided to take a nap inside the RV while Adelaide babysits him.
He’s not a baby but, you get the point.
The night came, and Rick, Daryl, and Sophia haven’t come back. Adelaide notices Carol standing at the side of the road, waiting for Sophia to come back as Andrea approaches her.
Carl had woken up twenty minutes ago from his slumber and went to Lori as Adelaide stayed inside. She doesn’t want to have an interaction with Carol, especially now that she hasn’t retrieved her daughter yet.
Glenn enters the van, sweating, and there is grease on his cheek. He lies down next to her, using her thighs as a pillow. “This is why they suspect us that we’re secretly in love with each other,” Glenn mumbled as Adelaide cringed.
The younger Walsh passes a neat towel for Glenn. “There’s grease on your left cheek,” Glenn asks her to get it off him, pursing his lips.
“You still have both of your hands. Do it yourself.”
Glenn huffs playfully as he wipes the towel all over his cheek to remove the grease. “Why aren’t you outside?”
“I don’t want to face Carol yet. I think she still blames me.”
Glenn arises from her lap, “Lori was right.” He whispered.
“Yeah-yeah. But, still—”
Glenn tosses the towel to her, “No but’s. Lori was right. And for the second time, I agreed with the words that came out of Shane’s mouth. It wasn’t your fault. End of discussion.” He stood up, holding both of her hands, assisting her to get up. “Come outside, help me carry the supplies I found.”
Adelaide groans, “I hate you.”
Glenn’s persuasion and the hotness inside the van did have an effect on Adelaide. The two got out of the van a few minutes ago and saw Rick and Daryl coming back from the woods as Rick is currently updating Carol about her lost daughter.
Adelaide, alongside Glenn, walks closer to them.
“You can’t leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods.” Carol sobbed.
“Out in the dark’s no good. We’d just be tripping over ourselves. More people’d get lost.” Daryl uttered with his hoarse voice.
Carol cries, “But she’s 12. She can’t be out there on her own. You didn’t find anything?” Lori moves next to her and starts comforting Carol as she is beginning to panic.
“I know this is hard. But I’m asking you not to panic.” Rick said, calmly. “We know she was out there.”
“And we tracked her for a while,” Daryl interrupts.
“We have to make this an organized effort.” Rick turns to the others, which are: Glenn, Adelaide, Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and Dale. “Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I’ve asked him to oversee this.”
Adelaide lands her eyes on Daryl, and then it goes back to Rick.
“Is that blood?” Carol asks, as her eyes roamed to Daryl’s shirt, then starts to breathe heavily.
“Is she having a panic attack?” Adelaide whispers to herself.
“We took down a walker,” Rick answered and before the lady could mentally break down completely, he adds, “There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia.” Rick clarifies before Carol would jump to conclusions.
“Did you cut it open?” Adelaide raises a question. Rick’s blue eyes landed on Adelaide’s, and then he looks over his shoulder.
Daryl shares eye contact with Rick, “Yeah. We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure.” Daryl stares at Adelaide as she nods her head slowly.
Carol questions Rick’s decision, and why did he leave the girl in the woods. As long as Adelaide remembers, there are two walkers on their trail. She understood why Rick did it. Using a gun is not an option. The herd of walkers would hear the gunshots and might come back.
A knife, however, would work.
It was only Andrea and Lori that were left with Adelaide. The others went to finish their job as Rick walks away from them.
“Adi—”
“I’ll be right behind you, Glenn.” Adelaide only stood there, watching the three ladies. Glenn only nods his head, walking back to the tray he left. Carol is still crying, and the other two are comforting her on both of her sides. Adelaide turned around and followed Rick where is heading. Adelaide runs to keep up with Rick’s wide paces.
“Rick! Wait up!”
Rick turns around and stops walking, amused on his face. “What do you want? Go back there.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
Rick’s facial expressions soften as he continues to walk. Adelaide walks next to him. “Go back there.” He said, ignoring her statement.
“I wanna go with you. You know, if you and Daryl will have a search mission thingy for Sophia.”
“You can if your brother will allow you.”
Adelaide rolls her eyes, “Oh, please, he’s not the boss of me. I know I am not a good tracker, but I’m a good shot.” She persuaded.
Rick nods, giving up immediately. “All right. Now go back there.” There’s no point in disallowing her. Rick knew Adelaide would come either way.
Adelaide beams lightly. She is having second thoughts about talking to Rick about Sophia. “You said that I’m a friend, right? You can tell me all the thoughts you cannot say to Shane or Lori. I’m always here to listen.” She did anyway.
Rick breathed deeply. “Thank you, Adelaide. For what you did to Carl today. For everything.” He pulls her in for a hug. Adelaide taps his back awkwardly. “Now, go back there.”
/
Morning came. Rick made a decision that it would be better if all of them would be in the woods to look for Sophia. They took each of the weapons that Carl found yesterday. The kid ranted a bit to Adelaide—he was still hung up on the thought that Adelaide would give him one of her daggers.
Adelaide is making fun of Glenn at the moment. “I will never forget how you reacted when you had the axe in your hand.” She stated, chuckling, remembering the look on Glenn’s face as Rick handed over a sharp weapon.
“Shut up,”
He walks off as Adelaide continued laughing. The Grimes family is talking to Dale. Lori and Rick were contemplating whether Carl goes with them or stays with Dale and T-Dog.
“Well, he has all of you to look after him.” She heard Dale tell them. “I’m pretty sure Adelaide will take care of him. I’d say he’s in good hands.” He added.
Carl turns to Adelaide, smirking. Adelaide formed her lips into a thin line, stopping herself from cracking a smile. Rick sighs in defeat. “Okay. Okay. But always within our sight, no exceptions.”
Adelaide saw Dale winks at Carl as she is about to get her bag inside the RV. “Can you pass me my bag, please?” She politely asked, pretending she didn’t see the signals he and Carl shared.
Dale walks out, and shortly after, he came back with Adelaide’s bag and hands it to her. “Thank you,” Adelaide beamed.
“You never leave your stuff. Why?”
“No reasons. I’m just being a responsible adult.” She jested.
“She’s always been like that, Dale. Don’t mind her.” Glenn commented, putting the tray on the ground, “I once thought that, if she dies—which’ll happen fifty years from now—she will ask me to bury her stuff with her.” He added.
“You are right, my friend.”
Glenn groans playfully as Adelaide slaps his forearm. The man hissed in pain, rubbing his arm. Dale laughs at the duo. He was grateful that even in the current situation they are in, they still managed to joke around. They remind him of his kids whom he deeply missed. “You two, take care of each other. Not just today, but forever.”
Adelaide gave him a lopsided smile, “Don’t worry about that, Dale. We’ll always protect each other. Or else, he’d die without me.” She hugs the older man and lets go a few seconds after.
“Even if Adelaide claims that she doesn’t need me, I will never leave her.” Glenn winks at Dale as his arm receives another slap.
“Since when did I say that? Everybody needs a Glenn Rhee in their life.” Glenn laughs at Adelaide’s reaction. She never really says that. He was only teasing her. As Andrea walks in, the duo walks out slowly. Another argument between Dale and Andrea is about to happen and they don’t want to be in the middle of it—Dale can handle himself.
Adelaide shuts her ears about their conversation. The others, however, didn’t. Considering how Andrea raises her voice, it is difficult to avoid it. Andrea’s being a bitch right now. Adelaide gets why she is acting like that to Dale, but it was also her decision too, but then, Andrea wouldn’t change her mind if Dale didn’t put her on the pedestal. So, she’s not going to pick a side and will just mind her own business.
After their heated argument and Dale was dumbfounded, Andrea walks away, while the others followed. Adelaide turns to Dale, waving her hand, and follows them. In the woods, Rick and Daryl are leading their way as the Walsh siblings were on end.
“Shane, look.” Shane didn’t even look at Carl, completely ignoring him. “Dad said I could carry it and said, as long as I was—”
“Keep it down. We’re looking for Sophia. You need to focus on the task.” Shane rudely interrupted.
“Go to your mom, Carl. I’ll be right behind you.” She smiles at the kid, then turns to her brother, glaring.
Shane notices his sister’s stares, “Spit it out,”
Well, that’s very unlikely.” Adelaide lowers her voice, not wanting to be the reason for their demise. “At the quarry, I saw the way you look at Carl. You love that kid. What changed? Why are you treating him like this?”
Shane looks around the woods, also ignoring her banters, “As I said, we’re here for Sophia. Besides, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Adelaide scoffs at Shane that is playing innocent, “ Don’t make the same mistakes with Carl, Shane. I assure you, you will regret it.” She snapped, the man heard what she said, but he only ignored her.
Adelaide walks to Lori, “Knock some senses to my brother. He’s been rude and grumpy to your son.”
“I will.”
Adelaide lets out a heavy breath as she walks past Lori to get to Carl.
“Is Shane mad at me?” Carl asks the younger Walsh.
“No. He’s just going through some personal issues that we know nothing about. Now, let’s stop talking about Shane and let’s learn about the female reproductive system. Do you know what menstruation is?” Carl shakes his head. Then Adelaide began to educate the little man beside her about the female reproductive system. There has to be someone that will teach Carl not to be disgusted with the menstrual period like some of those teenage boys she met back in her days. And that someone is obviously Adelaide.
Carl made a face of amusement, “Will I have that too when I grow up?”
“No. It’s mainly for girls, for people who have ovaries.” Adelaide quickly replies, completely kidding.
“What are you two discussing?”
“Menstrual cycle,” Adelaide replied. Lori’s widened, “The kid has to learn about it.” She defended.
“You’re right. Thanks for that. Shane is not mad at you, Carl. He’s just worried about Sophia. We all are.” Lori talks to her son. Carl listened to the two adults on his side.
Daryl saw a tent up ahead and instructed others to stay quiet and hide themselves behind the branches of a tree. Rick, Daryl, and Shane went forward to look if there is any threat to any of them, while the others stayed silent. Daryl peeps inside the tent as the two former cops only stood a few meters away from him.
Then Rick calls Carol, and the others followed. The two of them walk toward the tent as Daryl is ready to attack whoever or whatever comes out of the tent. Rick is whispering words to Carol that are inaudible to Adelaide.
“Sophia, sweetie, are you in there?” Carol gently calls out, hoping that her daughter will come out of the tent. “Sophia, it’s Mommy. Sophia. We’re all here, baby. It’s Mommy.” She bends her legs a little.
When no one came out, Rick moves closer to Daryl, along with Shane—holding out their weapons. Daryl unzips the tent slowly and enters the tent. Rick and Shane started to cough as Adelaide and the others head to where Carol stood. Adelaide stands behind Carl.
Shortly after, Daryl came out of the tent, “It ain’t her.”
“What’s in there?” Andrea curiously asks.
“Some guy. Did what Jenner said.” Daryl replies, “Opted out. Ain’t that what he called it?”
Suddenly, a church bell starts ringing. Adelaide looks around, wondering where the sound came from, hoping that it is finally Sophia. Yet, a side of her still worries that instead of the missing child they’ll meet because of the bell ringing, it would be another herd of walkers instead. Rick pointed at his left corner and ran; the others again followed. After running and figuring out where the sound came from, they finally arrived at the church. There are tons of graves around it.
“That can’t be it. Got no steeple, no bells.” Shane mentioned it, but Rick didn’t listen and went ahead. “Rick,”
Adelaide catches her breath as they ran to the front of the church, only to find out that there is no one ringing the bell. Sophia isn’t there, and the bell is on a timer. They stayed inside the church for a while, resting.
Adelaide sat away from them, looking at the wooden image in the cross. The last time she calls out to the God she believed in was when her grandparents died. She has never been a religious person, and she knows that she sins every time. But, at that time, she is asking for forgiveness already. It’s only a matter of time before Adelaide, a human being kills another human, and if she ever did, she hopes that she will be forgiven, even if she doesn’t deserve it.
After her prayer, if you can call it a prayer. She walks out of the church, and sat on the shaded side of a tree, just a few yards away from the building. The others followed a few minutes after.
Someone taps her shoulder, which made Adelaide look over. It was Carol, dried tears on her face. “Adelaide, I am so sorry for blaming you. I shouldn't have done that.” Carol asks for Adelaide’s forgiveness, on the verge of another breakdown.
“I accept your apology, Carol. Let’s just forget about that and find Sophia. But, you have to know that you shouldn’t just blame someone. I did my best, and Rick also did. Hell, even Daryl is doing his best to track Sophia. Everyone is. Blaming anyone wouldn’t make any difference." Adelaide explained and pulled the mother closer to her for a hug. Adelaide knew that Carol needed it. She, too.
“I am so sorry,”
“It’s alright.” Adelaide pulled away from their hug and noticed Rick and Shane talking to each other. “What are they talking about?” She asked, hoping someone would give her an answer.
“I don’t know, should we eavesdrop?”
Adelaide didn’t have a chance to reply to Carol’s request when Shane heads to them. He clears his throat, “Y’all gonna follow the creek bed back. Okay, Daryl, you’re in charge. Me and Rick, we’re just gonna hang back, search this area in another hour or so, just be thorough.” Shane explained.
"You're splitting us up. You sure?” Daryl voiced his concerns.
“Yeah, we’ll catch up to you,” Shane responds.
“I want to stay too. I’m her friend.” Carl stated. Rick and Shane only look at each other. Carl turns to his mother, “Just be careful, okay?” Lori approved, then she looks over her shoulder and smiled at Adelaide.
Lori turns back to her son, “Stay up close to Adelaide, okay?”
Adelaide blinks her eyes rapidly, “I’m staying?” She stares at Lori, confused. Carl had a smirk on his face.
Rick chuckles, “I guess you are,”
Adelaide groans, “You Grimes men, always dragging me into your own mess.” She playfully complains as she heard Lori chuckle.
“Lori, just know that I am no babysitter for your kid,” Adelaide said, in her most serious look. As Lori begins to frown, she cracks a smile. “But, I will never take my eyes off him. And, um—” As Lori heard Adelaide assuring her, she breathed in relief.
“Glenn will be in a safe place with Dale.” Lori puts her hand on Adelaide's shoulder and starts rubbing it. “Thank you, Adelaide, for taking care of my kid.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Adelaide gleams at the woman in front of her. Glenn assists her in putting her bag on her bag and dusting off the bag. “I’ll be going back. Be careful up here, okay?”
“Always will be. And don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t make any promises.”
Glenn kid as he wraps his arms around her then Adelaide felt his hands gently tapping her back. She sent a genuine smile to Carol. As everyone said their goodbyes, Rick attempts to give his gun to Lori, but she opposed it. Andrea huffed in annoyance as Daryl gave his spare gun to Lori. The two groups went on their separate ways.
Rick approaches his three companions, “Give me a minute?”
Shane and Adelaide stared at each other as the former nods his head. Adelaide ruffled the kid’s head and sat on the stairs in front of the church.
Rick then enters the building. He stayed there for almost five minutes. As they heard Rick’s footsteps coming outside of the church, Adelaide automatically looked up.
“Get what you needed?” Shane asked his best friend.
“I guess we’ll find out,” Rick answered as he walks away. The Walsh siblings and Carl soon follows Rick as they walk into the woods. They suddenly heard branches snapping; as it turns out, it was a stag.
As Carl is mesmerized by the stag, the three adults only stand behind him as he walks toward the horned animal. Adelaide travelled her eyes around, just to make sure no walker or any threat is around. By the time Adelaide decided to just look at the kid admiring the stag: A gunshot was heard, and Carl is already on the ground, unconscious.
•─────⋅☾ 𝔭𝔥𝔬𝔢𝔫𝔶𝔵𝔳𝔦 ☽⋅─────•
i am back with a new chapter and probably the longest that i have written!! seven thousand words!!
also, i’m not sure if dale has children before the apocalypse. if he doesn’t, let’s pretend that he has :))