The Ride back to the farm was spent in relative silence, Maggie seemed focused on getting home and I was still trying to process what had happened back at the store. I couldn't tell if the kiss meant something or if it was just a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. I hope that there was some true feeling behind it, as in the short time that I've known Maggie, I've grown rather fond of her.
She looked to be deep in thought as well, if the pensive look on her face was anything to go about. It made my nerves spike a bit causing my grip on the reins to tighten as my thoughts continued to be my worst enemy.
The sound of groaning in the distance was what brought my focus elsewhere and I silently berated myself for not being more aware. With that in mind, I pushed my feelings down, opting to focus on making sure we both got back to the farm in one piece.
We thankfully had no trouble getting back and once we were in the safety of the camp I let out a tiny breath I hadn't known I had been holding, happy that the run had been successful.
I figured now that we were safe that I could ask Maggie what the kiss had meant so I steeled myself and turned to her.
"Uh...so about-" I had started to say but she was quick to cut me off, "Don't spoil it,"
At the words, my eyes widened briefly and I nodded, "Sorry," I apologized before opening my mouth again only moments later as we continued to ride through the camp. "So you liked it then?" I inquired as a small grin started to creep onto my face.
"It was just a one-time thing," was the answer I got back, wiping the happy look on my face away. I felt a pang of hurt at her words and it felt like my entire body deflated, like all the energy I had just disappeared. "Oh, alright," I muttered almost silently, and after that, I didn't utter another word.
We tied the horses up to a tree and I watched her walk back to the house, no doubt going to see her father. I leaned back against the tree and ran a hand over my face. I had to get it together, I was acting like a damn teenager.
I shouldn't even be focused on this with the whole Sophia thing still happening, but even with that it still sucked. After all, no one likes to get rejected. I would have to get over it though, there were more important things to do than sitting here and brooding.
I pushed myself off of the tree and started to walk away, only to pause as I saw Lori exit the house and make her way towards me.
"Did you find it?" She inquired, referring to the thing she needed me to find for her. I gave her a quick nod and took off the backpack I had on to grab what she needed. I handed her the small bag and she took it carefully, tucking it into her back pocket.
She seemed almost nervous as she stared at me for a moment but I didn't say anything and I simply slipped past her. I could feel her gaze weighing heavily on my back, she had clearly expected me to say something about the pregnancy test but I was simply too tired and out of it to dwell on it.
I would bring it up later and ask if she was going to talk to Rick about her needing one. I would ask him if he knew about it already but figuring how Lori was being all secretive about it I figured he didn't.
She probably just wanted to be sure before she broke the news to my brother, and I wasn't about to go spoil it Incase she actually was pregnant. If it turns out that the test was positive though, it would be pretty hard to raise a child in this world, Carl being a prime example of that. Most likely though Lori may have just been a little late and she was worrying over nothing.
A small yawn escaped from my mouth and I rubbed at my eyes a bit. I could definitely use a nap. It was too early though and I didn't want to slack off, so instead of making my way to the house I made my way towards camp and started to help out with some of the chores that needed to be done.
After a few hours of cleaning tools and chopping wood, the sun was slowly being consumed by darkness and the moon was now lighting the sky, its glow a sharp contrast to the sky around it.
I always enjoyed this time of night, the way everything settled down and got ready to sleep, it was peaceful and before the outbreak I had always found myself out on the open road. The quietness was comforting and it had felt like I was one of the only few people alive in the world.
It's too bad that now that statement might very well be true with the lack of people that seem to be around these days.
Contrary to what people may believe, I've only thought back to what life was like before the outbreak about a handful of times. I've just been so caught up in trying to stay alive and worrying about my nephew and everyone else, and of course whatever the hell is going on with Maggie, that I haven't had a moment to think about anything else.
It would probably do more harm than good though, you get so caught up in dwelling on the past that you miss the future and all of that bullshit.
I looked down at the knife I was sharpening and held it up to the sky so I could get a better look at it. The moonlight glimmering off of it making it seem like the blade was glowing.
"The hell you doin'?" A gruff country accent asked from behind me making the knife nearly fall out of my hands as I jumped a bit.
"Holy Fuck Daryl, you scared the hell out of me!" I exclaimed as I set the blade down and turned to face him. His lip was turned upwards into a tiny smirk, "Gotta be more alert, could've easily been a damn walker."
I rolled my eyes lightly, though deep down I knew he was right. A walker could have easily stumbled onto the farm and I would have just been its oblivious meal, easy prey for the predator. It's just that the farm felt safe and it was almost like it was stuck in time, a mirage amid all the destruction.
"Found a farmhouse today, someone's been living in it, sleeping in a cupboard, had to have been Sophia," Now that caught my attention.
"How could you be sure?" I question, anyone could have been staying at that farmhouse after all. "Person who was staying there had to have been her size in order to sleep in there." He explained and for the first time in awhile I felt hope bloom in my chest.
"This must mean we're close!" I tell him as I stand up from my seat. He quirks and eyebrow at my, "Cool it there sunshine, gonna alert any walker near here that dinners ready."
This once again causes me to roll my eyes, "I'm sorry but this is Just the best lead we've had...thank you Daryl," I tell him sincerely and he shrugs, clearly not used to the gratitude.
"Don't thank me until we find her, now you should rest up, gotta long day ahead of us," He says before nodding at me and heading off to his tent.
I watch him go, a small smile appearing as the realization that we were close to finding Sophia finally sets in.
Everything was finally looking up.
____
The next morning I woke up to the sound of voices and work being done around my tent. My body screamed at me to close my eyes and go back to sleep but I knew I had to get up.
With that being said I pushed my self up from my cot, my body still hurting from the day before. I've had worse though, and a sore body is something I'm used to, especially back when I was training to become a cop.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes started to get ready for the day. I throw on a pair black cargo pants, and then a dark green button up, before slipping my boots on.
I instinctively reach for my shotgun which would usually be leaning against my bag only to be met with empty air.
I let out a small sigh as I remembered Hershel didn't want guns roaming around. I was completely okay with that, but it was just weird not being able to carry.
I still had my knife though, so should any walkers decide they wanted to say hi, I would at least have something to protect myself with. I exited the tent after a moment, squinting my eyes at the harsh glare of the morning sun.
"Well look who's finally up, and to think I thought I slept in late,"
I looked towards the voice and saw Lori and Carol both looking at me and I quirked a brow. "Sorry, had a long day yesterday," I told them as I made my way to them. "Being used as walker bait definitely takes a lot out of you," I added and Lori swatted at me.
"You weren't walker..." She trailed of as I gave her a look, "Okay maybe you were,"
I just let out a tiny laugh, "Exactly, now, if you two will excuse me," I nodded towards where the other were gathering around the hood of a truck and made my way over.
"Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today," my brother said as he laid out a map.
"If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far," Rick continued to say and I looked down at the map.
"I'd like to help," I looked over to see that Jimmy had been the one to say that. "I know the area pretty well and stuff," he added for good measure.
"Is Hershel fine with you going out?" I asked the boy and he immediately nodded, "Yeah, he said I should ask you."
Rick nodded, "Alright then. Thanks."
"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse," Shane jumped in and I frowned, could it kill him to be at least a little bit optimistic?
"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea asked him.
"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than Yay-high," Daryl said as he brought his hand up to a little under his chest.
"That's a good lead, hopefully we can pick up the trail again," I told him.
"No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge, take a birds eye view of the whole grid, if she's up there, I'll spot her."
As Daryl said this Dale came walking up with the gun bag and placed it on the hood.
"That's a good idea, maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too," T-dog told the archer and I let out a chuckle.
"Chupacabra?" My brother questioned.
"You never heard this?" Dale asked him, "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra,"
Jimmy laughs at this and Daryl send a glare his way, "What are you braying at, Jackass?"
"So you believe in a bloodsucking dog?" Rick questioned.
"Do you believe dead people walking around?" Daryl shot back and I'll admit, he had my brother there.
With nothing else to say Jimmy clearly wanted to move on from the topic so he reached over Ricks hand to grab the gun, only to be stopped by Rick.
"Hey, hey, ever fire one before?" My brother asked him.
"Well, if I'm going out I want one," Jimmy told him.
Daryl scoffed, "Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." I couldn't help but grin at that.
"Why don't you come train tomorrow?" Shane told Jimmy. "If you're serious I'm a certified instructor,"
Jimmy stared for a moment but ultimately did not respond to the question.
"For now he can come with us," Andrea told Shane to which he told her that Jimmy was theirs to babysit.
"Okay, Andrea, T-Dog, you two can search over in this grid." Rick said as he pointed to the spot on the map.
"Shane and I will take this one" he pointed to another spot.
I expected him to give me a search grid but he didn't say anything after that.
"Hey, what grid can I search?" I asked him and he just shook his head. "Oh no, I heard about your little incident with the walker yesterday, and besides, you went out on a run yesterday, you can sit today out, rest up," he told me and I frowned.
"Rick I'm good to go out," I tried to tell him but he wasn't having it.
"I said no, Ellie, you can head out tomorrow, but today I want you to rest," he stated firmly, his protective older brother coming out.
"Fine, but Rick there's gonna be times where we're not going to be able to rest," I left him with those final words before turning on my heel and heading up to the farm house.
I was going to see if Hershel needed help with anything, just because Rick said I couldn't go out didn't mean I couldn't be useful.
Instead I spotted Glenn on the front porch and figured I could stop to talk to him for a minute.
I walked up the stairs and smiled at him, noting the guitar in his hand, " I didn't know you played," I said to him as I leaned back against the railing.
He laughed, "I don't, always wanted to learn though," he explained and I grinned. "Same here," I told him.
"So...what do you think about this whole Sophia thing?" He questioned and I sighed.
"I think we're gonna find her, we have too," I spoke, my voice growing serious. I wasn't going to let this turn out like it had before.
If I had just been quicker, looked harder, I would have found that little boy alive, not dead in a ditch.
We couldn't let that happen to Sophia, I don't know if I would be able to forgive myself if it did.
Glenn sighed before handing me the guitar, "Here, I'm gonna head back down to camp," he told me and I took the guitar from his hands. I watched him walk away from the house before looking down at the guitar in my hands.
"Nice guitar," a voice said from behind me and I jumped slightly, my head whipping around to find Maggie staring at me.
"Fuck, you have got to stop doing that," I said slightly out of breath, my heart beating fast, though I wasn't sure if it was from her scaring me or if it was just because I was looking at her, hell it was probably both.
The corner of her lip quirked up, "But where's the fun in that?"
I shook my head and set the guitar down, very aware of the incoming silence hanging over us.
After a moment or two of no one saying anything I cleared my throat, " So...do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?" I inquired.
She sighed, "Look, I'm not sure if I even like you."
I frowned, "Then why did you kiss me?" I asked her and she shrugged.
"I don't know"
I sighed, "So what? You just wanted to fuck with me?" My voice was starting to raise now.
Maggie looked between me and the farmhouse in panic, "Keep it down would you." She whisper-shouted at me.
Her hands came to rest briefly on her head before falling down to her side, "I wasn't trying to mess with you, okay, I just...I don't know."
I turned away from her, my hands resting on the railing, "Well...You let me know when you do," were my parting words and with that I pushed myself off of the railing and started to make my way towards camp. I didn't look back once as I walked away, but I knew she was still standing there.
I wasn't going to let her play me like that
___
So a little trouble in paradise between the two. Hopefully that will get resolved soon.
I also wanted to apologize for how long it took me to post a new chapter, hopefully I can start writing more and getting them out faster.
But with that being said thank you so much for reading! Remember to comment any thoughts you have and I'm always open to new ideas!