❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter thirty-five ―― all i care about
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE HAD DOZED OFF, more than a few times, but she shook herself awake and shifted, stretching her legs out as she leaned back, her back against Daryl's shoulder as he poked at the fire with a long stick.
"Sorry." She mumbled as she sat up, running her hands down her face.
"It's alright." He told her. "You should go to bed before you fall asleep and fall right into the fire."
"At least I'll be warm." She chuckled, her exhaustion clear on her face as she turned to sit next to him and he chuckled a little, it was a quiet, barely there sound but she heard it. "But you're right, I should head back. Mason's probably having a cow. And I doubt you want me in your tent, would hate to injure you with my elbows again." She shifted closer to him. "You're warm." She muttered, her eyes falling closed as her head lulled to the side, landing on his bicep.
"We can't find Lori." Carol stated as she ran towards the two and Charlie sat up.
"I'm awake."
"And the others aren't back yet." She continued, her breath labored from the trek across the field.
"Yeah." Daryl mumbled as Charlie rubbed her eyes with her fists to wake herself up. "That dumb bitch must've gone off looking for 'em."
"What?" Carol stepped closer as Charlie pushed herself to her feet.
"Yeah, she asked me to go. Told her I was done being an errand boy."
"And you didn't say anything?" She asked, clearly upset that he knew and hadn't told anyone. "Did you know?" She asked as she looked up at the brunette who had her arms stretched over her head.
"I knew she wanted him to go, not that she went." She told her. "Now I feel like crap for pretending to be asleep." She muttered as she dropped her arms and Carol huffed as she walked away, but she stopped and walked back over to them as Charlie bent over to grab her bow and arrows.
"Don't do this." Carol told the man that had yet to move from his place next to the fire. "Please. I've already lost my girl." Charlie scoffed, shaking her head, she hated that Carol was using Sophia and her death like that.
"That wasn't my problem either." Daryl huffed as she pushed himself up and turned to face the woman before he walked around her and Carol looked over at Charlie as the girl put the bow over her shoulders so it hung on her back and she had at least one free hand.
"I'll help you look." She told her as she walked past her. "Mason and I can take the truck, check the roads, maybe she broke down somewhere."
"Wasn't under the impression that you cared." Carol called out stopping the girl and Charlie turned to face her, her eyes narrowed.
"She may have been your daughter, but you are not the only one that lost her. I spent everyday with her, I treated her the same way I treat Carl, like they were my kids. I'm not gonna apologize for needing to grieve the loss of a kid that I loved with my entire heart. I'm not gonna apologize for not wanting to run around a town looking for people who can handle themselves. But don't you, for one second, think that I don't care about this group, that's all I care about. And Lori, she was more of a mother to me then my own mom, I probably care about her the more then I do my own brother. So back the hell off." She huffed before turning and making her way down the hill and across the field.
"Mason, me and you are checking the roads." Charlie got his attention when she neared the others. "She may have gone after Rick. I'm thinking she had a problem with the car, best case scenario."
"Yeah, okay." He nodded, making his way through the group towards the truck.
"Where the hell have you been?" Shane asked, but Charlie ignored him and made her way towards the truck as Carol walked over.
"Come on, Josh, you're with us." Charlie called out and the boy quickly made his way to the truck. Charlie stopped when she spotted Carl and she let out a sigh as she made her way over to him, squatting down in front of him. "We're gonna find her, I promise." She leaned up and kissed his cheek and he nodded then she wiped her thumbs over his cheeks, swiping his tears away. "Stay strong, kiddo. Stay close to Dale and T for me, please?"
"Okay." He nodded, his voice a little shaky.
"I'll be back soon." She told him as she stood up, pulling him into a hug before she pulled away and made her way towards the truck.
"Charlie?" Shane nearly shouted but she didn't stop. "Charlie!" She stopped and turned to face him, her jaw clenched. "How do you know she left?"
"Ask Carol." Was all she said before she turned and made her way towards the truck.
>>>>> • <<<<<
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "YOU OKAY?" Mason asked, looking over at Charlie as he stopped at the end of the driveway and she nodded. "Charlie?"
"I'm fine."
"Where did you disappear to today?" Josh asked, leaning forward, but the girl just looked out the window.
"I was with Daryl." She answered. "Now drive." She turned her eyes narrowed on Mason and he pulled out onto the road.
"Daryl?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "He doesn't ask questions. And I wasn't in the mood for questions, not after the barn, not after. . . Sophia." She let her eyes fall to her hands before she turned to look at Josh. "I'm sorry I blew you off. I was in a bad mood and I'm not really good company when I'm like that."
"I get it." He nodded and she sent him a small smile.
"Daryl doesn't seem to mind." Mason mumbled and Charlie turned to face him, her eyes narrowed. "What? He doesn't. And I know that you like being around him and not just because he does ask many questions."
"After we find Lori, remind me to kill you." She muttered as she turned to look out the windshield, her eyes went wide when she spotted a car on the side of the road, it was flipped on its side. "Mason!" She hit his arm and he stopped the truck, before he even put it in park, Charlie jumped out and rushed towards the car, passing a dead walker on the ground. She ran towards the front of the car, kicking the walker that was stuck in the windshield but it didn't move. "Lori!" She called out as she peaked in through the windshield, then Mason ran over and checked in the window as Josh kept watched.
"She's not here." Mason told the girl as he glanced around in case they got ambushed by the dead.
"Lori!" Charlie shouted as she looked around, tears filling her eyes. "Lori!"
"Hey, come on." Mason grabbed her elbow. "Let's drive up the road. She'd stay on or close to the road especially in the dark. We'll find her."
"She could be hurt. Oh God, the baby." She breathed out, pushing her hair back. "Why did I pretend to be sleeping?"
"Baby?"
"She's pregnant."
"What?" Josh looked over at them, his eyebrows creased and Charlie nodded, wiping her cheeks.
"We'll find her." Mason leaned down, meeting her eyes. "We will." She nodded, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat. "Come on." He nodded towards the truck and the three started back towards it, once they were all settled Mason started down the road, keeping an eye out for the woman he knew meant a lot to Charlie. The truck was silent, except for the sniffles that Charlie released every once in a while.
Mason slowed to a stop when they came across the woman, she had stopped walking and turned, her eyes squinted against the headlights as Charlie threw her door open.
"Lori!" The girl nearly cried as she ran towards her. "Are you okay?" She wrapped her arms around the older brunette. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd actually go after them." She squeezed her eyes closed as Lori wrapped her arms around her. "It was stupid, I was in a bad mood and I-I-"
"It's okay." Lori kissed the side of her head. "I'm alright." She squeezed the girl.
"We saw the wreck." Charlie mumbled into her shoulder. "I was so worried. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Charlie." She nodded. "I'm okay, but you're squeezing me." Charlie quickly pulled back and stepped away from the woman. "I'm okay, really."
"Let me check, make sure you don't have a concussion." Mason said as he walked over and Lori nodded as he raised a flashlight to check her eyes. "What happened?"
"Looked down at the map and hit a walker." She answered and he dropped the light once he was sure she was fine.
"That was stupid." He told her. "Going out alone." She just shrugged.
"We should get back." Josh called out from where he stood next to the truck. "Let everyone know that she's okay."
"No, we gotta find Rick." Lori shook her head, her eyes on the younger girl. "Please, Charlie. I gotta find him."
Mason knew she wouldn't listen and he knew Charlie was about to cave under Lori's pleading eyes, so he did the only thing he could think of. "He's back." He lied. "They're all back."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Charlie nodded, though she hated lying, she knew it was the only way to get Lori into the truck and back to the farm. "Everyone's okay."
"Oh, thank God." She breathed out as she made her way towards the truck, Charlie looked up at Mason and he just nodded his head. Then he and the girl made their way back to the truck, Charlie sat in the back with Josh and he offered her a small smile, which she returned as she reached across the seat and grabbed his hand – she needed the comfort. He squeezed her hand and she moved closer to him before she laid her head on his shoulder, letting her exhaustion take over and she was asleep in minutes.
NOVA SPEAKS !
it's been a while. but here's this chapter!!
another chapter will be published tomorrow as well!!