Vatos (Season 1 Episode 4)
*MENTIONS OF ABUSE/SEXUAL ABUSE*
The constant sound that was their camp still went on.
People still smiled, talked and laughed but she couldn't will herself to join in.
She was sat between her mother and Lori as they are seated on a pair of seats that belonged to one of the camp members car, they had deemed the car as not needed when the hood began smoking. Dale and Jim used their car smarts to try and fix the issue but they couldn't. They didn't have the right car part for the job, plus the car was only running on a drip of gas, so there really was no point.
More laughs and cheers filled the air around them as Andrea and Amy walked back over after sitting in a boat on the lake for the passed three hours, each carrying a large line of fish which they passed to Morales.
"Ladies...because of you, my children will eat tonight. Thank you." Morales spoke with astonishment as he smiled thankfully at the two women.
Lori clapped for the two women, a look of shock covering her face.
"Thank Dale." Andrea spoke as turned to look at Morales while she grabbed her water canteen from her bag
Carl then walked over to touch it and as he did so he let out a "Whoa."
"Yeah, 'Whoa'. Where did you two learn how to do that?" Lori asked with confusion but she couldn't lie, she was hella impressed.
"Our dad." Amy spoke as she took a sip of her water, a smile on her face.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked as he looked up at the two women.
"Sure, I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy said enthusiastically before she looked to Lori. "If that's okay."
"You won't catch me arguing." Lori reassured.
"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." Andrea joked with a smile as Dale approached.
"I, uh- I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale informed the camp as he looked around. Shane joined him as Dale pointed to where Jim was standing up a hill and he seemed to be digging.
——•——
The camp all followed Dale and Shane as they made their way towards Jim, their fast pace made Nadia fall behind because of the amount of pain she was in.
Turns out she may have a mild concussion and she now knows she has a broken rib as Jacqui had enlightened, but she wasn't as fazed as she should have been. This wasn't the worst wound that she had gotten from her father, it was basically a walk in the park.
Everything that she did felt like a chore and every step she took felt like she was running a marathon and in her books, she was.
She didn't even know why she was here. She didn't owe these people anything. All they had done in these past few months was make her family life so much harder. If they had just minded their business, her and her mother wouldn't have gotten hurt. She would get it if it was over Sophia but why would they act like that over her. If she had just kept her mouth shut and followed her fathers orders, it wouldn't had been this bad. She still would have gotten beat, that she knew. When he father says "you will regret it later." In any situation she was already in deep shit. A kind of shit you couldn't get out of, no matter how much you pleaded.
It was an apocalypse, why was everyone so worried about an abusive father and husband when the dead were walking?
"Hey, Jim?" Shane asked carefully as he looked down at the slightly older man. "Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here please."
"What do you want?" Was the annoyed response he got as he shoved the shovel into the dirt, slightly stretching his back.
"We're all just a little concerned, that's all."
"Dale said you've been out here for hours." Morale joined the conversation.
"So?" He spoke once again with annoyance.
"So why are you digging?" Shane finally asked the million dollar question. "Are you heading to China, Jim?" Shane joked as he laughed.
"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim spoke the truth. What was wrong with these people and not minding their business? First with Nadia's family and now with Jim?
"Yeah except maybe yourself. It's 100 degrees today. You can't keep this up." Dale pointed out.
"Sure I can. Watch me." He huffed as he picked up his shovel and once again began digging but this time more determined then the last.
"Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will." Lori was the first woman to speak, her arms crossed as she stared down at the newly growing hole. "You're scaring people."
That is what people are scared of? A man digging holes was the least weirdest thing she had seen in two months.
People should be scared of the dead. The people that died and suddenly came back thirsty for blood. The dead that wouldn't think twice before ripping a person or animal apart. Nadia didn't even know if they could even form a normal thought and a part of her felt that it was scarier that way.
It wasn't a thought to kill, it was an instinct.
Nadia had to fear those things and her father. That was real fear not of some man digging a damn hole.
The mere thought of people being scared of that caused the girl to snort. Some campers turned to look at her, confused at what was funny.
"You're scaring my son and Carols daughters." She continued and a part of Nadia wanted to laugh but her eyes snapped to her sister. Her little sister was scared and she was making a joke of it. She felt guilt rush to her stomach as she instantly felt bad.
"They got nothing to be scared of." Silence followed his words so he began again. "I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone."
"We think that you need to take a break, okay? Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe." Shane advised as he stepped closer.
"I'll tell you what- maybe in a little bit I'll come out here... I'll help you myself. Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you go ahead and give me that shovel?" Shane continued, clearly ticking him off even more.
"Or what?"
"There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you."
"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you? Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it. See that's what happens when someone crosses you."
"Watch your mouth, okay? That's none of your business." Nadia finally spoke causing Jim's face to snap to hers, a chuckle leaving his mouth.
"He did a number on you, didn't he?" He spoke as his eyes locked on her bruised face. He shook his head before turning his head back to Shane.
"Don't use our family as a way to win an argument." Nadia said as she welcomed her sister into a needed embrace.
"You gonna beat me like you beat their daddy?"
"That was different, Jim." Shane spat as he stared him down.
"You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife and daughter. Nadia was on the floor an-and he broke her rib and gave her a concussion." Amy butted in with disbelief as she shook her head.
"That is their family. That is not his! He is not judge and jury. Who voted you King Boss, huh?"
"Jim, I am not here to argue with you, all right? Just give me the shovel, okay?" Shane spat growing annoyed with Jim's yapping.
"No, no, no."
"Just give me the- Jim!" They struggled as Shane tried to take the shovel from his hands but Jim was quick to pull the shovel away from him as he shoved him away. Jim swung the shove barely missing Shane but he leaned back, then Shane wrapped his arms around his middle as he tackled him to the ground. "Okay, shh shh."
"You got no right!"
"Jim, just stop it. Hey hey hey hey! Jim. Jim, nobody's gonna hurt you. You hear me? Shh. Jim, nobody is gonna hurt you, okay?"
"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said that a hundred times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands." He confessed as Shane slapped cuffs onto him, his eyes trained on the group as he spoke. "You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family." Silence followed as everyone soaked in the horrible story of Jim's life before he came to camp. The reality of just how awful the world had gotten, was finally soaking in.
——•——
Two hours went by since the drama outside of camp and Nadia had been sitting by a tree writing in her diary. She had so much she wanted to write but it was as if she couldn't put the words together. As if something was holding her back from doing so.
Dear Diary,
This camp has gone to shit. Just like I thought it would. The people here are putting all of our lives in danger. First a man magically comes out of a coma. CARLS DAD and he leaves big mouthed Merle handcuffed to a roof top in Atlanta causing some of our biggest protectors to be sent off to retrieve him and a bag of guns. A BIG BAG. But as soon as they left, shit hit the fan here at camp.
Dad had smacked me and mom. He broken my rib and gave me a concussion, and everyone is making a big deal out of it even though it's not too bad. I mean sure it hurts like a motherfucker but it's not like it's the worst thing I've been through with him. Their faces would be priceless if I told them about the time he had thrown me down a flight of two story stairs.
I'm sick and tired of all of these people pretending they care. They only step in because they feel obligated too, if no one was watching and expecting them to be a 'big man' and step up, would they? I don't doubt the women would but it's not like that would affect my father at all. He would rather listen to a brick wall then someone who didn't have a dick.
A part of me didn't want Shane to stop and that's crazy isn't it? He's my father and no matter what bad he does I'm supposed to love him and stand by him. That's what my mom does. I don't know if my mother actually loves my father or if she just stays because she's too comfortable to leave. Before all of this she had a roof over her head, food in her belly and she always got to be around me and Sophia.
Was that worth the pain?
From yours truly, Nadia🤍
Nadia was just signing off in her diary when she heard her name being shouted, causing her to stand and follow the voice. She had assumed it was Shane but when he arrived she saw Jim. She looked around but everyone was in the middle of camp, doing their own thing, there was a bench where the children would normally do homework but it was abandoned as the children played in camp.
Jim's hair was drying off slowly due to the shade and there was some red blotches on his skin from sun burn, his eyes locked on the girl.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." He spoke sincerely as he noticed her avoiding his eyes.
"That's what you made me come over here for? Some lame ass apology?"
"Your dad lets you talk to people like that?"
"How long did it take you to come up with that?" She asked as she finally faced him. It was a line that many campers had used on her before when she would talk back, thinking the line would force her into submission. It didn't.
"Look, I'm trying to be nice here-"
"Don't you ever talk like that in front of Sophia. She's just a little girl and she doesn't need to be hearing that." She spoke with her hands on her hips, eyes staring daggers at him.
"Okay, I get that. I'm sorry, I just- I just- I was heat stroked and I'm sorry about that."
"Okay, I get it your sorry. Just take a breather and calm the hell down. We don't need you scaring the kids again." And all she got was a nod in response. It appeared as like he was going to speak but he didn't get the chance to as Nadia walked away once she caught sight of her mother and sister making their way towards their tent.
She walked in just after them and watched as Sophia placed down a bucket of water infront of her father.
"Why don't you come outside with everybody?" Her mother asked.
"Hell with them people. Wouldn't piss on them if their heads were on fire." Her father spoke but she could only focus on the red and now yellow bruises covering his face.
"You wouldn't even piss on us if we were on fire." Nadia spoke underneath her breath but of course Ed heard.
"What was that, girl?" He asked as he stared her down, his red eye slightly freaking her out but she couldn't talk as hers was probably the same.
Sophia stood up causing Carol to pull her against her chest as they moved closer to the door.
Nadia walked closer to her father to grab her hat from her suitcase as the sun set was irritating her already hurting head but a large hand clasped around her arm holding her in a tight grip.
"Why don't you stay here? Keep your daddy company." He said with that look in his eye. The look that she hated.
"Ed, she wants to join in." Her mother butted in as her arm wrapped around her eldest daughters shoulders, pulling her away from the tent.
If there was a time that she stood up to Ed it was in situations like these. It had happened a few times before, sometimes he would try when he was drunk with his friends, or when he was mad at her mother and wanted comfort and even one time he had tried to come into her room in the middle of the night. She had always thanked god she had locked her door that night. But everytime her mother would have a type of fury she had never seen from her before. And in times like that Ed would roll over.
She would be shocked every time, she had never seen her father listen to her mother like that. And it made a giddy feeling spread through her stomach. Even if he didn't listen to her it felt as though she had won.
"Fine. Hell with all of you, tramps. Ain't no need to be bothering me no more the rest of the night." She heard Ed angrily mutter as they finally left the tent.
——•——
"Man oh man, that's good. I missed this." Shane voiced as he ate another mouth full of fish.
Even if Nadia wasn't a fish person she could agree.
"I've gotta ask you, man. That's been driving me crazy." Morales exclaimed as he stared at Dale.
"What?" The oldest man spoke, his smile pulled into a large smile.
"That watch."
"What's wrong with my watch?"
"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing, like a village priest saying mass."
"I've wondered this myself." Jacqui spoke with a laugh, glad that she wasn't the only one that noticed this odd action.
"I'm missing the point." Dale spoke with a laugh.
"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while."
"But there's you, everyday winding that stupid watch." Morales spoke with admiration.
"Time- it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think Andrea?" But when Andrea made a funny face he spoke again. "Back me up here." But she just laughed causing him to speak once again. "I like- I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better then it did mine or my fathers before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it."
Silence followed as everyone tried to digest his words, well everyone but Nadia.
"I don't get it." She spoke as she drew her eyebrows together in confusion.
"You are so weird." Amy agreed as she stared at the man, causing those around the fire to laugh.
"It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing." He revealed pulling a laugh from Nadia.
"Definitely your bad paraphrasing." She joked
earning laughs from around the fire and a deep laugh from Dale; before Amy got up.
"Where are you going?" Andrea asked her sister in confusion.
"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here-" Amy sassed as she began to walk away.
"Hurry, I'm gonna pee my pants." Nadia said as Amy walked towards the RV. Her sudden reaction caused the children around her to laugh at the thought and after a second the adults joined in.
"I'm done eating. Maybe I should give dad his plate." Nadia said to her mother as she stood up.
"No, you don't have to, Hunny." Carol said as she followed her daughter with her eyes when she took a hold of his plate.
"It's fine, if I don't walk around.. I'm gonna pee." She responded causing her sister to giggle.
And with that she walked towards her family's tent and when she was nearing it she heard the RV door open and Amy's voice yelling, "We're out of toilet paper?" and a second later a loud scream was pulled out of her mouth as a walker grabbed onto her arm and bit, hard, tearing into her flesh.
At the loud and sudden noise she stopped abruptly, snapping her head back to the middle of camp. She heard screams and a few seconds later heard her mother screaming her name. But just as she was about to run back to camp something blocked her path.
A walker.
It was a women. She had long dark hair that went down her back, eyes a hazy yellow and her mouth was dosed in dry blood as if it had been there for days, and that only meant one thing.
It was hungry.
The creature was dressed in a white nightgown and she reminded her of the girl from The Ring.
Nadia began to back away as the walker began to advance towards her, causing her movements to quicken and without even noticing, she past her now open tent.
A few seconds passed before the walker had a sudden burst of speed and bounced on her, resulting in a loud and shocked scream to rip from her throat.
Her arm's frantically reaching up to the walkers shoulders to keep her teeth from digging into her face.
She could still hear her mother screaming her name and the other chaos that was happening in camp.
Loud gunfire echoed through the camp from lots of different guns.
She saw the walker before she heard it as another one slowly made their way towards the girl, as if to kick her when she's already down, literally.
But suddenly the walker advancing towards her dropped. An arrow buried itself in its already dead brain, its dead body falling on her legs.
Then next, the walker on top of her fell limp as another arrow landed right between its eyes, a centimetre away from cutting Nadia's forehead in the process.
Nadia's arms dropped as the walker began even heavier with deadweight. Or deaderweight?
"You good?" Nadia heard as the redneck neared, finally showing himself.
When he didn't get a reply, worry filled him. He reached his arms around the walker on her legs, side as he forcefully pulled it away. Next he quickly pulled the women walker off of Nadia's body. The sudden loss of weight on her allowed the blood in her body to rush back up to her head.
"Hey, are you good?" The redneck asked as he grabbed her arms, yanking her up and was quick to catch her when she stumbled as if she had never walked before.
"Damn, take a damn breath. Are you okay?" He spoke again as he stabilized her but all he got in return was a "mhm" and with that he wrapped an arm around her and dragged her back to camp.
"My baby!" Her mother yelled as she rushed over with Sophia glued to her side, ripping her daughter from the mans embrace holding her tightly.
But Nadia's mind was elsewhere, somewhere stuck with that dead walker.
AUTHORS NOTE
ED'S FINALLY DEAD!! YAY
So finally episode four is done, and we are getting closer and closer to the season one finale.
My girl is going to be going through a lot in the majority of season two which I am not ready for, but at least that means that she is going to be an even bigger part of the book instead of just a side character.
And this chapter is just a little taste of the relationship Daryl and Nadia are going to have. AND YES IT IS 100 PERCENT PLATONIC.
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