"Skylar?" Rick called through the sheet very soon after he left.
"Come in." She said. The sheet pulled over and Rick was there with a different man. This guy was old with a long white beard and matching hair pulled into a ponytail.
"You're a doctor?" Skylar couldn't believe Rick had met up with a doctor. Skylar's dad had kept her and her mom far away from anyone else, he wanted to keep his pack small and easily protected.
"I used to be a veterinarian," Hershel smiled down at her. "But now I guess I am just a doctor." Hershel sat down next to her and pulled out a stethoscope to listen to her heart. Then he held her wrist to take down her pulse.
"Where did Rick find you?" Hershel asked as he made his assessments.
"Behind a house I was staying at in the woods, I was checking my traps." Skylar found it easy to talk to the gentleman. His tone was welcoming.
"You know how to hunt?"
"Yeah, my dad took me out. Sometimes we'd go camping for a whole week." Skylar liked talking about what she used to do, it reminded her of the good times.
"Carl used to be so jealous. He was furious you got a gun for your birthday and he wasn't allowed near one." Rick smiled. Skylar knew this, of course, Carl always complained to her that Rick wouldn't let him hold his pistol from work.
"Did you get a lot of food in your traps?" Hershel questioned then put a hand on her belly. She hadn't realized how loose her shirt had gotten. She was used to not eating so much, having one or two meals a day. And no, she wasn't getting a lot of prey. Sometimes she got something, but it would already be torn into and she didn't trust it enough to eat.
"No, but my dad showed me what bark I can eat off of trees and other stuff. And I had a can of chicken soup that I didn't want to use unless absolutely necessary."
"Well, that should have been a while ago. I don't know how you've been pushing through, but you need some food." Hershel stood up. "When you do eat have small portions and eat slowly, I don't want you getting sick and bruising yourself."
"So I got to you just in time." Rick was sitting on the toilet watching them. "I'm glad it was me who found you." Skylar smiled at him. She was pretty glad he found her too. At least she knew someone and wasn't totally alone anymore. Skylar promised Hershel she wouldn't over do it and he left.
"Would you like to rest, eat or would you like to meet some people?" Rick asked her. "I can find a blanket and pillow for you and get you some food."
"Yes please." Skylar was ready for a nice meal of real food and a long nap.
"Okay, I'll be back." Rick left and Skylar lay down on her bedspread. Maybe by the time she wakes up from her nap, Carl will be back and she can see him. Last she saw him, they were 11 and still playing pretend. Skylar thought more on it and remember that she was with him when news first broke out about a sickness spreading. That was the last time she saw him. It felt like it had been years since then, but it's only been about two she thought. She hoped the two years apart didn't change their friendship.
~~
Skylar fell asleep before she could even put her empty paper plate down on the floor. She didn't have any nightmares, she wasn't kept up by any noises. She felt good. She didn't know how long she had been asleep and she didn't want to get up right away but the knocking on the cell that woke her up wasn't going away.
"Come in," Skylar mumbled out. She figured it was Rick, but she looked up to see a woman with gray hair cut shorter than Maggies. She was holding some folded laundry and wore a bright smile.
"Hi, I'm Carol." The lady stepped in and put the clothes on the sink in the corner. Skylar sat up to look more polite. Her mom hated having conversations with Skylar when she was laying in bed. Even in the apocalypse, she knew her manners. "Rick wanted me to give you these. And he says you used to be close to Carl."
"Yeah, we went to school together," Skylar said. "Um, thanks for the clothes."
"No problem, I can show you to the showers if you want, too. They aren't personal showers, but no boys will come into this one." Skylar knew she needed the shower. She couldn't smell her odor anymore, but now that she was around people who did have a shower, it'd be better if she got a chance to wash off. And she didn't want to see Carl when she looked like an animal.
"I would like that." So she followed Carol to the bathroom. It was at the other end of the cellblock and huge. The back wall had a bunch of shower heads and a tiled floor. Before getting to the shower head, there were benches and sinks with mirrors. It reminded Skylar of the public showers at the gym her parents went to on occasion.
"Are you shy?" Carol asked as she looked for a towel in a closet.
"Um, no I guess."
"I can stand outside and make sure no one comes in." She offered.
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
"I'm waiting out there anyway," Carol tossed a towel at Skylar. "Just yell if you need anything." Skylar stood in the middle of the shower room holding her towel to her chest, all alone. She walked to the shower heads with a little uncertainty. Now that she was about to strip, she did feel a little uncomfortable knowing that anyone could walk in. Carol wouldn't let it happen this time but what about next time? She would just have to wait for free openings anytime she wanted to shower.
When Skylar had stripped and got used to the cold air on her pale skin, she turned on the shower water, which was immediately freezing. But after living with no AC for a very long time, she didn't really mind. It was soothing on her sunburnt arms and face. After cooling off for a little while, she tried to see if it could get a little warmer. And it could. Decently warm water splashed onto her tangled hair; Skylar could finally get to all the tangles and gently start pulling them out. Then she shampooed her hair and washed her body, enjoying the sight of dirt racing down the drain with the suds.
"All done?" Carol came in when Skylar turned off the shower and was wrapped tightly in the scratchy towel. "I remembered the first time I got to shower in here. It was probably a year before I got to shower again."
"I never realized how much I got used to being dirty," Skylar laughed and Carol joined.
"Once you're dressed I can bring you to the library," Carol explained. "That's where a lot of kids hang out and I read books there every night." They dropped Skylar's dirty clothes in the laundry room on their way to the library. A bunch of women were working in there with washboards in the large sinks and hanging up wet clothes on pins hung across the room as well as having machines going. Carol didn't talk as they walked which was fine with Skylar. She didn't want to keep explaining where she was from and bring up her parents.
Carol turned into a room that was obviously the library. It was a decently sized square room full of books on shelves. Skylar figured she could still be reading every book by the time she died. There was only one other person in the library; a tall young man with classes and his nose in a book.
"Oh, hello Patrick," Carol greeted when they came up to him. Skylar noticed he was reading a Harry Potter book that happened to be her favorite.
"Hi, Carol." But he was looking at the red headed stranger, making her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"This is Skylar, she was taken in by Rick." Skylar could hear the smirk in Carol's voice. "Well, since you're here, do you mind if I leave her with you? I have some stuff to do."
"I...I don't mind," Patrick stumbled.
"Is that okay?" Skylar nodded. "Okay, if you have any questions Patrick's here." And then Carol left.
"So," Patrick looked down at the floor. "Were you the only one he brought back?" Skylar could only nod in response. She didn't want to say she didn't have a family again.
"How old are you?"
"13."
"I'm 15." Silence and tension passed between the two before Patrick spoke up.
"Do you like to read?"
"Yeah, I really like the book in your hand." She pointed at it. "My grandma read the books to me whenever I visited her."
"That's cool. I didn't read them until I moved here."
"Do you like them?"
"A lot more than I thought I would." He smiled at her. They were having a conversation. Skylar was so proud of herself for talking to someone and possibly making a friend.
"So, when did you come here?"
"Months ago I think. I don't know I don't keep track of time." Patrick shrugged. "When did you get here?"
"A few hours ago. I don't know either, I fell asleep and now I don't know the time."
"Well, it is just after 2 I think. Someone keeps track of the time and posts out front."
"That's pretty cool."
"It stopped raining, we could get you a book and go outside to read." Patrick blurted kinda fast. Skylar stared at him for a second to figure out what he said and then blushed.
"Yeah, we can do that." She didn't know why she felt embarrassed, it wasn't like a date. But maybe because she hasn't been near any other guy except for Carl and that was a while ago. She had to remind herself it's just reading the whole time she looked for a book and their walk outside.