"...she broke her arm in two places, but she never cried. Charlene embodied the spirit of this place, an always-ready, never-quit, get-it-right-this-time spirit."
Kamille sat beside Alicia as this rancher, Pat, was giving a speech at Charlene's – Otto's goddaughter's – funeral. Charlene had been attacked by the dead after the helicopter went down with Jake and Alicia.
The Clarks and Kamille sat a few rows back, along with other residents of the ranch, as Charlene's mother stood at the front of the tent.
"And she would have," Pat continued, pausing, before hesitantly adding, "if she wasn't risking her life for the unprepared."
The bitterness in Pat's voice hung in the air like a sour smell, her eyes staring at Kamille and the others with disgust. Murmurs were heard amongst the residents, and a few eyes even looked their way. Kamille tried not to meet anyone's gaze, feeling discomfort from the negative attention.
Jake, who was sat the front of the tent behind Pat along with Otto and Troy, seemed to notice the silence, so stood up and smiled at Pat.
"Pat, thank you," he muttered, patting her on the shoulder as she moved to sit down.
Kamille glanced at Alicia to her left, meeting her green eyes and uncomfortable expression. It was awkwardly quiet as nobody knew what to do next, until Madison decided to speak.
"Hello," she started halfheartedly, before standing up and looking at everyone. "I just want to introduce my family. I'm Madison Clark and these are my children, Nick and Alicia." She motioned to both of them before motioning to Kamille. "That's Kamille, a close family friend. We wanted to offer our condolences for Charlene, and for the others you lost."
The three of them stayed quiet as Madison spoke, knowing she was planning on doing something like this today as she had mentioned it the night before.
Kamille wasn't sure if she'd had the chance to properly grieve Travis' death; she just knew that the older woman had returned to the cabin some time after Kamille put Alicia to sleep and didn't say much.
"We've lost loved ones, too," Madison said, her voice softening. "Travis..." She sucked up a breath. "Travis, he was our compass and he..." All eyes were on her as she breathed out. "We just wanted to say thank you for sheltering us, and thank you for your generosity. We will repay it."
With that, Madison sat back down and Alicia rested a supportive hand on hers.
"Thank you," Jake said sincerely, before looking at everybody. "We've all lost. We share that. And grieving's hard, but it's important that we process it and–"
"More important to prepare, Jake," a man cut Jake off, standing up from the other side of the tent. He seemed restless as others mumbled in agreement. "I'm sorry. There's a time and place for mourning, and Patty is owed that, but who brought down the helicopter?"
The other residents agreed, shouting out 'yeah' and nodding along with this man's statement.
"We aim to find out, Vernon," Jake answered calmly, but was cut off again by Vernon.
"When?"
"We're gonna get to the bottom of this–"
"What's your timeline?" Vernon asked angrily, before motioning to Otto. "Jeremiah, please."
"Nothing's changed, Vernon," Otto replied with a shrug. "Make no mistake, we're in a wartime posture here. We tasked Alpha station to scout the crash site. When we know what we're dealing with, we'll act. If it's some wing nut, we'll act. If it's a larger challenge, we will act."
Kamille looked around conspicuously, noticing how every resident, including Vernon, hung onto Otto's word like gospel. He was their leader, their knight in shining armour. They looked up to him and would give him anything, as he had for them. It was too weird for Kamille to witness.
"Payback, Vernon," Troy announced from beside Otto, earning sounds of agreement from the residents. "That's what my father means. Whatever this threat is, large or small, we will make this right."
Residents were getting excited as they nodded along to Troy's words, and Kamille pulled a face at the sadistic smile on his lips.
"Hey, we'll mete out justice when we know what it is we're dealing with!" Jake said loudly, silencing everybody. "We can't afford to lose ourselves. We're more than a mob. We have to be something hopeful in this world! Like my father says, if you plan for the future..."
"Plan for a better one!" everybody chorused in response.
Kamille bit her lower lip anxiously, not sure what to think. But once again, she was trying to take things as they came and not worry too far ahead.
After the funeral, lunch was being served and Nick went to grab some for Luciana before visiting her in the infirmary. That left Madison, Alicia and Kamille to get in line and grab some food.
As they moved down the line, a cook who was leaving the kitchen walked between Madison and Alicia with a tray of cutlery, mumbling "freeloader" to Madison.
The three of them turned around to look at the man, Madison furrowing her eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" she said accusingly.
"You know the fable 'the ant and the grasshopper'?" he asked spitefully.
"Hey, what's your problem?" Alicia confronted him threateningly.
Kamille noticed how it went quiet around them, heads subtly turning to witness the event unfolding. The man looked between the three of them with disgust, before shaking his head and walking out of the tent.
"Let it go, let it go," Madison said to her daughter, resting a hand on her arm to pull her back.
"They should be harassing Troy, not us," Alicia muttered angrily.
"I think they would be if they knew what he had done," Madison replied with confusion.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kamille mumbled.
The three of them moved down the line carefully, looking up when the girl behind the counter began to speak.
"Madison, Alicia, Kamille," she began with a smile, "I'm Gretchen Trimbol, Vernon's daughter...? I saw you all at the meeting? Welcome! I'd shake, but it wouldn't be sanitary. Damn hangnail can take you down these days if you're not careful, you know?"
The three watched her with confusion, and Kamille wondered why she was oddly welcoming compared to the many other people there.
When Gretchen realised they wouldn't respond, she lost her smile a little. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I'd have had the pleasure of knowing Travis."
Kamille saw the genuineness of her expression as she looked between the three of them.
"Thank you, Gretchen," Madison replied for them all.
Gretchen smiled before looking to Alicia. "Hey, Alicia, the rest of Christ Risen and I were wondering if you wanted to join us for Bible study?"
"Oh... we're not really–"
"When is it?" Madison cut Alicia off hopefully.
Kamille suppressed a smile of amusement as Gretchen replied.
"Tonight! One hour, two tops. Music, punch," she said, adding quickly, "and the Lord, of course."
Madison looked at Alicia encouragingly.
Alicia smiled as politely as she could, asking, "What is, er, Christ Risen?"
"Oh, sorry," Gretchen chuckled, "Christ Risen is our band! That's Terry," she pointed behind the three, at a table outside where a group of teens sat, "and Gabe. You'll meet Geoff if you come."
Kamille was seriously trying not to laugh as she noticed Alicia's resistance.
"We're Jewish," Alicia settled, cocking her to the side and smiling apologetically.
"Cool! We'll do Old Testament!" Gretchen nodded with a bright smile. "Corral at five 'o clock!"
Kamille looked down to her tray as she smiled to herself, knowing Alicia had no out to this one.
"You know, Kamille, you're free to join as well," Gretchen continued, making Kamille look up, losing her smile. "I don't know if you're Christian, but–"
"I'm not," Kamille quipped quickly, smiling apologetically. "I'm not really religious I'm afraid."
The raven-haired girl felt Alicia's eyes on her, watching her knowingly with an amused smile.
"I'm sure you pray every night before you go to sleep, Kam."
Kamille shrugged, meeting Alicia's mischievous eyes. "Must be hearing somebody else, darling, sorry."
Alicia held her gaze, a smile on her lips, as Kamille grinned in return, before looking back to Gretchen.
"Well the invite is open if you'd like," Gretchen said, unaware of their lack of enthusiasm. "We cover everything."
A Christian prayer group? Not really Kamille's cup of tea.
"Thank you," Kamille said with a smile, appreciating the gesture nonetheless.
Gretchen nodded and began to put a dollop of mash in their trays, before the three of them left to sit on a bench outside. When they took their seats, Alicia nudged Kamille in the side with her elbow.
"I can't believe you just left me out to dry like that," Alicia said with disbelief, but a smile was tugging at her lips. She looked to Madison right after, adding, "and you, too, mom, seriously?"
"Hey, it could be fun!" Madison said knowingly. "You should be around more people your own age, Alicia."
"I agree with Madison," Kamille said nonchalantly, earning another nudge in her side from the brunette beside her.
"You're like two years older than me," Alicia reminded her.
"It's not my thing," Kamille explained briefly, shrugging as she tucked in to her lunch. "Besides, she's doing the Old Testament."
"Wow."
Kamille laughed as Alicia rolled her eyes playfully, before eventually joining in with her.
The three of them ate their lunch, trying to forget the how they'd ended up there in the first place, before finishing on a somewhat good note.
"Nick should be back at the cabin," Madison said to both girls as they placed their trays on the side to be washed. "I'm gonna go check on him. Will you both be okay?"
"We're not five, mom," Alicia reminded her playfully. "We'll be about."
Madison smiled before leaving to check on Nick. Kamille looked to Alicia with a smile.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked, intertwining their fingers.
Alicia began walking, swinging their joined hands between them. "Not sure yet. A walk would be nice."
Kamille let the younger girl lead her wherever, a comfortable silence between them both. They noticed the other residents all doing their own thing – playing with their kids, hanging up washing, sitting outside with their loved ones – it almost being a normal life, but the sight of armed guards walking by every now and then reminded them that none of that was normal.
The two of them settled a bit far out from the centre of the ranch, to a more secluded area near the cattle. Alicia sat with her legs spread out in front of her, by a large tree away from people. She patted the spot between her legs and smiled up at Kamille, making the older girl's heart skip a beat at how cute she looked.
Kamille sat between Alicia's legs and leaned back into her torso, allowing her to wrap her arms around her and lean her head on her shoulder.
It was quiet as they both looked out into the field nearby, seeing the cows go about their business.
"How are you feeling?" Kamille asked, regretting breaking the silence but concerned for her girlfriend. "Since last night?"
Alicia sighed from behind her, and Kamille turned around a little, so she was looking at Alicia. Alicia leaned back against the tree, letting Kamille hold her hand.
"I don't know," Alicia admitted. "Everything is just happening and I'm trying to be okay, for mom's sake..."
"She just wants you to be okay," Kamille said gently. "And not pretend to be, but actually be."
"I know." Alicia shrugged halfheartedly. "I'm getting there, I guess. I prefer all these distractions, though. It makes it all easier." Her eyes flickered up to meet Kamille's. "After everything that happened, I've never been more grateful that you're here with me, Kam."
Kamille cracked a small smile. "I know what you mean."
"This place is hard for you," Alicia observed, frowning.
Kamille shook her head, raising her hand to rest on Alicia's cheek. "Look, I don't want you worrying about me. I've talked this through with Madison. She's going to keep us all safe. Whether that means staying here or not. I'll be wherever you are, Alicia."
Alicia leaned into Kamille's touch, her eyes brightening under the sunlight.
"I love you," Kamille told her, before closing the gap between them with a soft, sweet, long-overdue kiss.
"I love you, too," Alicia said softly when they broke apart.
She was smiling at Kamille, eyes locked with hers. Kamille returned the smile, feeling luckier than ever to have even a small moment to spend with the girl she loved.
After staying by the tree for a while, they decided to head back down to the centre of the ranch, where Madison had found them and told them to go to their cabin for a quick meeting.
Both girls headed there with confusion, taking a seat at the dining table as they waited for Madison to return with Nick. Alicia had pulled her butterfly knife out from her boot and was placing her hand outstretched on the table, about to play five finger fillet, when Madison returned.
"Don't," she said as she passed the table to head to the window.
Kamille refrained from smiling as Alicia sighed and moved her hand away with annoyance.
"They don't want us here," Nick spoke first, eyes looking between the blinds by the door.
"Most of them don't mind," Madison replied, folding the blankets on the bunk beds. "The ones who do, we win 'em over."
"You wanna win over Troy?" Alicia asked, glancing at her mum.
"Work in progress," Madison stated, before continuing, "In the meantime, all of you stay away from him."
"Gladly," Kamille said with a sigh.
"Not sure I can do that," Nick responded, moving away from the window.
"The hell you can't, Nick," Madison said with exasperation. "You don't know what sets him off. He doesn't know what sets him off."
Nick nodded, sitting on the bottom bunk. "Okay, but if we stay, we need to do something."
"What does that mean?" Alicia asked quietly, eyes on her brother in a confused stare.
"I'm doing something," Madison answered.
"No," Alicia shook her head, "what do you mean, Nick? What are you gonna do?" Alicia stood up suddenly, stepping towards Nick. "Do you want my knife? You gonna do something?"
"All I'm saying is that... we should start over somewhere else, okay?" Nick explained. "Like find a house, grow crops. We don't have to stay here, that's all."
"Farming's more your style," Alicia mumbled with annoyance, playing with her knife.
"We have options!" Nick retorted.
"We're not leaving," Madison concluded.
"Why?" Nick asked.
"We're not leaving!" Madison repeated.
"Why are you so convinced that this is the place, mom?"
"Because it's all we have!" Madison exclaimed. "Because there's no place better! Because we hauled you out of that hell hole and Travis died because of it!"
Nick stayed silent as Madison backed away, realising she'd shouted. Kamille watched as the blonde turned around, sighing, as if scolding herself.
"Luciana won't be safe," Nick muttered.
"They let her in," Madison reminded him.
"What if they make her go?"
"You'll have a choice to make," Madison stated tiredly.
Nick swallowed hard, before standing up. He looked to his mother, as if trying to see some side of her that would understand where he was coming from. Eventually he looked to his sister questioningly.
"You want to stay," he stated, an observation.
Alicia crossed her arms stubbornly. "I don't see why not."
Nick clenched his jaw, looking to Kamille, almost for backup, someone to be on his side. Kamille didn't want to get in the middle of this family argument, so she stayed quiet. Nick seemed to gather what this meant.
"You love Kamille, right?" he asked suddenly, looking to Alicia.
Alicia's guard came down as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"
"How can you want to stay in a place that treats her like nothing?" Nick asked, his voice calm but angry. "Her and Luciana, they don't want them here, Alicia!"
"Nick–"
"No! You want to keep her safe, so listen to what I'm saying!" Nick exclaimed, ignoring Madison's warning. "She can't stay here, Alicia! You know that!"
"Don't tell me what I should be doing, Nick, you haven't been here! You don't know anything!" Alicia shouted, already angry, and clearly it was for a lot more than the topic at hand.
"You're going to get her hurt!" Nick retorted knowingly.
"Nick!" Madison shouted, trying to get him to stop.
"We can't stay here, Alicia," Nick told her, trying to convince her.
"Shut up, Nick," Alicia said through gritted teeth.
"Nick, stop it," Kamille butted in, standing up.
Nick looked to Kamille pleadingly. "Why did you change your mind, Kamille?"
"This place is safe for you all," Kamille explained. "Nick, places like this don't just come around."
"It's not safe for you," Nick reminded her. "Not with Troy around."
"Nick!" Alicia shouted.
"You know I'm right!" Nick shouted right back.
"Stop it!" Kamille yelled, stopping both siblings from their childish bickering. She looked between both of them with a glare. "As I have said to Madison before, it is my decision to stay here. I am aware of the consequences, but I am choosing to be here. I don't need either of you telling me otherwise or arguing about it!" She looked to Nick. "Your family want you here, Nick. If they want to stay, they can. And it's up to you if you want to. Just as it is my choice to make, it's also Luciana's. But if she decides to leave, it's then your choice to decide which is more important. That's what Madison is trying to say, okay?!"
Kamille looked between the three of them, an eyebrow quirked as if daring somebody to say something else. Nobody did, and so she nodded and walked out of the cabin, releasing a shaky breath when she stepped outside.
She hadn't meant to yell like that, but she couldn't take hearing Nick and Alicia go back and forth like that. It was stupid and pointless! Deciding to stay there with Alicia and her family was an easy decision, but the weight of it didn't make it any easier to deal with. Kamille knew this place was literal hell to live in, especially for someone like her. She didn't need to be reminded of that with the Clark siblings bringing it up whenever they saw so much as a thoughtful expression on a Kamille's face. She appreciated that they cared, but no, they needed to drop it.
Needing to cool off, Kamille decided to have a walk around the ranch. As she was walking, trying to clear her thoughts, she passed a small garden in front of somebody's caravan. A woman was tending to it, and as she looked up, she pointed to Kamille.
"You there! Can you help me, please?"
Kamille stopped walking, glancing over her shoulder just in case the woman was speaking to somebody else. When she saw nobody, she looked back to the woman. "Me?"
"Yes." The woman nodded, motioning for her to come closer. As she approached cautiously, the woman said, "I need an extra hand to help me replant my shrubs. I think some kids pulled them out as a prank. Can you help me? It's Kamille, ain't it?"
Kamille hesitated. "Er, yes, but I don't really– I'm not really a gardener..."
"Nice to meet you, Kamille, I'm Joanie," she said with a smile, before adding, "I can show you what to do. It shouldn't take long. If you're up for it?"
Kamille was hesitant, but deemed the older woman harmless, and since they were staying there now, it was probably best she tried to fit in. So, she nodded and sat beside the woman.
"I've got rubber gloves inside, but it's better to just use your hands," Joanie explained, looking to Kamille knowingly.
"I'll use my hands," Kamille replied with a small smile.
"Great! I've taken these from my garden in the back and I'm putting them out here from now on," she said, motioning to the shrubs that were placed on the side, waiting to be dug into the empty soil. "You just need to make some space in the soil like this," she used her hands to shovel into the soil, "and gently place the shrubs inside, patting it like this."
She showed Kamille an example, which seemed easy enough, so she got to work as Joanie watched.
"Perfect." Joanie grinned. "You're a natural, Kamille."
Kamille almost chuckled. "Thank you."
As they moved onto the next ones, Joanie tried to make conversation.
"You said you weren't much of a gardener," she recalled, "so if you don't mind me asking, what is it that you did before all of this?"
Kamille licked her lips, nodding. "Yeah, er, so I was studying at university. My parents were doctors, so I wanted to be, too."
Joanie seemed impressed as she looked to Kamille with raised eyebrows. "Wow! That's something!"
Kamille shrugged. "It was, I guess."
Joanie nodded to Kamille. "No matter what the world is like, we'll always need doctors, Kamille."
"Yeah..."
"I can tell you don't want to be here," Joanie said with a small smile.
Kamille widened her eyes, looking to the older woman with an apologetic expression. "Joanie, honestly, I don't mind! The shrubs, it's important and–"
"Not here, silly," Joanie cut her off with the wave of her hand, quite casually, "the ranch. This place. You don't like it here."
Kamille swallowed hard, looking down at her soil-covered fingers.
"The people here aren't all that great," Joanie said quietly, understandingly. "I get it. They're scared of change. Of things they don't understand."
"Like me," Kamille mumbled, meeting her gaze.
She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Kamille. You seem nice, you do. I can say that not everybody here is like that. There are some like me, who are here to be safe from whatever is out there."
"How long have you lived here for?" Kamille asked curiously, whilst replanting another shrub.
Joanie thought to herself as she worked alongside her. "About three years, I think? Before the dead rose. It was my husband's idea. He saw one of Jeremiah's commercials on the TV, about preparing for a better future. So, we moved here."
"You just left your life like that? For this place?" Kamille asked, glancing at Joanie.
"Wasn't much of a life," Joanie said honestly. "I was working a low-paid job, as was my Jack. We weren't happy. Gardening was my favourite, so it's not like I lost that."
Kamille listened intently, watching as Joanie spoke freely and comfortably. She also noticed how the older woman spoke of her husband in the past tense.
"We used our savings and bought into this place," she finished, meeting Kamille's gaze. "Wasn't a bad place to stay when the world ended."
"And Jack..."
"Jack died about a year after we moved here," Joanie elaborated. "Cancer."
"I'm sorry." Kamille frowned.
"It's okay," Joanie said dismissively. "It's life. I miss him, but I know he's up in heaven watching down on me."
Kamille offered a small smile, touched by the woman's optimism. "So, it's just you living here?"
Joanie nodded. "Just me. No kids or nothin'. Clearly it was the right choice," she joked, motioning to the shrubs. "Seriously, how is it funny to dig out shrubs?"
Kamille laughed. "I don't know."
Joanie laughed, too, shaking her head, before looking to Kamille. "You've got some guts sticking it out here, Kamille. Can I ask why?"
"Why what?"
"Why you're doing it," she said, shrugging. "Why are you staying here? When some of the people here can be... how they are."
Kamille sighed, recalling her outburst earlier. "You know of Madison and her kids, right?" Joanie nodded, so Kamille continued. "Alicia, her daughter, she's my girlfriend. She's been there for me since the start. Her and her family. I owe it to them to have this fresh start. They deserve to be somewhere safe, especially after losing Travis."
"I heard about that," Joanie said, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Kamille nodded gratefully. "Thank you... I guess I'm putting up with this place for them."
"You don't want to leave them," Joanie noted.
Kamille smiled dryly. "They're the only family I have left. I'd do anything for them."
Joanie pursed her lips as she watched Kamille, before saying, "That's admirable."
"Barely."
Joanie cracked a smile. "Let's finish up these last few shrubs and then I want to show you something."
Kamille nodded and helped her replant the last few, watering them with her, before following the sixty-something year old to the space behind her caravan. She was surprised when she saw a patch similar to what was out front, but filled with a variety of flowers growing.
"You did all of this?" Kamille asked, looking at all the beautiful colours.
"They grow the food out in the fields, but not many flowers, so I thought I'd grow my own," Joanie replied with a proud smile. "Can you pass me those clippers behind you?"
Kamille perked up and nodded instantly, turning to grab the clippers that were on the table. She passed them to Joanie, who gladly accepted them and leaned down, trimming some flowers from their stems.
"What are you doing?" Kamille asked.
Joanie was trimming a variety of flowers as she answered, "Patient, Kamille."
Kamille waited quite impatiently, watching as Joanie gathered a beautiful bunch of flowers, tying them together with some twine that was on her table of tools. She held them out for Kamille to take.
"It's a thank you for helping me, and also something to show you that we're not all bad down here," Joanie explained, a bright smile on her face.
Kamille accepted the flowers reluctantly. "Wow... they're beautiful, Joanie."
"They'll really brighten up that old cabin Jeremiah gave you," she winked. "A welcome gift for you and your family, if you will."
Kamille found herself smiling appreciatively at the short woman, trying not to touch her clothes with her dirty fingers, but giving her a quick hug.
"It means a lot," Kamille said kindly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now go on. You should get back to them. I've kept you."
Kamille smiled at her, nodding once more, before leaving with the flowers in hand, feeling a little more reassured that this place wasn't entirely bad.
//
you may present your theories... now! 👀