Death Of Me

xi

CHUPACABRA

        Venus walked through the woods with her siblings, her gun back in her hands. Shane and Rick gave everyone their guns back for when they went out to look for Sophia and Jasper. Her spare gun that she didn't tell anyone about, was in Caspian's hands, as she had originally planned for it to go. She remembered that day on the highway as she placed a pink rag on one of the trees, letting Arrow nail it in. She meant to give it to him before he had ran off after the two kids, but never got the chance to.

      "Do you think we'll ever find them?" She hears Arrow's very quiet voice. Venus's head snaps to her younger sister, a scowl on her face. However, the look on her face drops when she sees tears in her eyes.

     "I think we will." Venus gave Arrow a bright smile, wiping off dirt from her cheek.

     "Yeah, don't lose faith in them, okay? They're just sticking it out and waiting for us to find them, they know we're coming." Caspian added on, messing with Arrow's already messy hair.

     Arrow smacks away his hand, scowling at him, "I know not to lose faith, I just needed the reassurance."

       "Let's head back, okay? We can look for them later today or tomorrow." Venus takes Arrow's hand and leads the way back, Caspian following shortly behind.

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       When the three got back, they thanked Hershel for allowing them to stay in the attic before grabbing all their items from said attic, and taking them outside. Glenn watched from by the RV as Venus helped set up their tent.

    "Walker, walker!" Andrea shouts frantically from on top of the RV. Venus turns around after finishing one last final touch.

      "Just the one?" Rick questions from his spot next to Lori. Venus patted Arrow's shoulder before moving to stand next to the RV. Andrea picks up the binoculars to look in the direction of the walker. 

      "I bet I can nail it from here." Andrea announces as she puts down the binoculars to pick up the rifle. Glenn rushes past Caspian to grab a machete.

      "No no, Andrea. Put the gun down." Rick sternly demands, pointing at her. Caspian grabs his own weapon, making his way to the RV.

      "You'd best let us handle this." Shane advises Andrea, walking forward with T-dog, a pick in hand. Andrea glares down at them, not wanting to be told no.

     "Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with walkers." Rick argues, trying to get Shane to stop. Venus turns around in surprise when Glenn nudges a wooden bat into her side. Venus takes it silently, as she watches the interaction. He taps her elbow twice and gestures for her to follow. She sighs and jogs towards them, Caspian following shortly after.

      "What for man, we've got it covered." Rick doesn't try stopping them as he runs back into the RV. Arrow walks up to the RV, looking up at Dale, who shrugs as Rick runs past.

      As they get closer to the walker, Venus begins to realize that it looks familiar the more she looked at it. Their breaths come out harshly as they finally approach the walker.

     "Is that Daryl?" Glenn breathlessly questioned, making it register in Venus's mind. The mud on his face didn't even disguise him, if anything it was the blood. He had a necklace with walker ears on the makeshift chain, blood all over his torso, and his crossbow hanging by his feet as he walked.