The Dead World

Two ~ Rednecks

After three weeks the group had settled into a routine, everyone had chores to survive like the women would cook and clean clothes for the camp, Glenn had gone on a few scavenging runs for odd bits at that point, the guy was fast and good at getting in and out without fuss she'd give him that. Most of the men guarded the quarry, chopped wood and made the fires.

Over the past three weeks Phoebe and Shane had somehow been given the roles of leaders, Shane however, was more forceful with it and that seemed to make people go and listen to Phoebe more but she was also the sole reason they were all eating well. She was the only who knew how to hunt well enough to catch some food, so every morning she'd leave camp and come back with a few rabbits or squirrels, she'd then gut and skin the small animals before giving the meat to whoever was cooking that night but that was mainly Carol.

She only knew how to do so because of one of her team members Charles who loved to talk, he loved the hunt, tracking and actually eating what he had caught. At first it made her feel a little uneasy and she had wasted a fair bit of meat in the beginning learning how to skin and gut the animals but she quickly got the hang of it. Phoebe couldn't help but agree with her old friend, the hunting was exhilarating, the skinning had become somewhat calming to her now and getting to eat what she had caught or simply watching her family not go hungry because of her was rewarding.

The only thing she hadn't managed to perfect was the tracking, she could track but it was taking her a while to identify certain tracks. Others were easier like rabbits and deer but as she didn't have any books to show her tracks and what made them it was guess work.

In the camp a few people didn't pull their weight mostly Ed, Carols husband but Carol pulled a shit ton of her own weight basically making up for his end, no one wanted to say anything as they'd seen what had happened to the woman when Phoebe had spoken up the first week of camp. Not being able to stand quietly by and watch it she had confronted him and had asked the woman to move both herself and Sophia into the three person tent Glenn had managed to grab Phoebe as a thank you for warning them about the city and the food.

Carol had refused and the next morning walked out with a fresh cut on her cheek, a black eye and several bruises up both of her arms, Phoebe had apologised to the woman in private the same morning when she'd came back from her hunt feeling incredibly guilty. Carol being the sweet woman she was had just smiled gently telling the younger woman not to worry about her, that she'd be fine and since then everytime Ed had spoken to Carol rudely or stood over her threateningly Shane and Glenn had taken to grabbing Phoebe's arm to keep her away.

It was starting to break Phoebe, she was meant to protect people, save them from people who hurt them and Sophia was so young and innocent but Phoebe could tell from the young girls eyes that she knew, maybe even experienced first hand her fathers aggression. But knowing anything she did could potentionally put them in danger and knowing the rest of camp were either too scared of Eds temper to stand up to him or simply not bothered as it didn't effect them, she had to try and believe Carol knew what she was doing.

Phoebe woke and got dressed in her black cargo trousers with her black vest, she didn't want to wear her jacket as it was starting to get very hot and she didn't want to tire quickly on her hunt, she quietly opened her sister in laws tent and tapped her arm gently waking her slightly.

"It's only me Lori, i'm heading out to hunt" Phoebe whispered and Lori nodded yawning.

"Be careful" she warned, Phoebe nodded kissing Carls head gently as to not wake him then she backed out of the tent closing it back up. She walked further into camp and immediately saw Carol and Amy putting wet clothes on the line they'd put up with some thick wire Glenn had found.