Finding love again

Better Angels

Smut in chapter. Don't like, skip and continue on.⚠️

Callie's POV:

I rub Emma's back gently as she cries softly in my neck as we pay our respects to Dale who we buried next to Sophia, Maggie's stepmother and stepbrother.

"Dale could- could get under your skin. He sure got under mine because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought. How he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us, the truth, who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives. Our safety, our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale," Rick spoke and my jaw clenches a bit at some of his words.

More so with how we have to do things Dale's way. Turn the boy loose and pray he doesn't find his group. That's a pipe dream.

I connect eyes with Frank who looks displeased by the new rules. This might just come and bite us in the ass later on.

After a few more minutes of silence we all walked back towards our camp where we began packing up our things.

  "It's gonna be tight, 18 people in one house," Rick tells Hershel who sighs with a shake of his head.

"Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..," he starts to say when Maggie took over.

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell," Maggie adds giving Emma a smile who ran up to her.

She lifts her up and set her on her hip. "She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago. We can double up in rooms and such," Hershel announces making Rick nod his head.

I set the last bag in our trunk before shutting it with a sigh. "All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out towards the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill. Another in the barn loft. That should give us sight lines both sides of the property. T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going," Rick announces firmly.

"I'll stick the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be,"Hershel states as he walks by with a crate of supplies.

I picked up a backpack that was on the ground. I believe it is Frank's. "What about patrols?" Andrea asks as she walks over.

"Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Callie and Frank will assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose," Rick answers glancing at me and I nod.

I toss Frank his bag and he chuckles while nudging me. "We need to keep the cars unlocked and have the keys inside just in case we need a fast getaway from walkers," I spoke up and Rick nods.

"Good idea. Easier escape," he agrees with a nod and I nod. Exactly what I was thinking. I pick up a crate full of water jugs and begin walking towards the house with the others.

   "Callie, would you mind helping Hershel keep an eye on things around here while Daryl and I cut Randall loose," Rick calls out to me and I slow my pace to be next to them.

  "Yeah of course, Sheriff. Frank and I will help out," I say with a wink making him shake his head with a chuckle.

   I chuckle to myself and walked ahead to catch up with my girls. Maggie smiles at me softly and gently pushes Emma up more on her hip.