wild west ➳ rg

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»06
THE MAN WHO GAVE ME A WILL TO LIVE

     "I JUST CAN'T understand it," West tilted her head back into the water, freeing herself from as much of the grime and sweat that she could. She cleaned out the edge of her finger nails with a sharp pebble. "I mean, he's tall, sure. But the ginger hair? The caterpillar stash? Blue eyes, okay, understandable. But, 20 years older than you?" West shook her head.
  They had been walking for hours and hours, feet throbbing and sweaty. A break was in order, and everyone separated, foraging for fruit and nuts, filtering water, and bathing. West hadn't bathed since her inconvenient shower, and before that, not for a long time. Her cut pinched slightly under the cold water, but it soothed it. She could smell the stench of the dirt and blood soaking off of her. It was chilly, but the hot sun had been beating down on them, so she knew that when they got to walking again it'd be a breath of fresh air. The shivers would subside. Her stomach growled, and she hoped everyone would find something. West felt she needed the unserious banter to lighten the mood, mainly for her baby sister more than anyone else. She had the energy for it today.

"Age doesn't even matter anymore," Lina said confidently. "Love is love. And Abraham's a good guy."

  "I'm happy you're happy, really," she said to Rosita. "But I think Josiah's more your speed."

  "Eww!" Josie cringed. "Please don't put that image in my brain, like, ever." West sucked her teeth and splashed Josie, who backed up and covered her eyes.

  "Abraham saved us when it went downhill in Dallas. West, when's the last time you actually liked someone?" Rosita asked curiously as she sharpened her knife against a rock.

  "Fair point. I was too busy raising my child." West said jokingly, and this time, Josie splashed her.

  The girls reunited with their group and filled their stomachs up with pecans, and they were, unfortunately, back on their way to nowhere. West was accustomed to wandering around aimlessly, and she was happy to do it with a group instead. She hung back with Rosita, Josiah, and Abraham, trying to decide when the best time to ask Rick about Washington was. Abraham wanted to wait for the perfect moment, because he saw many assets among the group that he couldn't bear to leave. But, he also was rushing, and wouldn't wait too long.

  "We protect the kid in numbers," Josiah reasoned. "And I'm not going anywhere until all those numbers are ready."

  Abraham sighed heavily. Rosita put a hand on his arm to try and steady him.

Before either had a chance to butt heads, a man from afar screamed, "Help! Help!"

Rick held up his hand to signal that everyone should refrain from making another step. Josie ran forward next to Carl. "Dad, come on. Come on!" Carl pleaded urgently. In the distance, West could hear walkers growling, and a second before Carl took off, Josie did.

"God damn it!" Josiah yelled and sprinted after Carl and Rick, West outrunning all of them to reach her sister.

"Josie!" she whisper-shouted. "Josie!"

They reached a man on top of a large rock, who was kicking his legs at five dead ones that clawed at the bottoms of his shoes. Josie shot one on sight, and West ran up on the rest of them, jamming the edge of her rifle through one's head. Rick, Daryl, and Carol handled the rest with speed; Carol daggered one in the skull, and as another one reached to attack, Daryl shot it with an arrow from his crossbow. Rick had one in place against the boulder, already dead. West stared up at the rock. It was a priest who cowered on top. He had an all black vestment and a white roman collar. He was entirely bald.