Between Arrows and Hearts - Daryl Dixon

Making new friends

Cass thought back to the crazy old guy in her hometown, always standing in the town square, yelling about the end of the world. Lately, she'd been thinking about him a lot. If she had listened, maybe she could be back at home, with her family, facing all this together. But she hadn't, and now here she was —halfway across the world— trying to figure out if the berries in front of her were even safe to eat.

Her knees ached; she'd been crouching for at least ten minutes, staring at the little fruits, trying to remember random facts from nature documentaries or survival movies. Frustrated, and not at all sure if eating these would just give her —and the whole camp— a serious case of food poisoning, she sighed and ran a hand over her face. She had promised the kids to bring back something other than canned food.

Deciding to take a chance, she started taking the berries, gathering them into the bucket Lori had given to her. She'd just filled it halfway when a creaking sound startled her. Turning quickly, she froze. A man with a crossbow aimed straight at her was stepping out from behind a bush.

"Don't move." He ordered, his tone steady and firm.

The man watched her closely, sizing her up, and Cass quickly regretted her careless idea. She had no weapons, just a bucket of berries. And even if she screamed, the group wouldn't reach her before he could shoot. Slowly, she set the bucket down and raised her palms, trying to show she wasn't a threat.

Cass gave him a good look: Rough-looking, probably in his thirties, with dirty clothes, dark blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. He had a knife strapped to his belt, a rope slung over his shoulder with a few squirrels and maybe a rabbit hanging from it. He looked like he'd been out in the woods a long time.

"Don't shoot." she said softly.

He just studied her for a second before saying, with a strong southern accent that could be heard in each one of his words. "You're with the camp at the quarry." It wasn't even a question, he said it more like he already knew.

Cass didn't bother lying; anyone could tell she wasn't out here alone. Her clothes were clean, and she wasn't carrying any weapons. "Yes." she replied with a nod. "Are you alone?" 

"No." After a second he added, "with my brother." Seeming to decide that the girl wasn't a real threat, the man lowered his crossbow slightly.

Cass took a quick look around. "Is he here?"

"Ya see him?" He barked, looking at her like she was stupid.

Cass couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that his brother wasn't literally here, she'd meant if he was close. But with the guy's intense look and all those dead animals slung over his shoulder, she half-wondered if his "brother" was something he was making up or at least just imagining. Clearly she didn't say that out loud: although the man had already lowered the crossbow, he didn't seem like the most stable person around.

"I wanted to say if he was close." She clarified, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

"No, he's a little far away."

Cass nodded, taking in the new information. She hesitated before saying: "Do you know if these berries are good? You seem like the kind of person who knows this."

"You can eat 'em, but you'll be shitting yourself for days."

The big laugh that came out of Cass surprised even herself. She hadn't expected the serious man in front of her to respond like that. "Do you know which ones I can eat without shitting myself?

He hid a small smile, clearly pleased to get a laugh out of her. "Come."

Cass hesitated. She had already been stupid enough to walk away from the camp without some weapon. Following a stranger couldn't be a much better decision. But something about the man made her trust him. Besides, if he wanted to harm her, he could have already done it. With that thought in mind, she began to follow the stranger.