Finding Abigail (Daryl Dixon)

3

I was sat washing clothes in the quarry. While I was here I was expected to contribute, and since nobody needed medical attention there was nothing else to do. Shane and Carl were off to the side, in the water trying to catch frogs. "I'm not getting anything." Carl huffed. "Yeah being so wily staying submerged. Little suckers they know something's going on. That's what's going on. Just going to have to do this the old fashioned way. All right little man, look. You are the - you are the key in all this, okay? All I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go after one of them, alright? Scare the rest of them off. They're all gonna scatter. I'm gonna drive em your way, okay?" I smiled to myself as I scrubbed the groups dirty clothes, it was nice to see the boy be able to be a boy again and not have to worry about the dead. I turned my attention to Ed he was paying close attention to us working away, shock horror he was doing absolutely nothing. Shane and Carl were soaked down to the skin, splashing around trying to catch frogs. "What have you got bad boy? What have you got? What have you got? What have you got?" He hyped Carl up. "Dirt." He replied. "Oooh boy alright. We've got to start over, let's find this bucket!"

The pair kept laughing and it was a strange sound nowadays. "Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui remarked. "The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" I teased. My eyes flicked back up to Ed again, he was smoking yet another cigarette and was still watching us intently. "It's just the way it is." Carol said. "I spent my life saving other people, being the first person out at the scene, there was more to life than waiting on them hand and foot." I gestured to Ed. "I do miss my Maytag." Carol said. "I miss my Benz, my sat nav." Andrea added. "I miss my coffeemaker with that dual drip filter and built in grinder honey." Jacqui reminisced. There were lots of things from before that I missed, things I never thought I would have to without. "My computer, and texting." Amy said. "I miss my vibrator." Andrea admitted. I laughed along with the women and Carol looked around furtively. "Me too." She said. We couldn't control our laughter and it grabbed Ed's attention. "What's so funny?" He asked as he got up from the tailgate and walked closer. "Just swapping war stories Ed." Andrea tried to deter him, he continued smoking and walked up behind Carol.

"Problem Ed?" I asked. "Nothin that concerns you." I rolled my eyes. "And you ought to focus on your work, this ain't to comedy club." Andrea huffed at him. He was the exactly the kind of man that I thought. He lit up another cigarette. He was a lazy pig, and he didn't deserve his clothes being washed for him. I gripped the wet piece of clothing in my hand and stood up. "Ed tell you what. You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." I threw the shirt at him, he caught it and threw it right back at me, but harder. "Ain't my job, missy." I scoffed and took the bait. "Abigail, don't." Amy softly warned, but I ignored her. "What is your job Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea nodded in agreement. "Well it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart mouthed bitch." My dad always told me never to poke the bear because the bite would be worse. I never listened to a word daddy said, maybe that's why he hated me so much. Ed looked to Carol. "Tell you what, come on. Let's go."

Carol got up to follow him. "I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you Ed." There was a place in Atlanta that I got called to more than I would have liked. It was a place for women to escape domestic violence, and this son of a bitch seemed exactly like the type. "And I say it's none of your business. Come on now, you heard me." I put my hand on Carols shoulder. "Abigail please, it doesn't matter." This woman was scared as hell and I wouldn't let it go easily. "Hey!" He barked at me. I turned back around to face him. "What?" I snapped. "Don't think I won't knock you on your ass just cause you're some college educated cooze, alright?" Andrea gasped in surprise. I wasn't talking that crap from a fat, greasy, middle aged man. "This college educated cooze is the only one here who could save your ass out here, if you suddenly took ill or if you got into a tragic accident so you best watch the way you speak to people." I almost threatened. "Now you come on now or you're gonna regret it later." I stood in front of Carol and I was not moving, it was my job to help the ones in need, and I didn't want to be cleaning up blood or stitching up wounds.