Safe Zone

Chapter 5

~Carl's P.O.V.~

"The closest materials?"
   "Yep, about a block from the Potomac River, don't worry, it's not too far."
"What about hords? Isn't it pretty bad out there?"
   "We have no idea, we haven't been very far in that direction since, you know, shit hit the fan." I could hear my dad chuckle in response to the man's awkwardness. I think that these people were so closed off from what was happening, that they forgot how to communicate with people they weren't close to.
   "We'll give it a try, come on, let's talk with Deanna about who to take." My dad and the Alexandrian walked out of the house, where I couldn't hear them speaking. I lifted my ear from the door, and turned to where Kaysie was sitting, crouched in the corner, whittling a stick down to nothing.
   "They said something about the Potomac River, or something like that. My dad was worried about herds." Kaysie looked up from the knife in her hand and furrowed her eyebrows.
   "Potomac River? Ain't that far from here, same district." Of course, Kaysie knew the area. I don't know how, but she knew directions to pretty much every place on this planet, street names, house numbers, everything. "Odd place to look for materials, ain't nothing but houses and a few businesses along the water."
   "They're talking about a site a block from it, any of that ring a bell?" I asked, hoping that she could somehow remember a construction site in that area.
   "Nope, I don't know everything, Carl." She chuckled and looked back down at the knife she was using to sharpen that stick, "I know it may seem like it at times, but I ain't the brightest human on this earth."
   "I don't know, you're the smartest person I know." It was true, Kaysie could easily run this town if she had to, not that she would, considering that she hates it here.
   My dad and Abraham wanted to make more guard towers, because apparently this place needed more protection from not only walkers, but random groups outside the walls. They needed materials, and one of the men that had been here since the beginning of the outbreak told them about some construction sight that would be a good place to get the materials we needed. The only problem was, the sight was in the middle of the city.
   Because of the dangers someone could face heading into a formerly populated area, my dad had to choose wisely when making a list of who he should bring. Of course, I was not on this list, neither was Kaysie, though she thought she should be able to go considering that her brother was going, and Kaysie was one of Alexandria's best shots.
   "This whole thing is stupid. It's a suicide mission and your dad knows it." Kaysie said, slightly irritated.
   "I don't want this thing to happen either, but I don't think there is any chance of changing his mind once it's made up." I replied, thinking about how there is no going back once my dad has a plan.
  
   ~Kaysie's P.O.V.~

~~

   "Now tell me Kaysie, how old are you?" Deanna asked as the camera rolled. To be honest I didn't know how old I was anymore, but why did it even matter?
   "What's the date?" I said flatly, pursing my lips and looking at the bookshelf to my left.
"Today's date is November 19th of 2012" She replied without batting an eye. November 19th 2012. The words rang in my head like god had just spoken them. It had been two and a half years. Two and a half years I had lived in this dog eat dog world. Two and a half years of surviving. Of running, killing. Two and a half years of complete and utter brutality.
   November 19th. I had been 15 for about three months now. My birthday had passed just like that. We were on the road at the time, walking no place in particular, and it just passed.
   And Carl, how old was he? He told me his date of birth once, I remember him telling me, but what did he say? We were around the same age, not more than six months apart was all I knew, but it could have been more. 15? 16?
   I was brought back to reality by a concerned looking Deanna.
"Kaysie, are you alright?" She said, furrowing her eyebrows. "If this is too much for you, we can continue this later." Did she really just say that? Did she think that I was so damn fragile, that I couldn't even handle knowing the date?
   "Too much for me? Do you know what I went through out there?" I said, a little offended by whom she portrayed me to be.
   She tried to cut in before I went on, "Now Kaysie, you know that's not what I meant when I said that."
   I shook my head, "I think that out of all the things I went through, some prissy politician lady telling me what the date is would be the least of my fucking problems."
   "I'm sorry Kaysie, I really am, but can you please telling me your age? I want to know a lot about you. You are a young survivor with great potential." She was trying to change the subject back to what it originally was. I let her.
  I shrugged and glared at her, "I'm fifteen."

~~

   "You can handle this, Kaysie." Rick said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I brushed his hand off, and crossed my arms. "I know I can, but I could also handle going with y'all."
   Rick sighed, looking irritated because I wouldn't drop the fact that I couldn't go with the group to get materials for the towers Rick wanted to build. "I already told you, if Daryl's not letting you go, I'm not letting you go, and if I'm not letting you go, you're not going. Beside's, Deanna needs you in the tower, keeping the place safe."
   "What about Carl, can't he take over that while i'm gone? And I swear, Rick, if my brother don't come back from this trip," I pointed the switch blade at him that I was using to whittle a twig, "I will kill you with my bare hands."
   He shook his head and looked at the sidewalk beneath us, "Is that why you want to go? To protect your brother?"
   I shrugged and spoke through my teeth, "Does it matter, Rick?"
"No. No, it doesn't. You're not going. End of discussion." He turned and walked away, leaving me with a brilliant idea.

   Hope you enjoyed! Please vote and comment on this and have a lovely day :)