cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

3

"I was stupid. I should've known taking that knife was gonna lead me to trouble. And it sure did. My father beat the crap outta me. As I sit here, telling my tale, I wipe away the saliva my so-called father spat at me while I was crying on the floor."

"I'M SORRY." CAROLINE GASPED as her father gripped her arm and dragged her into her room and slapped her,

He pushed her into the wall as Caroline grasped her cheek, trying to get rid of the stinging pain. She slid to the ground and her father spit at her before exiting the room, leaving her daughter to cry herself to sleep,

"Day 44. I spent most of my time trying to cover the bruise that my father gave me last night. I didn't have much makeup, but I used most of it to cover my cheek before helping out with laundry."

"Morning." Lori greeted the next day as she approached the laundry basket, where Carol and Caroline were hanging laundry up,

"Good morning." Carol replied,

"I can't believe I slept in." Lori sighed as she began to hang up clothes,

" You must have needed it. Feeling all right?" Carol asked,

"Next time wake me, all right? Especially on laundry day."

"We can manage." Carol stated, looking over at Caroline who was hiding behind her hair, "I had an idea I wanted to run by you."

"What's that?" Lori asked,

"That big kitchen of theirs got me thinking. I wouldn't mind cooking in a real kitchen again. Maybe we all pitch in and cook dinner for Hershel and his family tonight. Kind of looking for things to keep my mind occupied." Carol explained,

"After everything they've done for us, seems like the least we could do." Lori said,

"You mind extending the invitation?" Carol asked looking at both Lori and Caroline before focusing on Lori, "Would just feel more right coming from you."

"How so?"

"You're Rick's wife. It sort of makes you our unofficial first lady." She reasoned,

"Morning, guys. Let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover." They all heard Rick's voice as members of the group gathered around the Cherokee. Caroline found herself walking over to the meeting, wanting to listen in. She sat on the red cooler and leaned back against a tree, "All right, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far."