It's getting later, and the men still haven't returned.
I tap my foot impatiently, my shin still aching. Every once in a while, I touch my jaw, wincing.
"Don't worry, Hope. They'll make it back."
I look over to my right. Carl is standing there, grinning.
"Aren't you worried? About your dad or anyone?" I ask.
"No. My dad is tough, and Daryl is too. They'll be fine," he reassures me.
I sit down, and he does too.
We sit together in silence for a few minutes.
"Carl?" I ask.
"Yeah?"
"What's Daryl like?"
Carl shrugs. "I don't really know him. He's always hunting and stuff. He has a weird accent. Why do you ask?"
I laugh. "I have to share a tent with him when he gets back. I should know stuff about my roommate, right?"
He smiles and nods. "I guess that's true. Besides, if it doesn't work out with him, you can come share my tent!"
I smile again. Being around Carl makes me happy.
"How old are you?" I ask.
"I'm twelve."
"Seriously? You're getting pretty old aren't you?"
"How old are you?" he asks, grinning broadly.
"Guess."
He touches his chin, thinking. "You said you were twenty-five when you came to Atlanta...but you don't look that old. I'm gonna say...twenty-six."
I shake my head. "Nope. Remember, I said I spent three years in Atlanta?"
Carl's forehead wrinkles. "Oh...so...twenty-eight?"
"Bingo! Give the boy a prize!"
He grins. "YES! I WIN!"
We both laugh heartily, and I feel content. I haven't laughed like this in so long.
"What's being an adult like?" he asks.
I shrug. "It's harder than childhood. There's responsibilities and work and the whole lot. You have to know all these weird things about yourself for legal reasons..." I trail off.
"What sort of weird stuff?"
"Birth certificate number, blood type, all that stuff you don't really worry about when you're little."
His eyes light up. "I know my blood type! It's a-positive!"
I laugh. "That's mine too."
"Blood twins!" He stops. "Ew...that sounds weird."
"Unless we're secretly vampires."
He giggles, making me smile. He looks past me into the main part of camp, his eyes widening.
"Woah! Look at that!" Carl jumps up and points.
I follow his finger to where Andrea and Amy are walking into camp, carrying large amounts of fish.
Carl dashes towards them, and I follow close behind.
"Can you teach me how to fish like that?" he asks Andrea.
"I wouldn't have a problem with that," Lori says, looking impressed.
"Looks like we'll have fresh fish for supper tonight!" Morales says excitedly to his children.
Dale walks over to the group with a worried look on his face.
"I hate to kill the excitement, but..." He points at a hill a little ways away.
On the hill, Jim stands, digging furiously. We all start moving towards the hilltop.
Once we get there, we all stand together watching Jim dig. He doesn't even acknowledge that we're there.
"Jim? What are you doing?" I ask, deeply concerned.
"Digging," he answers, burying the shovel head into the ground.
"Yes, but why?" Shane asks.
"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone," Jim says.
"Dale says you've been out here all day. It's 100° out, you can't do this for long," Morales says.
"Sure I can, watch me." He starts stabbing the earth furiously.
"Jim? Please stop. You're scaring Carl and Sophia..." Lori pleads, gesturing to Carl and Carol's daughter.
He doesn't respond this time.
"Go take a break," Shane orders.
"And if I don't?" Jim challenges. "Are you gonna smash my face in like you did with Ed Peletier?"
"That was different. He attacked his wife and Hope. Go take a break," Shane repeats.
"No."
"Jim..."
He swings the shovel as Shane tries to grab it. Shane dodges it and tackles him.
"No one's gonna hurt you. No one is gonna hurt you," Shane says, cuffing Jim's hands.
"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and two boys, but it didn't matter. They came out of nowhere, dozens of them. Took them right out of my hands. The only reason I got away-" He takes a deep breath. "-is cause the dead were too busy eating my family."
Shane grabs Jim and takes him away from the group. We exchange glances at each other. Carl and Sophia look terrified. We all start walking back down the hill.
When we get there, I see that Shane has tied Jim to a tree in the shade and given him water. Carl, Lori, Sophia, and Carol are sitting at a table nearby, doing schoolwork.
The world ends, and even then, kids still have to do homework.
I stroll over to Jim and stand in front of him.
"Hey," I say.
"Hey," he says gloomily. "Sorry for freaking you out back there. It's just-"
"Yeah. You probably have a bit of sunstroke." I look up to the sky. "Why were you digging in the first place?"
"Some dream I had. I can't remember..." He closes his eyes and leans against the tree.
I nod and walk away. He needs his rest.
YOU ARE READING
Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)
Fanfiction"Why're you bein' so nice to me?" "I would want the same if I were you." Hope Starling was alone when the dead started rising. She had always been alone, with parents that had disowned her and no friends to help her. Inside the department store in...
