My Hope

Chapter 14

Sarah's POV

The next morning I woke up rested and happy. This was the most happy I had been in a while. I got dressed and headed towards the house where everyone was standing around the porch and talking. It seems that Rick had called a meeting or something of that nature.

"Mornin'." a voice from behind me made me jump. Daryl walked up beside me with his crossbow over his shoulder. I smiled and he nodded back. I turned back to Rick and saw Shane staring down Daryl and I. It was like he had something against us.

I knew Daryl was still pissed off about the fight they had the other day because you could see it plain as day on his face. I nudged Daryl's arm, trying to get his focus off Shane. Daryl turned to me, his anger towards Shane turning into a little smirk on his face.

"I wanted to start off by thanking Hershel and his family for letting us stay on their farm. Also for helping save Carl and Sarah." Rick said, nodding to Hershel who was sitting in an old rocking chair.

"I think it is time we started helping more around the place like going on runs, helping around the farm and in the house. It is time we paid out dues." Rick looked to me and I nodded back, knowing what he meant. Hershel saved Carl and I's life and Rick would forever be grateful to the man.

"We will start organizing groups to go on runs and to keep watch at night. That's all." Rick stepped off the porch stair and walked towards the truck where it seemed all the planning and organizing had been going on. Before heading over to the cars, I walked over to Hershel and Maggie who were talking.

I walked up the stair towards Hershel and leaned against the banister closest to them.

"It seems I never really thanked you for saving Carl's life," I started off. "And mine. Thank you."

"Your welcome. It was my pleasure." he said back to me with a kind smile upon his face. He seemed like a good man, a man who still had hope in the world. I nodded my head to Maggie and started walking towards the trucks.

I was about halfway there, Shane looked up from the maps he was looking at and gave me a mean look. I finally got to where Rick, Shane, T-Dog, Glenn and Daryl were talking when Shane opened his mouth, "We don't need your help." he said, emphasizing the "your" in the sentence.

Rick looked up from the map and gave Shane a mean look. I walked up next to Daryl and Glenn, resting my hand on my hip. "What is your problem with me huh? You have been staring at me and giving me mean looks for days." I said, tired of him acting like a child.

"Look, why don't you go and help clean some clothes or something." Shane said.

"Do I look like a maid to you. Why don't you go and do your own laundry, you self-righteous pig." I stepped forward a little getting into his face.

Before Shane could get at me Rick stepped in between. "Enough." he said, pushing Shane back. I turned and started walking away. I felt a hand grab my arm and turn me. My eyes met Daryl's and he let go of my arm.

"Why don't you come huntin' with me today? Get away from all this?" he nodded his head back in the direction he came in. Shane and Rick were fighting about something, most likely Shane attitude problem or something like that.

"Might as well, just let my grab a few things." I said, excited to spend time with Daryl.

"Meet me by my tent, near the wood line in about ten minutes." he said and turned around to tell Rick where we were going.

I turned and walked a fast as I could to my tent. Carol was walking to the camp with a large clump of dirty clothes in her hand. I smiled and said hi to her when a shirt fell from her hands and hit the ground. She kept walking so she mustn't have seen it.

"Carol!" I quickly grabbed the shirt and ran it to her. She turned and saw the shirt in my hand. She let out a sigh and I handed her the shirt.

"You need some help." I offered, hoping she wouldn't.

"No, I am just fine." she said. "Where are you in such a rush too?" she asked as I was about to leave. I didn't know what to tell her so I just told her the truth.

"Out hunting with Daryl. He asked and I needed to get away anyway." I said, helping her to retrieve a shirt sleeve that was hanging from her large bundle. She smiled with a worrisome look.

"You like him?" she asked shifting her feet.

"I think so...I mean," the words spilled from my mouth so fast that I couldn't stop them. Carol smiled at me, almost like she was trying to hold back laughter. I put my hand on my hip, starting to worry that she knew something different.

"You don't need to worry..." she said dropping the clothes onto a little chair next to her.

"He likes you too. I can tell. The way he looks at you, its the way every girl wants to be look at with. The same way Rick looks at Lori and the same way Glenn looks at Maggie." Carol words made the butterflies in my stomach go away as she put her hand on my arm.

"Thanks." I pulled her into a hug. "Be safe out there." she said as I pulled away.

I ran to my tent and got a few things and put them into my bag. Just things I reached for my knife, forgetting all about it for the past few days. I put it into my boot and started walking towards Daryl's little camp.

Daryl's POV

"Meet my by my tent, near the wood line in about ten minutes." I said. She turned back to her tent and I went to go talk to Rick.

As I walked closer to where Rick and Shane were fighting, Shane yelled at Rick one more time before walking away. As he passed me, Shane gave me one last mean look.

I kept walking to Rick, who was wiping the sweat off his face. He looked stressed about a lot of things.

"Hey man, Sarah and I are going huntin' for a little while. We'll be back by sunset." I said watching Rick look up from the ground.

"Alright." he said. I turned to walk away, but Rick's voice stopped me.

"Apologize to Sarah for me. Shane can be an ass when he wants to be." a little fake smile crept onto his face.

I nodded to him, telling him that it was all good. "Keep her safe." Rick said. I stared him in the eye, telling him that I would. I walked back to my tent where I told Sarah to meet me.