Hiraeth (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 25

The two hunters returned to the prison with Daryl's crossbow strap around the grey-brown dog's neck like a leash. As it walked and panted, Cailey could see its ribs through its fur and skin more. She padded silently through the prison field with Daryl, and Rick greeted them at the building gates.

"That a dog?" The man drawled out with a slightly surprised face.

"No, it's a possum," Cailey hung her hands limply to her sides.

"Where'd you find him?" Rick ignored the girl's sarcasm. "Just in the forest?"

"Some ole' farm," Daryl shrugged one hand towards the direction they came. "Not much there, mostly cleaned out. Found 'im in a bush."

The former sheriff gave a small smile as he hunched down, petting the scared dog. "I'm assuming you're gonna wanna be keeping him?"

"Could help," Daryl made an excuse, watching Cailey. They both knew they simply liked the dog. "Pretty easy to train tah be guard dogs."

Rick grinned again, seeing through Daryl's excuse. "All righ', but Cailey, I'm puttin' you in charge of him. You've gotta be the one to make sure he's safe and fed and doesn't attack nobody."

Cailey gave the man a small nod, her hand resting on the soft fur of the dog's head.

"Woah," a loud boyish voice called. "You found a dog?"

Rick turned to his son as the boy ran up to the dog. There were four people crowding around the dog now, and Carl was trying to pet it, and the dog began cowering away behind Cailey and Daryl.

"All right, bud," Rick put a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Why don't you give him some space for now? There'll be more time to meet him. Why don't you go finish your reading?"

Carl nodded, fixing the cowboy hat he always wore as he turned away. The man nodded back at Cailey, putting his hands on his hips. "So you gonna take care o' that dog?"

Cailey nodded again, hand still on the soft fur, thumb stroking over his floppy ears. Daryl unclipped his crossbow strap from the dog's neck, nodding at the girl. When he looked up again, he saw Rick with a wide, confused look on his face. The sheriff was staring out behind the hunters, towards the outside field gates. Daryl and Cailey turned their heads.

There was a woman amongst the walkers. A living woman with dark braids in her hair, a headband, a sword, and a bullet through her leg. She held a shopping crate of baby formula in one hand. She was covered head-to-toe in dark blood, and the smell of it was disguising her from the walkers. They weren't attacking her.

"Cailey, get back inside," Rick whispered, as if talking normally would trigger the hearing of the woman hundreds of feet away.

"I can help," the girl whispered back, hand holding tighter to the dog's shoulder.

"Go inside," the man repeated. "Bring that dog, and tell the others. She has that formula. Glenn and Maggie could be gone."

Cailey nodded, pulling gently on the dog's scruff to encourage him to follow her. She jogged through the tunnel hallways of the prison, staring back every once in a while to make sure her new companion was padding behind. The cell block lighting shone through, and she ran inside. Carl and Hershel and Carol were inside the dining, and Beth was sitting on the stairs by the cells. Cailey announced "Someone here. Rick's bringin' em in. Get in the cells."

There wasn't any question. Hershel hopped over from his crutches into his cell, Beth hid with her father, and Carl sat silently on his bed. Carol approached Cailey first. "You should go in, too, Cailey. I can lock the doors."