Lottie

The First Run

The next morning, Lottie woke to find Daryl had already left the tent. She dressed quickly, in her usual black jeans and grey t-shirt. She tied her hair in a high ponytail, put on her black combat boots and left the tent, zipping it back up and leaving her bed where it was.

She made her way passed the RV and towards the campfire where Lori handed her a bowl of warm food for breakfast.

"Rick wanted to talk to you, he's with Hershel by the horses." Lori said she smiled "I heard you want to go on a run, you sure you're up for it?"

Lottie nodded, "I need to earn my keep somehow, I'm not good at cooking like Carol and Dale, I can't sew I cant really do anything useful."

Maggie laughed behind her, sitting down on the chair next to her, "I think you're too modest."

"Im not lying." Lottie said. Everyone was quiet, Lori and Maggie smiling in disbelief that Lottie couldn't do anything "Where's Daryl?" Lottie finally asked.

Lori's smile widened, "Worried about him?"

"He wasn't there when I woke up."

"Don't worry, he's in the house cleaning his crossbow." Maggie said smiling too.

"What?" Lottie said confused, looking at both Maggie and Lori repeatedly.

"What's going on between you two?" Lori asked.

"If I'm being honest, I really don't know." Lottie said watching as Daryl left the house walking towards them.

Rick walked up to campfire just as Daryl sat down to eat his breakfast.

"Daryl told me you want to come with us today?" Rick asked Lottie walking around to sit next to Lori.

"If that's okay?"

"Daryl vouched for you, if he trusts you then I do, don't worry, we'll watch out for you" Rick said adjusting his gun belt.

Rick stood again, walked over to Lottie and handed her a sharp knife with a wooden handle. "Daryl also said you'd prefer one of these, like Maggie uses." He said, Maggie held up her knife to show Lottie.

Lottie thanked Rick, Rick stroked his beard and sighed "However," he said "I want you to carry a gun too"

Rick handed her a pistol, explained that is was a Glock 17, showed her how to use the safety and sat back next to Lori. Lottie just sat there, kind of frozen.

"I'll try." She said she stuffed the gun down the back of her jeans and kept eating. Everyone eyed her and Daryl, the two of them avoided eyecontact.

After food was eaten and Lottie had helped wash up, she was called over by Rick to the two cars. Rick and the others were huddled around the bonnet of the first one, a large and complex map spread across it.

"Right, we're going in two groups, we've got a lot to search today. We need medicine from the pharmacy," Rick said pointing to a building on the map "and we need food from the general store, tins are the priority they last longer but if you have space get anything else you think we might need. Water bottles are good, soap, toothpaste whatever you find grab it. Lottie heres a backpack for you." He chucked her a rucksack.

Rick looked around for a moment thinking, "Right, Daryl and Lottie you're coming with me. Maggie, Glenn and T-Dog you're the second group, where do you guys want to search?"

"Let's take the pharmacy, I know a little bit about what we'll need from helping dad" Maggie suggested looking at Glenn and T-dog. "And we can lead the way, I know the quickest and safest way into town"

Rick nodded "That gives us food, you all ready?"

Everyone nodded and got into the cars in their groups.

The ride was short but Lottie didn't pay much attention to the outside, she was eyeing her gun nervously and hoping she wouldn't have to use it.

They turned slowly into a long street. Either side of the road were detached, abandoned stores with windows boarded up and debris scattered about the dark, blood stained concrete. The general store, clothes store, a bar, the pharmacy and many others. Once they arrived they pulled up behind one of the buildings, they all stepped out and met up in front of the general store. It was silent, a few walker corpses littered the long deathly silent street.

Rick and Maggie spoke briefly before the groups separated, the Pharmacy was a few buildings down the street. Rick, Daryl and Lottie turned and walked slowly into the store. Rosie gripping her knife tightly, tucked her gun back into the back of her jeans. The store windows were heavily boarded up, someone had painted 'take what you need, leave what you dont' in black paint across the cracking window of the door.

Nothing. No walkers at the first look so they went separate ways. It was a small store, no bigger than a small house, with racks and shelves about six foot high. They all started to search.