Angel With A Shotgun (Walking Dead Fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen: Light of Hope

Chapter Eighteen


Light of hope


▬ Third Person- No one’s P.O.V ▬ 


     This was the second night in a row Electra has not slept.

     She simply lay on the thin sleeping matt staring up at the ceiling of the tent with Stacie sleeping soundly beside her, her fragile body cocooned into her own. Cautiously, she managed to slither out of the sleeping bag without awakening Stacie before tiptoeing out of the tent, greeted by blinding sunlight piercing her eyes. Shielding her eyes, Electra continued further into camp.

     Her eyes now adjusted to the brightness of the outdoors, she removed her hand to get a better view, laying her eyes on Dale staring at her from his lawn chair and a sleepy Andrea by his side. Sending a small smile at them she grew worried, worried at the fact that Dale just stared at her contemplating on telling her something which of course- he was.

     Unbeknownst to Electra, her brother had raised his shotgun on his best friend behind his back. She deserved to know and no doubt she could tell that he was hiding something from her. But, how on earth could Dale tell her something like that?

     Before Electra could open her mouth an abrupt cough erupted from elsewhere, causing her to turn her head in the direction of Daryl who looked like he wanted a word. Glancing at Dale once more, she then advanced on Daryl who was eating the berries she had collected from their last hunt together. It had seemed like such a long time ago but in reality wasn’t all that long ago. Silently, Daryl raised his hand offering her some as he chewed. Fluttering her eyes back to his she shook her head.

      “Suit yourself,” Daryl shrugged carelessly before throwing the remaining berried into his mouth, Electra’s stomach rumbled. Why did I deny food? Gosh I’m so hungry.

     “Er…..” she trailed off, turning her head ever so slightly so that she was giving him a side glance before digging her hands into her pockets.

     “You really should get some more eye shut ya know,” Daryl advised causing her to again second glance him. “Remember what happened last time?”

     A tingle travelled down Electra’s spine as she remembered how real it had all felt, chasing her ‘mother’ down through the forest in the second day in camp. She could remember the pain and shock she had felt when she realised it was her, so powerful it forced her backwards.

     “How-”

     “You and your heavy breathing nearly kept me up with you all night,” Daryl interrupted her thinking out loud. “Better than your snoring I suppose….” Daryl mused.

     “I do not snore,” Electra snapped at him defensively. “Not my fault I can’t sleep, my mind refuses to shut up,” she stated. “After all what’s so good about sleeping? You can relax when you’re dead,” she added nonchalantly to herself before staring Daryl. “Why do you care?”

     “I don’t particularly, I’m just sayin’”

     “Particularly?! Long word for you Dixon, five whole syllables!” the words had caused both their heads to turn towards Thea who was coming up behind Daryl.

     “I’m just sayin’: Yer no use to anyone without rest,”

     Daryl turned back to Electra for just a second before Thea approached the pair. Turning his head again, Daryl threw Thea a scowl before strutting off.

     “What was all that about?”

     “Nothin’”

     “Okay then…..” Thea trailed off awkwardly patting her legs. “So, you all packed, raring and ready to go?” she questioned enthusiastically.

     “Pffft,” Electra scoffed. “It’s not like I have much to pack and I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to go,” she stated glancing out at the quarry. “This place is beautiful, it was home….ya know?” Electra continued to star out sighing, they had lost their people and their safe haven was not so safe anymore.

     “Amen…..” Thea agreed following Electra’s gaze. She needed something stable in her life, she thought the quarry could have been that but she was wrong. “How’s Stacie? How’s she taking all of this?”

     “Like all the other children are…..” Electra told Thea, turning her gaze back onto Thea. “Badly.” She explained causing Thea to frown. “But she’ll get through, I have faith in that little girl,” Thea shot Electra a small little smile.

     “Hey y’all! Gather around!”

     Shane’s call caused Electra and Thea to immediately turn in the direction of Shane, who was standing nearby Dale, Andrea and now the rest of the survivors who had gathered there. Slowly Electra and Thea re-joined the group, Electra squeezing in between T-Dog and Glenn.

      “Alright, everybody listen up,” Shane ordered over the top of the murders that seemed to die out. “Those of yous with CB’s: We’re gonna be on channel forty- best to keep the chatter down, okay?” he firstly addressed the few with CB’s causing Electra to speak up.

     “And those without CB’s?”

     “Now you gotta problem: don’t have a CB,” Shane continued looking to his sister briefly. “Can’t get a signal at all, you’re going to hit your horn one time. And I mean one time Thea,” Thea dropped her head sheepishly, everyone knew how she got nervous. “That’ll stop the caravan……Any questions?”

     “We’re uh….” Morales hesitated, now all eyes were on him and his wife, Miranda next to him. “We’re not going,” he informed everyone causing a few gasps.

     “We have family in Birmingham,” Miranda piped up in a form of explanation. “We….Not that there’s anything wrong with you guys……we want to be without people,” she explained. 

     “You’re on your own,” Shane reminded them wearily. “You won’t have anyone to watch your back,” he said with a doubtful look.

     “We’ll take the chance,” Morales nodded before turning his head to look at Rick. “I gotta do what’s best for my family,” he eerily echoed Rick’s words to Shane the day before.

     “You sure?”

     Rick was still attempting to get them to rethink, to stay with the group. Morales saw this. “We’ve talked about it,” he looked at Miranda, Louis and Eliza before looking back to Rick once more. “We’re sure,” he assured them.

     “Alright,” Rick sighed, picking up the bag of guns up from the floor and retrieving a Smith & Wesson Model 586 and a box of ammo.

     “Box is half full,”

     “Thank y’all….For everything.”

     “Good luck man,”

     Electra was the first to hug Morales with tears filling her eyes whilst Lori hugs Miranda and the kids all embrace sobbing. Others join in, to put it lightly: they were going to be missed. Crouching down, Electra held one of Eliza/Louis’ tiny hands in her looking at them with a weak smile.

     “You two be safe, yeah?” the tears start to stream down Electra’s face as she speaks gently to the two children who she now had full attention from. “Look after your mommy and daddy,” she told them before being tackled into a little group hug which she drew away from sniffing like crazy. Tears in her own eyes, Eliza handed Sophia a doll.

     “Chanel forty,” Rick spoke up, ruining the beautiful and sad silence. “If you change your minds, alright?” he reminded them.

     “Yeah,” Morales nodded pointedly at Rick before sharing once last glance with the people whom he had shared his apocalyptic world with before turning away to load himself and his children into their car.

     “What makes you think our odds are any better?” Shane questioned Rick in a whisper before turning to the rest. “Come on. Let’s move out!”  

     The group left the campsite behind for good. Dale was driving the R.C with Glenn beside him with the map, Jacqui in the bedroom helping Jim whose fever was worsening. In his Jeep Cherokee, Rick drove his wife sat in the passenger seat beside him as Carol, Sophia and Carl sat in the back. Andrea sat beside T-Dog in the Dodge Ram Wagon staring out of the window seeing Daryl pass them in his Ford F-250 with his motorbike on the back.

    
▬ First Person- Electra’s P.O.V ▬ 


     Inside the deep blue jeep wrangler that my brother was driving there was a long lingering silence which was occasionally interrupted by the odd snore. Little Stacie was stretched out on the backseats sleeping soundly whilst gripping Rory tightly. As soon as I had entered the vehicle I had glued my eyes to the windscreen and they had remained there ever since. Though not looking at him I could sense that Shane's eyes had been constantly flickering between Dale's R.V in front and I the whole journey. Sighing, I decided that I should probably confront him about what I had been contemplating on confronting him the whole time.

     "Thea...." I blurted out with no intention of doing so, the word I had spoken caused Shane to shift in the drivers seat to glance at me. "Thea told me about what happened....." I started again before turning to look at my brother. "When Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl and I were in Atlanta," I revealed causing Shane to sigh beside me.

      "Oh did she now?" Shane grumbled breathily with a tone to his voice that I didn't like as he turned his gaze back at Dale's R.V.

     "Hey! Don't be pissed at her, she did the right thing!" I scorned him causing Stacie to stir in her sleep. "She was concerned about you...." I told him before breathing deeply. "I'm concerned about you," I confided in him resting my hand on his shoulder causing him to look into my eyes. "Give me something to go on....please," I pleaded,

     "Lori accused me of lying to her....about Rick being dead, acting as if I had planned it all so-" Shane began to rant. "I was angry and then I saw Ed hit Carol and I-" he cut himself of, we could both see he was getting worked up now. "I couldn't help but remember back when......I-I couldn't help but to imagine that it was....." all his attempts were failing but I knew what he was trying to tell me and it made my heart break.

     "Oh Shane....."

     "I just lost it." he admitted, his brown eyes shining with tears he was fighting back and succeeding.

     "Shane that's all in the past now," I reassured him, not knowing whether I was reassuring him or myself. "We put that all behind us, I certainly did when I moved to England." I reminded him. "That's never going to happen again,"

     "I know, I know Ellie," Shane agreed. "But I couldn't help it, I'm never going to be able to forget all of it," he informed me.

      "I know Shane... we just have to concentrate on now," I stated. "On...on surviving, the past doesn't matter, it can't hurt us now. The only thing that can hurt us now are walkers, so lets concentrate on them, huh?" I suggested  causing Shane to nod and turn back to face the front.

     "Do you...... d'ya think Morales and his family are going to be alright?" Shane questioned me curiously.  

     "Man.....I sure hope so," I shared my hope with my brother. "Morales is a really good guy, I didn't know his wife very well but she seemed sweet and those kids....those kids were gold man," I reminisced.

     "Do you think we're going to be alright?"

     "Well.....Dale's been saying that we're not going to get very far with that radiator hose in the R.V but-"

     "I meant-"

     "I know what you meant Shane," I sighed. "How am I supposed to know whether we're going to be alright? The best thing we can do is hope and try to do all we can manage to ensure the best," I shrugged.     

     "I think Morales might have had the right idea....." Shane admitted causing me to turn to him curiously. "Separating from the group," he added to make his words make sense to me.

     "I don't." I admitted causing Shane to turn to me with a cocked eyebrow. "What? I'm not going to pretend to be the dutiful sister and agree with you. I honestly think our best bet is with these people," I asserted.

     "Why?"

     "Safety in numbers and all that," I spoke calmly. "These people are more than capable of having our backs," I asserted.

     "We are more than capable of having each other’s backs," Shane claimed as I purely just gawked at him.

     "Are you seriously considering this as an option?" I questioned him, my voice raising in pitch and volume.

     "Aren't you?" he questioned back. "It is a perfectly valid option Ellie and not the worst either," he retorted.

     "Please tell me how it is a perfectly valid option Shane because I would really like to be enlightened over here," I conducted.

     "Look around Ellie!" Shane commanded causing me to look out of the windscreen to see the R.V and Rick's car, then out of the side window to see Daryl beside us in his pick up truck then behind us at the car that T-Dog was driving. "Sure they're good people but look what has happened, so many have died as a consequence of being in a group this big, Amy, Ed," he continued. "One day that may be me-"

     "Shane....." I cut him off, not wanting to imagine any further.

     "No Ellie, it's true." he denied my wishes. "One day that's going to be me, or it's going to be you. That's a risk I just can't take Ellie," he persisted.  

     Before I had time to think a deafening honk of a horn caused Shane to slam his foot down on the break causing us all to jolt forward ever to slightly as he drew to a stop right behind Dale's R.V, from within our car we could see smoke. Shane immediately jumped out of the jeep and slammed the door shut behind him as I opened my door.

     "Electra.....?"