❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter twenty-eight ―― chupacabra

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE GROANED AS SHE SAT UP, her eyes only half open as she looked around the bed of the truck she and Mason had turned into their own little bed – they had blankets laid out and a few pillows. It was the stuff they had found in the cars on the road just days ago.

"You gave up an actual bed for this." Mason grumbled, rolling away from the girl.

"Why'd you let me do that?" She mumbled, holding her shoulder – even with all the blankets they had laid out it wasn't nearly as soft or as comfortable as the bed they had shared the night before.

"I tried, you don't like to listen." He huffed, letting his eyes fall closed.

"Mornin'." Josh greeted as he walked over to the truck but his smile faded a little when Charlie glared at him. "You are not a morning person, are you?"

"Careful. She's cranky– ow!" He tried to warn the other boy and Charlie elbowed his back. "See? Cranky." He huffed as he sat up, the cover falling from his shirtless torso.

"I hate both of you." Charlie pushed herself up and jumped over the side of the truck without her shoes as she made her way towards the fire Shane had started – she had a blanket around her shoulders.

"Mornin', Charlie." Shane nodded towards his sister, amused by her current state. She had closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair, her hair hanging towards the ground.

"Is she dead?" Daryl mumbled, stopping next to the fire.

"Yes." Charlie answered, her eyes still closed so she missed the smirk that pulled around Daryl's lips as he shook his head.

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE STOOD WITH THE OTHERS around the hood of Carol's car. She was a little more awake, her hair was pulled back into a bun – which Lori had done for her – and her boots were on her feet. She stood next to Mason and Josh as she leaned forward on her elbow, her chin in her hand as Rick rolled out the map Maggie had lent to them.

"All right, everyone's getting new search grids today." Rick told them after putting sticks on the corners of the map to hold it open. "Not you." He pointed at Charlie and she huffed, but decided not to argue. "If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might've gone further east then we've been so far." Shane shook his head as he opened the passenger side door and slid into the car.

"I'd like to help." Jimmy – a boy that had been staying with Hershel stated as he neared them. "I know the area pretty well and stuff."

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked, he didn't want to step on the older man's toes.

"Yeah, yeah." Jimmy nodded. "He said I should ask you."

"All right then." Rick patted his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me." Shane started from inside the car. "Anyone could've been holed up in that farmhouse."

"And how would you know?" Charlie asked, her eyes on the back of her brother's head through the windshield. "You know Sophia that well? Cause you spent time with her? Read her books? Actually got to know her?"

"Charlie-"

"No." She shook Mason off before rounding the car so she was in front of Shane. "You don't know anything. I spent every day with her since the world ended, every damn day." Tears had filled her eyes. "She's smart, so freaking smart. So, yeah, Shane, it does scream Sophia. It screams there was a child here, looking for food and a place to stay safe because that's what she would've done. If you're so convinced that she's dead then go sit on your ass somewhere and shut the hell up, okay?" She wiped her eyes as she stood up, looking over at Daryl. "It's a good lead, don't listen to him. He's a dick." She glared at her brother before she walked away from him but she stayed close to the car.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick added, everyone else was dead silent after Charlie's rant.

"No maybe about it." Daryl stated as he buttoned up his shirt. "I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here-" He pointed at the map as Dale sat the bag of guns on the car. "Take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her."

"Good idea." T-Dog nodded. "Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too."

"Chupacabra?" Rick questioned.

"You never heard this?" Dale asked as he unzipped the bag.

"It's a great story." Charlie added, smiling a little as Daryl narrowed his eyes at her.

"Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra." Dale told him as he passed a rifle to Rick and Jimmy chuckled.

"What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl glared at the boy.

"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asked, completely dumbfounded.

"You believe in dead people walking around?"

"He has a point." Charlie stated and Daryl looked over at her before he lifted his crossbow and put the strap over his shoulder as Jimmy reached for the rifle but Rick stopped him.

"Hey, hey. You ever fire one before?"

"Well, if I'm going out, I want one."

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl huffed before walking away and Charlie jogged to catch up to him. "What now, princess? Gonna tell me to be careful again?"

"Yep." She nodded. "I'm gonna tell the same thing to everyone else, so don't go feelin' too special."

"I'll try not to." He mumbled and she chuckled a little. He looked down at her, she still had tears on her cheeks and her eyes were red, he stopped and lightly grabbed her arm pulling her to a stop next to him. "If she's out there, we'll find her."

"I know." She nodded. "Er, well, I hope so." She corrected. "But seriously, be careful."

"Like I said yesterday, I ain't dyin'."

"Okay." She nodded, her lips pulling into a smile as she looked up at him. "Now, go." She waved him off and he walked away and she turned and made her way back to the others to tell them to be careful.

>>>>> • <<<<<

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE SAT IN THE CHAIR next to Carl's bed, he was still asleep but he had been awake off and on. She had legs pulled up to her chest as she read a book Beth had let her borrow – it was Wuthering Heights. Charlie would deny it, but she loved to read romance novels before the world had ended and when she saw that book on the bookshelf she wanted to give it a read. She had heard a few things about the book but she had never actually read it before . . . she wasn't a fan so far. She closed the book with a sigh and put it on the nightstand before resting her chin on her knee as she looked at the boy as his eyes fluttered open.

"Charlie." He smiled as he looked at the girl and her smile grew as she dropped her legs and leaned towards the bed. "How's your shoulder?"

"It's okay." She told him. "How you feelin'?"

"Sore, but I'm okay." He sat up a little, groaning with the movement and she stopped him, her hand on his shoulder. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"What can I say, I'm not good at following orders." She told him as she shifted closer to the bed and he chuckled. "But you'd be proud of me, I didn't argue with your dad when he told me to stay here."

"But you love arguing." The kid laughed lightly and she nodded.

"Especially with your dad." She added and his smile grew wide, her own smile growing. "But, uh, he's right. I'd just get in the way."

"They're gonna find her." He moved his hand and placed it over hers. "I just know it."

"That's why you're my favorite." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead before she sat back in the chair. "So I started this book. . . " She picked it up from the nightstand. "Not really a fan."

"What's it about?" He asked.

"It's about two people who fall in love. But because of that, the people around them, their lives get ruined. It's tragic."

"You gonna finish it?"

"No, I don't think so." She shook her head. "Not really my thing."

"Can you read me a book?" He asked. "Like you used to?"

"Yeah." She nodded, reached out to push his hair off of his forehead. "I'll go see if there's a book we'll both like." With that she stood up and made her way out of the room. After putting Wuthering Heights back and finding Charlotte's Web she made her way back to Carl's room, she sat on the bed next to him, kicking her boots off, then she started the book and he listened like he always had.