WHITE FLAG

chapter sixteen : walker in the well
{ season two - episode four }

LAST NIGHT, KLOE couldn't see anything of the Greene farm. But now, the sun was high up and was so bright that she could see everything on the farm. She could see all the greenery in the fields, the trees, the forests. The farmhouse seemed bigger than expected. Everything was just so vibrant with life and not death.

Before Kloe went to sleep on the couch in the living room that night, the old man, Hershel, introduced himself and the other members of his family. He told them he had another daughter named Beth and that her boyfriend, Jimmy, was staying with them.

Beth had bright blonde hair and she always kept it tied up in a ponytail slightly to the side. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, had short mousy brown hair, but it was always covered with a farmer's hat. Beth and Jimmy were both sixteen, and they always kept to themselves.

Kloe was thinking all of this while placing many rocks into a wheelbarrow with Maggie, Beth, Jimmy, Glenn, Shane and T-Dog. Her mind had been set elsewhere, but not there. She guessed it was paranoia. It felt strange sleeping somewhere safe and not having to sit there wide awake, worried that a walker would sneak up behind you and grasp onto you with its boney, decaying fingers.

She immediately snapped out her gaze as she heard the sound of a motorcycle revving in the distance. Her head shot up, but no one else was looking.SheI didn't know how, but she remembered her parents always saying that her hearing was one of a kind when she was younger. How could she hear things that others couldn't? It was like she could hear ants crawling across the grass, or someone's eyes blinking.

She knew it was Daryl and possibly a few others, or hopefully the whole group. As the sound of the motorcycle grew closer, she managed to hear the RV's engine too. Maggie, who was beside her, noticed that she was looking off into the distance where the sound was coming from.

She looked confused, but as it got closer, she finally managed to hear it too, and so did everybody else. Kloe could eventually see the three vehicles that were entering the farm's field.

"I'll go get the others," T-Dog stated before jogging towards the farmhouse. The six of them who stayed put made their way over to the front of the farmhouse as the vehicles came to a stop.

They all stood there, waiting for Rick, Lori and T-Dog to exit the house. Just as Kloe thought that, they did, along with Hershel and Patricia. Everyone was now outside in the thick heat.

Dale, Andrea, Carol and Zayn all stepped out of their vehicles as Daryl propped his brother's motorcycle onto the ground. "How is he?" Dale asked, his brows furrowed. If there was anything that Kloe could always see in him, it was his eyebrows. They were always lowered and she was consistently confused by it.

"He'll pull through," Lori nodded hopefully, pursing her lips with a tight smile, "thanks to Hershel and his people and-"

"And Shane," Rick finished his wife's sentence. He was still as pale as a ghost from all the blood transfusions. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

The attention was briefly set on Shane and a part of Kloe wanted to also point out the other man who had sacrificed himself for Carl. Yes, Shane should be appreciated, but Otis needed more appreciation because his life was lost.

Dale stepped closer to Rick and pulled him into an embrace. Then so did Carol with Lori, that's when Kloe realized that this was the time when they all reunited and hugged. So in an instant, she stepped over to her older brother and wrapped her arms around him, who immediately did the same.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Zayn whispered into his sister's ear. She smiled brightly as she pulled away. She turned her head to the side and Zayn did too, looking over at Glenn who had a wide smile across his face. Zayn lifted his arms, signaling Glenn to hug him too, "I need a brotherly hug."

Glenn chuckled and stepped over to him and pulled him into a 'brotherly' hug. "How'd it happen?" Dale queried to Rick, causing all the attention to lay on the two men.

"Hunting accident," Rick promptly answered. "That's all... Just a stupid hunting accident."

...

The rocks the group had been gathering and placing in the wheelbarrow were going to be for Otis's grave. Hershel had told them that they would be holding a memorial of the man who sacrificed himself for a young boy who most likely had so much more to live for, maybe.

The reason for this maybe is because none of them know how much longer they have. Who knows if they get chomped on? Hell, it doesn't even have to be the dead that kill them. There's still all the other shit out there that can kill them in a snap of a second.

Beth Greene stumbled over with a rock in her hands and she carefully placed it at the top of the pile. Kloe stood beside Glenn and her brother, Zayn, with her hands connected for respect.

"Blessed be God," Hershel began, he had put on a suit for Otis's small funeral. He had told them to circle around the burial for respect, and of course, they agreed to, "father our Lord. Jesus Christ," he glanced up at Jimmy, who reached into the wheelbarrow and placed another rock on the pile. "Praise be to him for the gift of our brother Otis, for his span of years, for his abundance of character; Otis, who gave his life to save a child's, now more than ever, our most precious asset. We thank you, God, for the peace he enjoys in your embrace. He died as he lived, in grace," he came to a stop and set his eyes onto a specific man, "Shane, will you speak for Otis?"

"I'm not good at it," he responded, barely above a whisper as he shook and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"You were the last one with him," Patricia spoke up, her voice shaking with tears. Kloe's heart shattered once again at the sight. She lost her only family, and she couldn't imagine what that was like. "You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning."

"Okay," Shane bluntly nodded. Kloe could see the look of guilt circling in his irises. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistols by then. I was limping, it was bad. Ankle all swollen up. We gotta save the boy. See, that's what he said," his voice began to crack.

Tears pricked the younger Schmidt's eyes. She had attended a few funerals in her life, but this one was just different. Most likely because the world was dead, and the way that Otis had died was heartbreaking. It only takes a single second for death to fall upon them, the wrong decision, or, the worst one, fear. If Kloe lost her brother, who was so far the only family she had, she would want the world to take her with him. Death and survival was all that was going to happen from the second someone turned.

That thought then occurred to the girl. How did someone turn, if they didn't get bit by a walker? Because if she remembered correctly, walkers became a thing when someone turned and the only way to turn is to get bit.

"He gave me his backpack," Shane continued, making Kloe snap out of her deep thoughts. "He shoved me ahead. Run, he said. He said, I'll take the rear. I'll cover you. And when I looked back..." he trailed off, knowing full well that the rest of the group knew what had happened from there.

Kloe tried to hold back the brimmed tears in my eyes. This wasn't her place to cry for someone she had never met. But she knew it wasn't about the fact that she had never met him, it was the fact that he had lost his life for one of their own.

Shane began to step forward over to the wheelbarrow, limping on one leg. "If not for Otis," he bent down and gripped onto two rocks, "I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both." There was a long pause, Kloe took the time to watch the wife of the man who died. Tears were falling down her cheeks and her clenched hand was pressed against her mouth. "If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

By then, Kloe completely forgot about the thought that repeated in her head. Instead, it was sorrow. Sorrow for the woman who had just lost her husband. Sorrow for the mother who had her daughter gone missing.

And sorrow for the mother and father who had just had to deal with their song getting shot.

...

"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel questioned after Rick, Shane, Andrea, Daryl and Kloe explained the whole situation with Sophia Peletier to him and Maggie.

"This'll be day three," Rick answered, switching weight onto his other leg. They were all circled around the hood of a car.

Maggie swiftly walked over to them with a map and numerous stones in her hands. Kloe stepped over to the side to make room for her as placed the paper on the car hood. "County survey map," she stated, placing the stones on the corner of the map to prevent it from blowing away. "Shows terrain and elevations.

"This is perfect," Rick commented, examining the paper. "We can finally get this thing organized. We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

"Not you. Not today," Hershel disagreed, "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out," he then turned to Shane, who was wearing a cap that had the word POLICE on it, "And your ankle. Push it now, you'd be laid up a month, no good to anybody."

"Guess it's just me," Daryl spoke up, leaning forwards to point to a specific location on the map, "I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."

"I can still be useful," Shane stated, "I'll drive up to the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back."

"All right, tomorrow then," Rick said. "We'll start doing this right."

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives," Shane added, "They need the gun training we've been promising them."

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property," Hershel stated, the attention falling onto him, "We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp." Kloe's eyebrows raised skeptically at the man.

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here-" Shane tried to reason, only to be cut off by Rick.

"Look, we're guests here. This is your property, and we will respect that," he narrowed and hardened his eyes onto Shane and Andrea, knowing they would both be reluctant on the idea. Rick reached for his gun and placed it harshly on top of the map Maggie had previously placed down. Reluctantly, Shane sighed and took out his own gun and dropped it onto the hood. "First things first: Set camp, find Sophia."

"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to," Shane started, resting his hands on the car hood. "What happens if we find her and she's bit?" Kloe's breathing came to a stop and she sealed my eyelids, trying to push the thought out of her head of the young girl being a walker. "I think we should all be clear on how we handle that."

Kloe slowly turned to Rick, who gulped and nodded his head, "You do what has to be done."

"And her mother?" Maggie spoke up, the look of disbelief in her eyes, "What do you tell her?"

"The truth," Andrea answered, making Kloe feel even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons," Shane said, "Make sure no one's carrying till we're at a practice range off sight. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience."

"I also wanted to request that too," Kloe added, shifting her weight onto the right side of her body as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Hershel looked hesitant at the idea and didn't answer. Kloe stared at Rick in hope he could persuade the old man, which he did, "Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun." Hershel then nodded, but Kloe could still see the reluctance in his eyes. "Thank you."

The younger Schmidt watched as Shane and Daryl walked away. Maggie switched her gaze from her father, to Rick, "That stuff you brought, got more antibiotics, bandages, anything like that?"

"Just what we showed you last night," Kloe answered, causing the attention to fall on her. Andrea sighed and began to walk away.

Maggie nodded and turned back to her father, Hershel, "We're running short already. I should make a run into town."

"Not the place Shane went?" Rick questioned, concern laced in his voice.

Maggie shook her head, "No. There's a pharmacy just a mile down the road. I've done it before."

Rick turned his body around, causing Kloe to look at the direction he was looking, "See our man there in the baseball cap? That's Glenn, he's one of our go-to-town experts," he then turned back around and faced the younger Schmidt, "And that's Kloe, she's the other expert at going into town. I'd ask one of them along just to be cautious."

Maggie's gaze instantly fell on her new friend, and Kloe already knew that she wanted her to tag along since she knew her more than Glenn at that moment. Kloe pouted her lips and nodded, "Sure, I'll go." She looked at Hershel, who nodded in response. "I, uh, I kinda have this super hearing thing as people in the group call it. So I'll know if anything bad happens," she added.

...

Kloe sneakily tip-toed over to Glenn as he was pulling a tent together. She poked his side, causing him to jump out of his skin. "Jeez, don't do that," he breathed, clutching his chest dramatically. His best friend chuckled in response. "Everything okay?" Glenn asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. I was just going to tell you that me and Maggie were going on a pharmacy run." She then heard footsteps behind her, causing her to spin on her heel. Maggie was approaching the pair, "Speak of the devil."

"Wow, so you really can hear from a distance," Maggie cooed as she grew closer, placing her hands on her hips.

"I wasn't lying to you," Kloe laughed, "You can ask literally anyone here, I apparently have super hearing."

Glenn nodded in agreement, but his expression changed slightly. "Why do you need to go on a pharmacy run? Daryl gave us the antibiotics for Carl and T-Dog. Maybe he has more-"

"If he had more, he would've already given them to us, Glenn," she cut him off, making him slightly nod. She turned to Maggie, who looked as if she was ready to answer.

She sucked in a breath, "We're running out of antibiotics, we're really low," she answered.

Their gazes soon fell on Dale, who was stumbling over to Maggie, "Miss, what's the water situation here?"

"Got five wells on our land. House draws directly from number one," Maggie raised her index finger and began pointing at the wells in the distance. "Number two well is right over there. We use it for the cattle but it's just as pure. Take what you need. There's a cart and containers in the generator shed behind the house," she turned her head and faced Kloe, "I'll go saddle your horse then."

She abruptly brushed past Glenn and Kloe, leaving a wave of wind from the speed. The pair stood there with shock before they both glanced at Dale. "Horse?" Kloe asked.

"Lucky you're going, Klo. I don't know how to ride a horse," Glenn stated.

"My dad used to take Zayn and I horse riding when I was like, eleven? How am I supposed to remember how to ride a horse?"

...

Kloe leaned against a tree and looked off into the distance where Maggie was sitting on the same horse she was on the day before, but this time, with another horse by her side. Kloe's arms were crossed over her chest as she waited.

Unexpectedly, Lori approached her, making her stand up straight and her arms flew down to my waist. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hi," Lori greeted back. "Here's your list," she handed over a piece of paper that was folded. Subconsciously, Kloe took it from her and read the list. They were all just regular groceries. "And, um," she reached into her back pocket and gripped onto another list, causing Kloe's brows to furrow with confusion, "there's one other item. I wrote it down separately. It's personal. If we could be real discreet about that, okay?"

She took the other folded note, "Of course."

"Thank you," the Grimes woman sent a small smile before turning around and walking away. Kloe looked down at the note. She didn't want to unfold it, so she just stared at it.

"Uh," her voice instantly stopped Lori from walking and she turned around to face the young adult. As much as she didn't want to ask since she had just said it was something personal and something discreet, the curiosity that was flowing through Kloe's blood got the better of her, "what is it?"

"Kind of missing the point of the whole discreet thing, Klo."

"Oh, yeah, right," she said awkwardly. "Where exactly do I find this?"

"Try the feminine hygiene section," Lori hesitantly answered.

Kloe nodded, "Okay, then. Consider it done," she smiled

...

Before Maggie and Kloe could leave on the horses, Dale came and fetched the two asking for help. He told them that there was a walker in the well... Now, if this ever crossed Kloe's mind, how in the holy hell did that happen? How did a walker manage to squeeze its way into a farmer's well?

Dale, Andrea, Shane, Lori, T-Dog, Zayn, Maggie, Glenn and Kloe circled around the well and they peered down into it. The walker lifted its head and began to snarl. It looked completely different to the rest out there. It was all crinkled up from being in the water.

"Looks like we've got us a swimmer," Dale commented, shining his flashlight down.

Glenn squinted his eyes at the sight of the swimming walker. "How long do you think it's been down there?" he asked, leaning over the well.

"Long enough to grow gills," Andrea replied, her hand on her hip.

"We can't leave it there. Who knows what it's doing to the water," Kloe stated, brushing a strand of hair that kept falling into her eyes as she looked down at the growling, decaying monster.

"Klo's right. We gotta get it out," Shane agreed.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head," T-Dog stated simply, "I'll get a rope." Kloe's eyebrows instantly raised in disbelief and she stared across at the man. He couldn't be serious? They'd been out there for so long to know what would happen if they made a stupid decision.

"Whoa, whoa, guys," Maggie looked up at T-Dog, "No."

"Why not?" Glenn asked.

"It's a good plan," Zayn added.

"It's a stupid plan," Kloe corrected, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If that thing hasn't contaminated the water enough yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job," Andrea explained, taking the younger Schmidt's side.

"Exactly," Kloe muttered, "Come on, guys. You should know this."

Shane exhaled briefly, "They're right. Can't risk it."

"So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked, not taking his eyes off the slimy walker.

"So to speak," Shane replied.

"How do we do that?" Kloe asked, her eyebrows furrowing with inquiry.

...

Dale lowered a block of ham that Maggie had given them for bait. They all kneeled over and watched as Shane had a rope and it was dangling beside the walker's head, ready to put it through it.

"He's not going for it," Dale stated, staring at the growling, slimy walker.

"Maybe 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it," T-Dog suggested, and they knew he was right.

"He's right," Lori commented. "There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards."

"We need live bait," Andrea said, her eyes immediately set on Glenn. The Schmidt siblings' eyebrows quickly furrowed, but they only deepened more that the rest of the group had set their eyes on him and not them.

"You guys serious?" Zayn asked in disbelief, "This is much more stupid than shooting it in the head."

"Yeah, I agree," his sister chimed in. "So, apparently it's dangerous to shoot it in the head but it's not sending a living human being down there?" Everyone stood there in silence, making the girl scoff, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Guys, it's fine," Glenn said, still looking down inside the well, causing Shane to walk over to the rope. Glenn lifted his chin and saw the glares the siblings were sending him, "Seriously, it is."

"No, it's not," Zayn retorted. "If that rope manages to untie, you'll be dead." Everyone continued to ignore the siblings as Shane wrapped the rope around Glenn, who accepted it.

"Oh my God," Kloe muttered in annoyance, turning to her brother, "I'm telling you, they're all goddamn dumbasses."

"We can hear you," Shane spoke up. Kloe's eyebrows raised in an instant, making her scoff.

"Oh, now you can hear me. How amazing," she sarcastically replied with a fake smile. "This is stupid. This whole thing is stupid-"

"Kloe, I said it's fine," Glenn intercepted as Shane tightened the rope around his waist. The younger Schmidt rolled her eyes with frustration and stood closer to Zayn.

"There has to be another way, there has to be," the elder Schmidt mumbled just enough so his sister could hear him. Kloe noticed a presence beside her, making her tilt her head into that direction. Maggie stood there, who had the same look as the siblings did, meaning she wasn't so fond of the idea either.

"Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut?" Glenn asked, most likely trying to distract himself from the panic. Lori leaned over and handed Glenn a flashlight and he took it gently, "You have a nice shaped head."

"Don't worry about it, bud," Shane replied, patting Glenn's shoulder, "Hey, we're gonna get you out of here in one piece."

"Yeah, we better..." Kloe whispered to Zayn and Maggie as Dale wrapped the other end of the rope around the water pump.

"Living piece," Glenn repeated, "That living part is important," he exhaled shakily as Kloe stepped forward and gripped onto the rope. As much as she despised the idea, she wanted to help so he wouldn't fall in. She then felt the rope behind her get higher, meaning Zayn had stepped forward to help out too.

Glenn gripped onto the metal pole that hovered over the opening of the well as he continued to exhale heavily to keep himself calm, "Nice and slow, please."

"We got you," Andrea assured.

"Oh, you people are crazy," Maggie said, shaking her head.

"Oh, yeah, they are. We're not though," Zayn agreed, "This is by far the stupidest idea that someone has ever come up with in modern history."

"You want to get it out of your well or not?!" Shane yelled since there was a long distance between the three annoyed young adults.

"Well, she probably does, but there are so many other-" the younger Schmidt got cut off by her older brother's touch on her shoulder, gesturing to be quiet.

"Give us an eye there, Maggie," Dale pointed. Maggie was hesitant on moving, but she did anyway and looked down the well.

Glenn glanced at the siblings one last time before lowering himself down into the well. "Doing okay?" Maggie asked as she leaned over the well.

"Yup, doing great," Glenn replied, not sure if he was being sarcastic or not, "Living the dream."

The rope moved swiftly through everyone's palms, Glenn was going lower and lower, meaning he was getting closer and closer to the thing that could possibly end his life. Kloe felt her heart practically thump out of her chest with nerves.

"Little lower," Maggie instructed, so they let the rope go quicker through their hands. "Little more."

Kloe heard the growls get louder and she heard Glenn let out small groans of fear. Then, she heard something she wished she was imagining: the water pump ripping out of the ground.

Her head snapped over to the pump and right before she could let out a yell to alert everyone, the water pump broke and flung forwards.

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Words: 4085
- 28th January 2022

okay, another fricking filler but here ya go. literally only took a day to make since i'm sick and everything so i've been laid up in bed with my macbook. expect to see loads and loads of updates (considering i have nothing else to do lmao)
i hope you enjoyed this chapter! votes and comments are appreciated <3