▎SAFE HAVEN  ▎
»»————　act two. on the hunt
CHAPTER TWELVE ━━ tests

Josephine stared down at the make shift grave made out of rocks. She stared at her brother, who had shaved his hair off the night before. She could tell something was wrong, but she couldn't pin point what the problem was.

She took her place beside Andrea and Riley, giving the younger blondes hand a squeeze. "Blessed be God, father of our lord, Jesus Christ. 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." Hershel spoke softly, as each of the family members placed a rock on the other rocks. "Shane, will you speak for Otis?"

Josies attention turned back to her brother, who's eyes were wide. "I'm not good at it. I'm sorry." Shane apologised as he bowed his head down.

Josie frowned lightly, starting at her brother intently. "You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please. I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning." Patricia cried, cuddling herself.

"Okay." Shane nodded his head as he cleared his throat. "We were about done. Almost out of ammo. We were down to pistol by then. I was limping. It was bad. Ankle all swollen up. 'We've got to save the boy.' See, that's what he said. He gave me his backpack. He shoved me ahead. 'Run,' he said. He said, 'I'll take the rear. I'll cover you.' And when I looked back," there was silence for a while until he started to limp towards the barrel of rocks. "If not for Otis, I'd have never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both. If any death ever had meaning, it was his." Shane finished as he placed a rock on Otis's grave.

Josie stared at the pole in her hands, twisting it around. "I forgot how difficult it is to put up a tent." Josie mumbled as she shook the pole in the ground.

"You've only put a tent up once?" Riley asked-helping josie and Glenn with the tents. Tiffany was getting to know Beth, being near enough the same age.

"Yes. Is that bad?" Josie huffed as she grabbed the end of the tent.

"Yes." Both Riley and Glenn said in union as josie groaned.

"I am not cut out for this life." Josie tutted.

"J! Come here for a sec." Josie turned to see Rick call her over, making her grin as she shoved the pole into Glenn's arms.

"What's up?" She asked as she stared up at her brother and Rick.

"We need you to turn over your gun." Rick sighed as she frowned. She turned to Shane, who nodded. She then looked down to the twos guns on the car.

"Why?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

"Hershel doesn't want everyone to carry, only Dale and him." Rick explained as josie bit her lip. She understood as she pulled out her gun from her holster, placing it down with the others.

"Do I get it back?" She asked, letting go of it and staring up at the two men.

"Don't worry, you'll get it back jj." Shane nodded his head, making her nod.

"Well, the tent making calls me." She groaned as she jogged back over to Riley and Glenn.

"About time, short stuff, we've almost finished." Riley told Josie as the girl grinned.

"It would of been better if I didn't do it anyways." Josie shrugged as she helped place it up.

"What did they want you for any way?" Glenn asked, curiously.

"They wanted me to hand in my gun, it's what Hershel wanted and I respect that." Josie explained at Riley smiled slightly

"You trust easily?" The blonde asked.

"You're family has done a lot for my people, I have every reason to trust you guys." Josie hummed as she finished hers and tiffs tent.

"Josie, right?" Maggies voice made the three turn to her.

"Yes." Josie smiled as she turned to Maggie.

"I hear you're fast on your feet and know how to get in and out." Maggie said quickly, which made josies eyebrows raise. "Got a pharmacy run. You in?" She finished.

"Oh yeah-Sure." Josie nodded her head at the brunette.

"Miss, what's the water situation here?" Dale asked before Maggie could say anything else, making the four turn to the man.

"Got five wells on our land. House draws directly from number one." Maggie pointed in one direction. "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." Riley finished as she helped with Glenn's tent.

"I'll go saddle your horse then." Maggie patted josies shoulder as she walked past, making josies eyes widen with excitement.

"Wait you guys have horses?" Josie quickly tuned to Riley, who nodded her head. The twenty year old nodded her head with a smile.

Dale chuckled at the girls excitement before walking over to the wells where Maggie had pointed to. "I'm gonna go check on Beth and tiff. I'll tell her you're off on a run." Riley told the two before walking back into the greene house.

"I get to ride a horse." Josie turned to Glenn with glee. She had never rode a horse before, but it shouldn't be hard. All you had to do was sit on the horse, right?

"Have you even rode a horse before?" Glenn asked with amusement as her face fell slightly.

"No, but how hard can it be?" Josie shrugged as she walked towards shanes car, grabbing her-Glenn's-jacket. "Besides, I want to find something for Carl. He told me before he needs more crayons." Josie added as she tied her hair up into a quick ponytail.

Josie sat on one of the benches, fidgeting with her gun that Shane had given her back for the run. She clicked it open to see how many bullets she had left; seeing a reasonable amount-closing it shut.

"Jose," Josie turned and smiled at lori as the woman sat down beside her, an anxious look on her face. "Here's your list." She handed josie a folded piece of paper. The younger walsh softly took it out of her hands. "And, um, there's one other item. I wrote it down separately." Josie coukd see the hesitation in loris eyes, making her frown.

"Okay, sure I'll get it." Josie nodded with a smile on her face.

"It's personal and-" lori cut herself off as she looked over her shoulder then back to josie. "If this could just be between me and you, j. Please." Lori pleaded as josie nodded her head.

"Of course." Josie agreed as she placed the two pieces of paper into her flannel pocket. "Is it bad?" Josie asked, not wanting to look at the paper until she got there.

"Uhm, no. But j, I trust you a lot and I trust you to keep this between us, okay." Lori pleased once again, making josie nod for the seventeenth time.

"Of course Lori." Josie spoke sincerely, grabbing the older woman's hand. "You can trust me, you know. Like old times." Josie grinned slightly, making lori laugh.

Josie grimaced as she looked down the well, eyes meeting the walker that was stuck at the bottom of the well. It looked like it was growing gills, making josie shake her head with disgust.

"How the fuck are we going to get that ugly fuck out of there?" Tiffany questioned as she stared at the walker. "It's grown fucking gills like a fish!"

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked as he looked up at everyone.

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea answered as tiff scrunched her face up in disgust.

"We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori shook her head.

"How we gonna get it out?" Shane asked as he looked over to Dale. Josie fiddled with her hands as she stared down at the walker.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head. I'll get a rope." T-dog answered as josie shook her head.

"Shooting it will contaminate the water even more." Josie voiced her option as Maggie nodded her head, agreeing.

"Jjs right. Can't risk it." Shane shook his head as he looked over at his little sister.

"So it has to come out alive?" T-dog raised a brow as he looked up at Shane.

"So to speak." Shane tilted his head.

"How do we exactly pull the ugly fuck out of there?" Tiff hummed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Dale lowered the meat whilst Shane lowered the rope down to the Walker. "He's not going for it." Dale sighed as he looked up.

"Maybe 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-dog answered dryly as he shined the flashlight down.

"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards." Lori added ad she looked up at t-dog.

"We need live bait." Andrea added as josie turned to her with a raised brow. But everyone turned to Glenn.

So glenn was going down into the well, much to josies dismay. And Shane tied the rope around his waist. "Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut?" Glenn looked up at shane. "You have a nice shaped head."

Tiff walked over and passed a flashlight to Glenn as josie stood beside Maggie, biting her thumb anxiously. "Don't worry about it, bud." Shane patted his shoulders. "Hey, we're gonna get you out of here on one piece."

"Living piece. That living part is important." Glenn nodded his head as Shane tied another rope.

Tiff grabbed the rope as she stood behind Andrea, holding it out for josie to take. "Nice and slow, please." Glenn added.

"We've got you, glenda." Tiff grinned as she tightened her hands around the rope.

"Oh, you people are crazy." Maggie shook her head from behind josie.

"That's what I've been saying for the past couple of months." Josie muttered as tiff narrowed her eyes playfully.

"You want to get it out of your well Or not?" Shane asked her as he held the rope around the water pipe.

"Give us an eye there, Maggie." Dale nodded her head at her as she sighed, walking towards the well.

Josie anxiously watched as Glenn lowered himself into the well, tightening her grip on the rope. "Doin' okay?" Maggie leaned over the well.

"Yep. Doing great." Glenn's voice echoed through the well.

"Little lower." Maggie turned to them and then back to Glenn. "Little more." The walkers growls were now louder.

But the water pipe suddenly broke, making them fall back slightly as Glenn let out a yell. "Grab it!" Josie yelled towards her brother, who had now let go of the rope.

Josie panicked as she gripped onto the rope tighter, ignoring the blisters that was forming due to the contact. T-dog quickly grabbed it as they all pulled on the rope. "Get me out of here!" Glenn yelled as they helped t-dog pull the water pipe.

Josie pulled on the rope even more as it started to move up, the small group moving backwards. "Pull! Pull!" Someone quickly said as josie stood up, pulling on the rope even more.

When she saw Glenn climb up, she dropped the rope as the others continued to pull it, crouching down at gripping on to him as she pulled him onto the grass and away from the well. "You okay?" Josie looked at him with wide eyes as the others surrounded them.

Glenn panted heavily as josie held onto his arm, the boy leaning into her slightly. "Back to the drawing board." Dale sighed as he looked down.

"Says you." Glenn panted as josie helped him stand up, the man passing the rope into dales hand.

They had failed to pull the walker up, the thing splitting in half as they pulled the rope. So now josie and Maggie was on the supply run, josie holding onto the reins of the horse.

There was an awkward silence as they rode the horses in the middle of the road. Josies pony tail swung side to side as the horse walked.

The dark haired girl turned to Maggie ad she cleared her throat. "I saw the look on your face back at the well." She said as Maggie turned to her. "Never seen one being killed before?" Josie asked softly, referring to the walker t-dog had killed brutally. "Our group has been on the road for a while, we've gotten numb to it now."

Maggie stopped in front of a shop as she hummed. "I guess so." Maggie nodded her head as she got off her horse, josie doing the same.

Josie sighed as she adjusted the bag on her back, looking at the sign that read: 'take what you need and god bless.'

Maggie checked for any walkers as she opened the pharmacy door, josie following her in. "I'll go see what antibiotics are left." Maggie turned to josie as the dark haired girl looked around. "What else is on the list."

"Uh." Josie gave her a smile as she pulled out her own list. She looked at the proper list she was given. "Here." She handed it to Maggie. "I've got my own little list." Maggie nodded her head as she turned around.

Josie looked at the other list, the one that Lori had given her and opened it, reading the words. Her eyes widened as she read the words.

A fucking pregnancy test...

Josie turned to the feminine hygiene section and looked for the box, placing the list in her pocket. She picked up the purple box and quickly placed it in her bag, standing up.

She breathed out heavily as she placed her hands in her flannel pocket, looking around at the rest of the stuff. She turned to the kid section, trying to find anything for Carl.

Josie smiled slightly as she picked up a box of crayons, holding them in her hands as she continued to look around. Then a grin grew in her face as she found three comics thrown on the floor. She picked them up as she heard Maggie walking towards her.

"Those for Carl?" Maggie asked as she looked at the comic books.

"No, they're for me. The crayons are for him." Josie smiled as she placed them into her bag. Maggie couldn't help but chuckle at her. "What, I love marvel."

"Come on, we must be getting back. You got everythin'?" Maggie slung her bag over her shoulder. Josie hummed as she nodded her head, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

Josie sighed as she got off the horse as she saw Lori make her way towards her. Josie petted the horse with a smile, turning to Lori. "Did you find it, jj?" Lori asked her as she nodded her head.

Josie pulled her bag over her shoulder, opening the zip as she pulled the box out, Lori quickly grabbing it and putting it in her waistband. "Who's is it?" Josie bluntly asked her, making lori freeze.

"W-what?" Lori looked at her with wide eyes, making josie sigh as she threw her bag back on her shoulder.

"If you are, Is it ricks or my brothers?" Josie raised a brow as lori anxiously looked at her. Josie gently grabbed her hand with a soft smile. "Just take the test." Lori nodded her head. "Is Carl awake? I got him something."

"No, he's still asleep. I'll let you know when he is." Lori squeezed josies hand as the dark haired girl nodded. "But let's just keep this between us, okay." Josie nodded once again with a soft smile.

4TH SEPT 2023

I can't, I have to wake up at BLOODY 7AM AND GO TO SCHOOL. Literally kill me rn

2732 words