❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter twelve ―― go fish

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ CHARLIE HAD HER KNEES pulled up to her chest as she sat on the hood of Mason's truck ― he had lost his mustang not long after the world had turned. It was a black pickup that looked like he had seen better days but the engine was in great condition and it did pretty good on gas. She had her chin on her knee as she curled a little farther into herself, her eyes on her brother as she stood a few feet from the group who had all been standing at their cars.

"All right, everybody listen up." Shane got the other's attention. "Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. But let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" He asked, looking around at the group and Charlie moved to rest her forehead on her knees, her eyes squeezed closed and Mason reached over and patted her hands that were laced together in front of her shins. He knew that she was tired, she hadn't slept great the night before. She was tossing and turning and a few times she would groan if she rolled over on her shoulder - it had been a long night. Even for him and Josh, who were both in the tent with the girl - it was a tight squeeze but not too bad. Charlie had spent what time she managed to find comfortable sleep against Mason and he didn't mind.

"We're, uh, We're not going." Morales spoke up and Charlie picked her head and looked over at him and his family, everyone else looked over at them too, but no one said a word.

"We have family in Birmingham." His wife added. "We wanna be with our people."

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane told them.

"We'll take the chance." Morales nodded. "I gotta do what's best for my family."

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"We talked about it." He nodded. "We're sure." Rick nodded before he and Shane bent down towards the bag of guns at their feet, then he walked over and handed the man a gun while Shane handed him the ammo.

"This box is half full." Shane told him as Lori jumped off the hood of Carol's Cherokee and made her way over to hug the women.

"Thank you all, for everything." Morales' wife told them as she hugged Lori and everyone said their goodbyes. Charlie slid off of the black Chevy and limped her way towards them, she hugged Morales, then his wife then she bent down so she was eye level with the kids.

"I'm gonna miss you two." She told them, putting her left hand on the boy's shoulder and her right hand on the girl's shoulder. "You look out for each other, okay?" She asked and they nodded before she pulled them both into a hug, she squeezed them before pulling back and ruffling their hair a little as she stood up.

Everyone loaded into their cars, Charlie in the passenger seat with Josh in the back as Mason followed behind the yellow Cherokee and they got on the road.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "I MISS THE RADIO." Charlie mumbled as she poked at the buttons on the dash. "I miss music."

"Me, too." Mason nodded, glancing at the girl for a moment before looking back at the road. Charlie huffed, growing bored of pushing random buttons then she turned so she was facing Josh and she rested her chin on the back of the seat.

"Wanna play a road trip game?" She asked. "Or any game at all? I have a deck of cards somewhere, we could play Go Fish. Or we could play the fire hydrant game. Oh, or-"

"Now I remember why I hated going on road trips with you." Mason mumbled, shaking his head slightly.

"Mean." She muttered, flicking his ear before she looked back at Josh. "So, whatcha wanna do?"

"I haven't played Go Fish since I was little." He told her. "If you can find that deck of cards."

"On it." She grinned as she turned in her seat and pulled open the glove box, she moved the box that held her knife collection to the side. "Bingo." She mumbled to herself once she was the box of cards and she grabbed them before putting the knives back and closing the glove box. She turned and climbed over the seat, putting her weight on her uninjured arm until she was settled next to Josh in the back seat.

They were a few games in, both were laughing as they joked around and Mason smiled at the two when he'd glance back at them in the rearview mirror. Charlie had a habit of making jokes and keeping things light, that was how she dealt with serious situations, but it had been a while since he had heard an actual laugh from the girl and it was nice. Then Dale honked his horn and they pulled over to the side of the road - the rv's hose was pretty much ruined beyond repair.

Charlie was sitting on the ground, her eyes on the woods in case any walkers came towards them as the others stood around in an almost circle, most looking for any signs of danger while Rick and Dale looked at the rv. Daryl paced and when he walked in front of Charlie she lightly kicked his leg and he stopped and looked down at her. "Sorry about your brother." He squatted down so he was closer to her. "I tried to tell him that you guys were there, too. That we went back for him, but he-"

"No, it's alright." He patted her knee a little. "I'm sorry he did this."

"I'll be fine." She managed a small smile.

"I know." He stood up. "You're tough, princess."

"Seriously, stop calling me that." She kicked his shin and he just smirked as he walked away and she shook her head.

"I see something up ahead." Shane told the others. "A gas station if we're lucky."

"Y'all, Jim-" Jacqui rushed out of the rv, where they had been keeping Jim. "- it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

"Hey, Rick, you wanna hold down the fort?" Shane asked. "I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back?"

"Yeah, I'll come along too." T-Dog added. "I'll back you up."

"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back." With that Shane and T-Dog climbed into the former's jeep and they drove off up the road while Rick went to check on Jim.

Mason made his way over to Charlie and sat next to her, his blue eyes scanning the trees just as she was doing. "What's going on with you and Daryl?"

"What do you mean?"

"He calls you princess."

"He does it to bug me."

"And I noticed that when you guys came back to camp during the attack the other night, you were on his back."

"Yeah, well, I had a run in with Merle - he was pissed and I think a little dehydrated. He's the one that busted my lip and left this bruise. I guess somehow how, while I was trying to get away from him I jacked up my ankle. I couldn't really walk and I think Daryl felt bad so he insisted and I was in too much pain to refuse."

"Merle did this to you?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded.

"There was trouble with another group, they took Glenn and Rick made me stay back in case things went south. I went up to the roof and he jumped me, asking about a car then he felt my pockets for the keys that I didn't have."

"Jeez, Charlie." He huffed, running his hand through his hair before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ AFTER LEAVING JIM AGAINST A TREE, per his request, they started down the road again. Charlie was curled up in the backseat of the Chevy, her eyes closed as she pulled a small blanket over her shoulders. She didn't know Jim all that well, but it was still a bit of a blow after all they had lost in the last several days and she was exhausted.

"Hey, we're here." Mason's voice was low as he reached back over to the seat to shake the sleeping girl awake. "Come on." She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes a little then she let her arms drop to her sides as she looked at the two that were in the front seat.

"Morning, sunshine." Josh smiled a little and the girl turned to him, her eyes narrowed and his smile faltered. "Sorry." He mumbled as he turned and climbed out of the truck, Mason laughed at the boy as he slid out of the driver side door and Charlie rolled moving closer to the back door on the passenger side and she opened it, groaning a little as she slid out of the truck and stretched. Then she reached back in and grabbed her pistol, she closed the door and hobbled her way towards the others, Mason and Josh behind her as they took in all the dead bodies that were laying on the ground with flies buzzing around them.

"That's pleasant." Charlie mumbled, pulling the collar of her shirt up to cover her mouth and nose as that made their way through the scattered bodies towards the big building that sat a little ways away. She followed behind Lori, making sure Carl stayed close to her and his mom as her eyes scanned the area for any walkers or potential dangers. She winced with every step but the wrap Shane had made out of an old t-shirt helped a little, it wasn't much but she could at least walk on it.

"I could carry you." Josh offered, walking up next to the girl with a gun in his hands - his eyes also scanning that area.

"I'm fine." She told him, not bothering to look over at him because she knew her face would give her away. "It's not that far." She mumbled, mostly to herself as though she was trying to tell herself that she could make it.

"I'm here if you need me." He told her and she nodded as they continued then she turned around, looking for Mason and she let out a small breath when she saw him at the back of the group with a gun of his own at the ready. She turned back around only to trip over her own feet and she fell right into Josh, who caught her and righted her.

"Thanks." She mumbled and he nodded as they continued towards the building, stepping over dead bodies or weaving around them and the smell progressively got worse with each body they passed. They neared three rollup doors and Rick hit the button but it didn't move and Shane hit the door a few times.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog stated.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick huffed.

"Walkers!" Daryl got their attention and they all turned, guns at the ready then he shot it with his crossbow and it fell to the ground. "You lead us into a graveyard!" He shouted making his way towards Rick.

"He made a call." Dale told him.

"It was the wrong damn call!"

"Shut up, you hear me?" Shane rushed towards him. "Shut up. Shut up." He pushed him back before turning towards his best friend. "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked as Charlie threw her knife and took down another walker.

"Do you hear me?" Shane asked him. "No blame."

"She's right." Lori spoke up, still holding onto Carl. "We can't be here, this close to the city after dark."

"Fort Benning, Rick - it's still an option." Shane offered.

"On what?" Andrea asked. "No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles."

"125." Glenn corrected. "I checked the map."

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now." Lori told them.

"We'll think of something." Rick tried to calm her down.

"Let's go, please." Shane started ushering them back towards the cars and Charlie looked back at the door before turning and limping her way towards the walker she had put down, she leaned over and pulled her knife from his head.

"Mason?" She looked around for the boy, slightly worried when she didn't see him.

"I'm here." He came up behind her, scoping her up into his arms despite her telling him that she was fine.

"The camera, it moved." Rick stopped them, his eyes on the camera.

"You imagined it." Dale tried to reason with him.

"It moved." He started before making his way towards the door.

"Rick, it is dead, man." Shane tried to tell him "It's an automotive device. It's gears, okay? Just winding down, now come on." He grabbed his shirt and pulled him from the door.

"No."

"Look around this place, it's dead, okay." Shane told him. "It's dead. You need to let go, Rick." Rick broke away from him and made his way towards the door and slammed his fist into a couple of times.

"I know you're in there." He stated, his eyes on the camera. "I know you can hear me."

"Everybody get back to the cars, now!" Shane shouted.

"Please, we're desperate." Rick continued. "Please help us. We have women, children. No food. Hardly any gas left." Lori ran over to try and talk some sense into him, but it was no use. "We have nowhere else to go. If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!"

"Come on, buddy, let's go." Shane wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him back, but Rick fought against him.

"You're killing us!" He shouted and Charlie tightened her arms around Mason's shoulders as he turned. "You're killing us!" Shane finally got Rick away from the door then it opened and a blinding white light spilled out of the building, Charlie hid her face in Mason's neck as he and the others turned towards the door, all a little more then stunned.

NOVA SPEAKS !

hello! I hope everyone is having a good day! Thank you so much for reading my book, I really appreciate it!