She's Gonna Beat This World (twd fanfic)

47. Just Hangin' around

     After dinner Lori walks me to the tent.
"I'm gonna stay with Carl for a while, he should be able to walk around tomorrow. Rick will be out in a minute. I'll wait with you till he gets here."
"Okay." I get into my pajamas, and lay down on the cot that's supposed to be Carl's. Lori comes over, and strokes my hair back.
"You know something," She says.
"Hmmm," I say tiredly.
"Your mama... she missed out."
"Ya think?" I question.
"Mmm I know." She kisses my forehead, and I take hold of the hand that isn't playing with my hair. She gets up,
"I need to use the facilities I'll be right back." She says in a soft voice. She starts to leave, but turns around when she hears me say one last thing in a tired whisper.
"I wish you were my mama." I fall asleep right away.

      I wake up when I hear the rooster crowing. Nobody's in the tent, so I walk out and head towards the house. Daryl isn't there, Hershel said he went back to his tent.
When I open the tent door Daryl is sitting there looking bored playing with an arrow. He's probably wishing he could be looking for Sophia. I walk in, and neither of us say anything.
He starts poking holes in the tent with his arrow, when Andrea walks in. I groan, and roll my eyes.
"Hey, this is not that great, but..." she sighs, and hands him a book.
"What no pictures?" Daryl says sarcastically. She starts to apologize,
"I'm so sorry I feel like crap..."
"Ya look like it too," I add in.
"Butt out," Daryl says. I zone the rest of the short conversation out. I just know Daryl forgave her, and he stops her as she walks out.
"But hey. Shoot me again ya best pray I'm dead," He warns. She smirks and keeps walking.
I look at him, and he smirks at me.
"Heard ya gave her a bit of grief."
"Yeah."
"Atta girl." I smirk at him.
"Go on leave me be... I got readin'." He says sarcastically.
"Don't have to tell me twice."
I walk out, and see Carl sitting down looking guilty, and a few adults looking shocked, and arguing.
"What happened?" I ask him curiously.
"I'm in big trouble... I took a gun."
"Nice!" He smiles at me,
"Yeah my mom doesn't think so."
"Do you still have your knives?"
"Yeah, got a gun too," I whisper.
"And if you tell them..."
"Trust me I won't. Do you know how to use it?"
"Yeah, Do you know how to use them?"
"I'm trying to get Shane to teach me."
"Tell them your sorry for taking the gun."
"But I'm not!" He whisper/yells.
"Then milk it... it ain't rocket science." He smirks,
"Alright, See you later... maybe," He says nervously. I get up, and go to see what Dale's up too but he looks busy, so I go to the RV and play with my dog.
Now that everyone is going to shoot. I can take him out, and run around with him. I open the door to see Dale making his way over to the horse barn. I'm gonna see what he's doing.
     I hear him and Hershel talking. Something about the barn? But then dale walks away, and I run behind some feed bags so he doesn't know I was ease dropping. I wonder what they were saying about the barn... maybe I'll go find out myself. Daryl told me not to wander off, but he won't find out.
It takes me a while to get to the barn cause of my short legs. I walk over to it, but the doors are bolted shut. That's kinda weird... well most of the barns I see have a few doors. As I walk around I realize those are all bolted shut as well. When I look up is see an open window. There's a ladder, so I climb it carefully. That's when I hear it, it makes my blood curl... the groans. I'd recognize them anywhere. When I look down I see over a dozen walkers.
"What the?"
"What are you doing in here?!" Somebody says quietly. It scared the living daylights outta me, and I jump a mile high. The only problem is I land on a loose board. I barely am able to grab the board next to it, but my feet are dangling dangerously close to the monsters below. They are all reaching out to me.
"Help! DARYL!" I scream but of course he can't hear me. The lady Patricia grabs one of my arms, and tries to pull me up. It's hard because it's at a bad angle. Eventually she grabs me harder, and yanks me up.
"What do you think...?!" I don't listen to the rest. I get my tail outta there. I make it down the ladder, and make a bolt for Daryl's tent. I hear Patricia calling to me, but I ignore her.
      I'm half there, when something grabs me arm. I scream, and hit at the figure.
"Hey Mase!" I let out a small cry of relief when I realize it's Dale.
"What were you doing over there... what happened?"
"Walkers! Walkers in the barn!"
"Shhhhh, sweetheart you can't tell anybody about that!" He says urgently.
"Fat chance!" I try to run to Daryl's tent but Dale won't let me go.
"Listen, It's important that you let me and Glenn handle this."
"But..."
"Listen, Hershel doesn't understand that they aren't people. He still thinks there his family. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yeah, Hershel is nuts, and I'm starting to think your going a little off your rocker too," I say sarcastically, and he chuckles.
"Are you gonna tell?"
"If Daryl finds out I knew..."
"Well then let's not let him find out."
"If you don't tell them by tomorrow... I will!"
"Okay darlin'."
"And please don't call me darlin again." I say in a begging tone.
     He walks away, and I look over too see Hershel eyeing us. Patricia must've told him. I walk over to him.
"Do you know what just happened?"
"Patricia told me, are you alright?"
"Yes, But I almost died!"
"You shouldn't have scared them like that."
"I shouldn't have scared them?" I say in and unbelievable tone.
"If you weren't snooping around you wouldn't be in any trouble."
"Well if you hadn't kept a barn full of freaking walkers I wouldn't have gotten hurt!"
"Patricia told me you just fell down. Did something else happen?"
"Yes it did," I stubbornly reply holding up my elbow where I got a scratch from one of the loose nails.
"I can help with that," he chuckles, and leads me over to his house.
Once we're in the kitchen he picks me up, and sets me on the table. I hope he doesn't notice how bad I flinched when he grabbed me.
"So what were you doing before all this?" He questions.
"What's it to you?"
"Just trying to make small talk."
"Not much lived with my daddy, went to school, just normal stuff," I lie.
"You know whenever my girls used to try to lie. They had this habit of looking at their shoes. Seems you have the same habit."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen you flinch, and your extremely short tempered, it reminds me of some of the people I work with."
"You mean the dead ones that try to eat people?" I sass, and he gives me a look that says 'knock it off'.
"I was a veterinarian, I had to help some animals in pretty bad conditions. It seemed that they always tried to bite first. They had to strike before someone else would." He looks at me with big accusing eyes. Before putting a bandage on my cut.
"Did you just compare me to a mutt?" I say with fake offense.
"Child..."
"Thanks for the help... Daryl's gonna be wondering where I'm at." I hop off the counter, and run back to our campsite. I go into the tent, and Daryl looks at me.
"You look exhausted. Why don't you lay down get some sleep."
"I am a little tired," I admit.
"What were you doing? Your sweating like a sinner in church."
"Just running around," I lie smoothly. I lay down, and fall right to sleep.

      I wake up to the smell of bacon. Daryl's not in the tent, so I make my bed up and leave. When I exit the tent everybody is just starting to get some food. Lori gives me a small portion that I usually eat, and I sit down next to Carl. Everybody's chowing down, when Glenn speaks up nervously.
"Umm guys... so, barns full of walkers," He blurts out. I try to match the confused expressions best I can.
   Everybody gets up, and Daryl looks to me.
"Mason stay here," He orders.
"But Carl's going," I try. He gives me THE look, and I quiet down. Everybody goes but me, I just eat my bacon.
     It's not a big deal because I already saw it. I hope they don't find out I know. Hershel and Patricia know that I know, Dale too. I know Dale wouldn't snitch on me, but I'm not so sure on the others. I get up and sprint to the house. The Greenes are all sitting down to eat breakfast.
"What's this?" Hershel asks.
"Can I talk to you? Please?" He gets up, and follows me too the living room.
"What's the matter?"
"Nobody can know I knew about the walkers... please don't tell, I'll be in so much trouble." He looks at me with sympathy.
"Mason, is it him?"
"Is it who?"
"Daryl, does he hit you?"
"No sir!" I say loudly.
"You can tell me," He urges.
"Daryl would never hit me... he ain't like that. Please don't accuse him of anything."
"I'm sorry, but I had to ask. Your secrets safe with me."
"Patricia?"'
"You don't have to worry about her either... it'll be okay."
"Thanks, I gotta go." Let's hope Dale keeps up his end of the bargain.