Deadland

Chapter 14- Flinch

(TW!! Mentions of drug usage, overdosing, and being shot!)

"Morning stinka'." Alyssa's face appears above me, waking me up. "Jesus!" I yell, flinching. She giggles and gets off of my cot. "You do that again and you're sleepin' with the snoring bear, 'kay?" I groan and stand up. "'Kay." She smiles and unzips the tent and steps out, zipping it back up and leaving me alone to get dressed. 

I put on a grey tank top, dark blue jean shorts, and my converses. I sheathe my dagger and sling my bow and arrow around my chest. 

Almost as soon as I step out of the tent, I hear Rick say, "Mornin' guys, let's get goin'. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Everyone minus Lori and Carol surround the familiar yellow-ish car and Rick lays out our map. 

"Alright, everyone's gettin' new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far-" "I'd like to help." A young-adult man's voice comes from behind Rick. 

He's blonde, pale, and tall. He's wearing a tan shirt and blue jeans with cowboy boots. "I know the area pretty well and stuff." 

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick clarifies. "Yeah! Yeah, he said I should ask you." "Alright then, thanks." Rick turns back to the map. 

"Nothin' about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me." Shane remarks. "Nothin' about anythin' screams anythin' to you unless you found it." I mumble. "What was that?" He turns to me. "I didn't say nothin'. You're delusional. I think you're hearin' things." Alyssa giggles and Shane rolls his eyes, standing up from tying his shoes. 

"Like I was saying," He sasses. "Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." "Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea looks around. 

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl puts his arm about half his height. "It's a good lead." Andrea says. "Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick acknowledges. 

"No maybe about it." Daryl says, pointing to the map. "I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her." 

Damn. Didn't know Daryl had it in him to care this much about anything. 

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too." T-Dog says. "Chupacabra?" Rick scoffs. "You never heard this?" Dale begins to open the bag of guns after he had set the bag down on the car. "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." I can't stifle the scoff mixed with a chuckle that escapes my mouth. 

The pale man that offered to help laughs too. "What are you brayin' at, jackass? And you too Adrian. Don't believe me?" "Not even a little bit. Remember that time when the whole gang was at that bar and you said you saw the Moth-man?" "I was drunk as hell." I don't respond, I just smile lightly and nod. 

"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asks. "Do you believe in dead people walking around." "No actually, we all believe they're alive people wearing masks and playing the biggest prank ever on us." "Y'know Adrian if you weren't such an ass maybe I could like you." "Oh so you're saying you don't already?" I tilt my head at Daryl, he just scoffs. 

The unknown man reaches for a rifle and Rick pulls it away. "Hey, hey. You ever shot one before?" "Well if I'm goin' out I want one." He responds. "Yeah and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl says, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder and walking away. 

"Asshole." I mumble, grabbing my pistol from the bag. I walk back to my tent to grab my "run backpack". 

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Adrian!" Alyssa calls from behind me. I turn and see her running towards me. "I wanna go-" "No." "Please!" "Hell no. It's dangerous out there and you could see something that you will never be able to get out of your head."