Tragic Youth | TWD

002 | Tired.

Charlotte didn't leave the tent for the rest of that night. Her body was sore, and she was tired. So instead she just went to bed earlier than usual, without eating anything.

The following morning she sat silently by her father's side as he ate his food, not uttering a single word to her, as usual. Shane occasionally looked at the girl, trying to see if anything was off about her after her 'disappearance' the following night, but Charlotte wasn't new to this. She hid it well.

Both Dixon brothers had gone, Merle was in the city with a few others and Daryl had left really early to go track down a deer he had found tracks for previously.

That's when the radio went off.

"Base camp, this is T-Dog, anybody hear me?"

Everyone quickly ran down to see what was going on. Everyone besides Charlotte and her father, who both just stayed where they were. Will was paying no mind, he didn't give two shits about anyone here but himself. "Hello- hello? Receptions bad on this end, repeat- repeat." Dale, the man who picked up the radio, spoke into it quickly.

"Is that them?" Lori asked, placing her hands on her hips. Charlotte remained silent on her log, resting her head in her hands as she eavesdropped on the conversation. She knew she shouldn't be doing that, it was a bad habit she held and her father hated it.

"We're in some- deep- shit."

The radio crackled through again, making it harder to understand.

"Trapped in the department store-" Charlotte recognised the voice that belonged to T-dog come through again. She hadn't ever talked to the guy, but she was observant. Kids become like that when they don't have much else to do. Or when they had to listen through their door at night just incase a certain drunk man decided to pay a visit.

"He said they're trapped?" Officer Shane sighed, running a hand over his face.

"They're geeks all over the place- hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded."

The radio goes static, "T-dog, repeat that last- repeat!" Dale yelled into the radio again, but he didn't get a response.

"He said the department store." Lori sighed.

"I heard it too," Dale shrugged.

"No way" Shane cut Lori off before she could finish her sentence, "We do not go after them, we do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that." Charlotte didn't really understand it, but the logic was solid.

"So we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy spoke up, talking about her sister. Charlotte hadn't interacted with the Harrison sisters, but Amy seemed nicer than Andrea.

"Look- Amy, I know that this is not easy." Shane stepped toward the blonde. Charlotte fell intrigued that she didn't even realise when her father tried to talk to her, not until he wacked her over the head. That warranted her attention.

"Are you deaf? Go get me 'ma smokes." The man spat, shoving the young girl off the log. Charlotte quickly stood and ran to the tent, fishing out his cigarettes.

Panic coursed through her veins when she didn't feel the packet, she knew he would get angry at her even if it wasn't her fault. Luckily enough, the brunette eventually tracked them down. Just looking at the packet was enough to make her stomach churn, but she got over it and ran back out to deliver them to him.

"Here, daddy." She chewed on her lip as she passed the packet to him, her fingers found themselves again, fiddling anxiously by her side. Will didn't acknowledge his daughter for a second, he just snatched the packet and took a smoke out. "Go somewhere else." He finally grumbled, waving her off.