Dark Days

Surprise

©JRF2016

"Dad," Charlie says, "Now that Conner's staying with Rachel, there's an empty cell." He stares at the floor and then looks back up at Reid, "You think I could move in there?"

"Not so fast, kid, you trying to get away from me?"

"I'm too old to share a room with my little sister, and my dad. This place is safe and I won't be that far away."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Reid nervously chuckles. He looks at his son who is growing up whether he likes it or not and he picks up a duffle bag throwing it over to Charlie. Charlie quickly packs his stuff into that bag and runs to the cell that Conner had been sleeping in and he flops down on the bed and starts reading a comic. I walk by and see him stretched out and I stand in the door but he doesn't notice me. "Someone's gotten way too comfortable, way too quick. Guess your dad gave in and let you have your own room after all," he looks up from his comic and grins before turning back to his reading.

I walk into my cell and Reid walks in right behind me and sits down on the bed with Grace. He looks over at me. "You mind watching Gracie for me today, I know how much she loves you," I smile up at him.

"Of course," I respond as he hands her over to me.

"I'm going out with Darrick on this run today."

"Be careful out there and watch each other's backs." Reid nods and pushes himself off the bed. I walk outside beside Reid with Grace in my arms and Conner walks over. "I never get tired of seeing you holding a baby in your arms; just wish it wasn't some other dude's kid." I look at him funny. "That's not what I meant, I just wish it was our kid in your arms." Conner looks over at Reid now, "You think you could use one more on this run?"

The three men had been walking for a while when Conner finally speaks. "We're gettin' nowhere we should split up." Darrick and Reid look at each other. "We got calls we can use, we'll still be close enough we'll be able to hear if one of us is in a jam." Darrick looks at Reid and then back his brother and nods.

"If anything happens just yell." Reid nods and the three of them take our separate paths.

Reid had been walking for what seemed like an eternity with no signs of anything. He hears a twig snap behind him and spins around and points his gun at a bush. There was no one there. "Hello?" He whispers, "Is anyone there?" He hears some more rustling in the bush and creeps over to it.

"Fuck," he hears someone mutter. He asks again, "Who's there?" Slowly a little girl slides out of the bush. "Are you alone? Where's your parents?" She stares at Reid with her haunting blue eyes. There was something familiar about those eyes but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. She still didn't say anything just keeps piercing him with those icy blue eyes. Reid holds out a hand for her to shake, "My name's Reid, what's yours? How old are you?" She rolls her eyes.

"Fuck, dude you ask a lot of questions."

Reid shrugs, "And you've got a mouth on you." She rolls her eyes again as she turns her back to Reid. She mumbles something that he couldn't understand. "What was that?"

"I shouldn't be talking to you, you know, you being a stranger, and a man. You could like, take me off and rape me or something, that's what they always told you about talking to strangers. But, you look pretty harmless to me, you got a group somewhere?" She asks as Reid notices how brave she had gotten so quickly. He puts his hand on her shoulder and she flinches at first and then turns her head up to look at him. He nods.

"My name's Riley. My mom got bit and I don't know where my dad is."

"You wanna come back with me. We've got a big group, even got kids your age." She nods at Reid and he could swear he could see a faint shimmer in her eyes at the mention of kids her age. "I'm out here hunting with two other guys from our group, we'll meet up with them and head back okay?" She nods. Reid whistles and waits for a reply from Darrick and Conner to know which direction to go to meet up with them. That signal doesn't come they wait for a while but it is going to be getting dark and Reid really doesn't want to be out her with a kid in the dark. It's dangerous enough as it is without having to worry about keeping a child safe too. "Maybe they already headed back, let's just go."