𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 | 𝐭𝐰𝐝 ¹

26.

   Nicole slowly sat up from her position in the back seat of the yellow car her family left supplies on. Sophia’s covered body laid on the floorboards and Nadia sat in the passenger seat twirling her knife.

   “Hey,” Nicole whispered.

   Nadia glanced back toward the blonde woman, giving her a tired smile. “Hey,” Nadia responded as she turned her body to face the woman. “You all right?”

   Nicole nodded, trying to ignore the throb in her ankle. “Yeah. Just can’t sleep,” Nicole told her.

   Nadia gave her a look, before bending over to grab something. “I found this in the floorboard right here,” she said as she pulled up Nicole’s backpack. “I figured it was left by your people.”

   Nicole smiled slightly and grabbed it. “Thank you,” she murmured, before unzipping her bag. The first thing she saw was a folded piece of notebook paper. She grabbed it and flipped it open. Nicole read the small, messy handwriting.

   “What’s it say?” Nadia inquired, quirking a brow. Nicole looked up to the woman with a smile on her face.

   “It’s, uh--” Nicole couldn’t contain her grin. “It’s from a guy in my group -- Daryl.” Nicole glanced down to the letter again. Nadia took note of happiness that laced her voice when she spoke his name. “Uhm, something happened to a little boy in my group and they took him to a farm down the road for surgery.”

   “You guys don’t have a lot of luck with children, huh?” Nadia spoke her mind.

   Nicole sighed, “I’d say that if I believed in it.”

   “What would you call it?” Nadia asked.

   Nicole sat there for a moment. Her mind spun with responses before it finally landed on one. “It’s just a consequence of taking a chance,” Nicole responded. “About a week ago, we were given the opportunity to give up, but we took a chance to fight.”

   “Do you think you guys made the right choice?”

   Nicole teared up as she glanced down to the covered body below her. “I like to think that we did, but I don’t know anymore.”

   Nadia reached over and gently placed her hand on top of Nicole’s. “You gave that little girl more days than she would have had if you gave up on her,” Nadia spoke.

   Nicole nodded, before wiping the tears from her green orbs.

   “You said they went to a farm?” Nadia asked, pointing to the paper.

   “Yeah, it’s just down the road. Their names’ are Greene.” Nicole handed Nadia the paper. “Maybe we could go in the morning.”

   “Holy shit,” Nadia stuttered, “I know where this is. Hershel Greene was my boss.” Nadia looked up from the paper. “That’s where I was heading when I found you.”

   Nicole’s body filled with hope. “You said that you were a veterinary assistant?”

   Nadia shook her head up and down. “Yes, that’s how I knew to patch up your leg better than how you had it.”

   “We should head there in the morning,” Nicole suggested as she glanced outside to the darkness. She watched as a moth flew by and a coyote and her puppies trotted by.

   Nadia agreed. “I’ll keep watch. You should go back to sleep,” Nadia told her. “You’re gonna need the rest.”

   “No. We’ll both keep watch,” Nicole told her. She quickly picked at the dirt beneath her nails. “It’ll be less lonely.”

   “True,” Nadia smiled.

   The two sat in silence, making small quips of conversation. “You said you were in Macon when everything started?” Nicole suddenly asked.

   “Yeah, I was locked in a drug store with this group of people -- good people.” Nadia cradled her hands in her lap.

   “The Everett’s?” Nicole asked.

   Nadia nodded. “Did you know them?”

   “Yeah. I knew their son, Lee. He was my brother’s best friend,” Nicole smiled at the thought of the two.

   “Lee was one of the people in the store. He’s all right.” Nadia gave Nicole hope. Hope that if her long lost friend was alive, that maybe -- just maybe -- her brother was alive too. “Last time I saw him was when bandits raided the motel we set up in. I got stuck in the crossfire of bandits and walkers and they drove off in an RV. They made it out,” Nadia told the grinning woman.

   “Thank you,” Nicole said as she looked up. She was thanking God for the sudden hope she had received.

   In the morning, Nadia managed to find a salvageable car among the ruins of the highway. It had little gas, but it would get them where they needed to go. Nicole placed Sophia’s body into the back of the vehicle. She watched her stationary body lay on the ripped seat. Nicole wished that she would just start to breathe all of a sudden.

   Nicole couldn’t feel any more guilty than she already did when she got into the passenger side of the vehicle. Nadia started the car with the keys she found still in the ignition. The two began driving toward the farm that Daryl said they were at.

   Nicole could feel her heart racing with anticipation and fear. She could also feel the excitement from the thought of seeing her daughter and the rest of her family again. But it was shot down when she could hear the sound of gunshots echoing from the white farmhouse in her vision.

   Nadia sped up and pulled to a skidding halt. Nicole got out and looked to the group of people standing in front of the barn. She could hear the shots echo off the trees that surrounded the property. She could see her best friend cradling Carl and Cheyanne in her arms. Nicole felt her eyes fill with tears as she went around to grab Sophia’s body.

   Nicole held her in her arms before she started to limp down toward the firing group. When they stopped shooting, Nicole let out a loud sob. “Rick?”

   Her group turned and looked back at her. Their faces spread with smiles, Cheyanne even scrambled up. Then their eyes landed on the body in her arms. “Sophia?” Carol cried out and started to run over. “Sophia!”

   Nicole kneeled down, laying the little girl onto the ground. “Sophia!” Carol cried as she plunged to her knees and cradled her daughter. Nicole felt her heart break as she stood up.

   Nicole failed to protect that little girl. It made her question if she could protect her own.

hey y'all. what do you think about how everyone is testing nicole? any ideas as to what will happen next? anyway, i hope you had a wonderful day and we're safe. i just got done being in a parade for my afjrotc class with a sore throat. honestly right now, i'm dying. anyways, i'm gonna go to sleep. i love you all, be safe. kiss your parents goodnight and say hi to a stranger. i'll see you guys on monday peaceeeee -erin

this chapter is dedicated to @luvs2read125 and Bug09022003