BETTER ANGELS ━ the walking dead ¹

ii. bad memories of better times

    

   

BETTER ANGELS

chapter two ; bad memories of better times
[ season one, episode two ]

   

It would have been a nice day, all things considered, had Josie not been sitting in the dirt. She had been roped into playing kid games with Carl again. Good heavenly days, what a torture.

He liked to load up Louis's yellow dump truck with gravel and then use it to bury his toy soldiers in an avalanche. Josie wasn't entirely sure how these ideas came to him, but she was subjected to this either way, so she played along with as much dedication as she could muster ─ well, in any case, Carl told her how to play his games and she did as he commanded.

"We'll set up camp here for the night," Carl said in a faux gruff voice, setting his toy soldier beside the truck. "Sundown'll be here before we know it."

Josie scratched the back of her neck, the itchy ends of her hair irritating the skin. "But it's only been like five minutes since we woke up."

"It's just pretend, Jay," Carl explained patiently.

"Fine."

"You set up the tent, I'll make the fire."

"Okay." Josie knew how to do this part. She moved the crooked clothes hanger to the ground beside the truck and draped a dish towel over the spine, creating a shabby pretend tent for their toy soldiers to rest in for the entire thirty seconds they would be  'sleeping.'

Lori's voice suddenly cut across the camp, bringing both of their heads up like lambs in a flock. "Kids, I'm heading out for a bit. Stay where Dale can see you."

"Yes, ma'am," Josie replied obediently.

"Okay, Mom," Carl said.

Josie looked down at the dirt and didn't think about her mother.

Carl had returned to his game. "Here, Private, you can finish the fire while I chop more wood."

"Yes, sir," Josie saluted.

It was then that Carl brought out an unexpected addition to their game: another soldier. This one looked like it had been thrown into a lawnmower and barely lived to tell the tale. Bits of mangled olive-green plastic were sticking out all over the place. "Look," He moved the battered figurine towards the truck. "It's a geek."

Josie gave a stern look. "No, it's just a person."

"That's what you think, 'til it gets closer."

"He should be a soldier."