Child Of The Future

Episode 32: Deceit Is Never Sweet

Bit of a filler, literally, it's gonna fill you in a touch, and I might be able to work in another chapter before I can't. I just wanted to have an impact with a certain part, and it'd feel rushed if I put it all in one chapter, so I'm just going to start working on the next chapter now.

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-5 Hours Earlier-

               "Sorry if I woke you." Abraham's cocky, smug laced voice offers up the sentence on an imaginary silver platter as Rick stands before him in only his pants, looking back and forth between Deniece sleeping nude in his bed and the tall redhead crossing his arms in patience for a word or two.

               "What do you want?" Rick's tired tone asks with a hint of annoyance.

               "Gettin' cozy with the lead b1tch. Think that might be some business to share?"

               "No. No I think that's my business." The two men try to keep their voices down but it's obvious that they're ready to get their hooks into the subject Abraham has been waiting to address for the 50th time in the past few days.

               "Right. Well I was just wondering what the plan is. The one that you haven't decided on yet. The kid?"

               "Spes."

               "It might be nice for some of you to sit on your as$es, get cozy, find a base, a home, but we're not bears. We don't hibernate do we? We're sitting on a gold mine with that kid. Eugene isn't worth sh1t but that girl is. What she told us." He growls and it hurries to make a laugh come from Rick's throat. "That mall...all that fancy bullsh1t, if she's right, there's a race against time. If you don't take her...I will."

               "You're not touchin' her." Rick shakes his head. "We need this. All of us. A chance to settle down for a while, strengthen up. Maggie and the rest...we're still gettin' over Beth."

               "My heart goes out to them."

               "You think that just decidin' to take Spes to D.C. by yourself will work? You're not settin' one foot off this property without us if you want her. She's stayin' with us. We'll keep her safe, and in a few weeks, we'll leave."

               "You sure you don't have other obligations now?" Abraham spits.

               And without a second thought, Rick moves back into the room, shutting the door, and walking again towards the bed he shared with Deniece, her body still, but her eyes wide open, and her mind taking in all that she overheard in the dark of the night.

-1 Hour Earlier-

               "So you used to be a Sheriff?" Deniece giggles, smiling at the man she's taken a liking to since the first time she saw him, and it's a simple thing she's doing, distracting him from everything that could alert his suspicions while they head further into the route towards town.

               "Yeah, huntin' bad guys. That's how this whole thing happened for me." Rick looks around, holding his rifle like he usually does before taking a break and smiling at the dark brown haired woman in her early 50's.

               Any other day, it would be quiet and filled with silent conversations amongst the group, but Deniece was the type of woman to enjoy a laid back, cool early afternoon as the one they were experiencing, her boots crunching the leaves underneath her soul, inch by inch gaining her desired destination.