𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒.
chapter three; The Search Begins
" You don't call, I don't come. "

  TWO OTHER MEMBERS of Rick's group had arrived, Glenn and T-Dog, the latter receiving medical attention from Patricia for a large cut on his forearm.

  Zeppelin had remained in Carl's room, assuring both Lori and Rick there would never be a moment he was not without company.

  Vex and Dean, however, remained on the front porch like a set of watchdogs.

  "Whole group. Bad news."

  "Vex. . ."

  "I'm just sayin'," She mumbled.

  "They needed us. They need us."

  Vex leaned onto her elbows, unable to say anything to disagree.

  She knew he was right, and it was infuriating. It was infuriating because Vex wanted nothing more than to take her daughter and return to their quiet life; hunting, dinner with the Greene family, homework, and chores. 

  New people meant new danger. It meant putting her daughter around people she didn't know. People who were desperate.

  "We don't tell anyone about the house," Vex said evenly.

  "Agreed."

  "We do our piece, we make sure everyone is safe, and we leave."

  Dean nodded, eyeing his sister.

  "I don't want us to join any groups, Dean."

  "We're already in one."

  "No, we're not," Vex let out a dry laugh, "It's you, me, and Zep."

  "And the Greenes."

  "Sure, and the Greenes."

  "You know, it might help to be--"

  "It won't."

  Dean let out a sigh of frustration, pushing himself to stand.

  "You know, it wouldn't kill you to see the world beyond you, me, and Zep," Dean pointed, "It ain't always bad."

  "In my experience, it has been."

  She peered up at him.

  "You gotta let somethin' in to see the good, V."

  Dean left without another word, the screen door slamming behind him.

🗡

  "Daddy's starting the surgery, he wants your help."

  Vex looked up at Maggie's exasperated expression, standing quickly from the rocking chair she'd remained in.

  "But Otis isn't back yet--"

  "They're out of time."

  She joined the room that Carl was in, escorting Zeppelin outside just as a truck approached.

  Vex asked no questions as Hershel entered the room with the remainder of the supplies, quickly securing the respirator on Carl's face as Hershel and Patricia began work.

  Vex did what she knew. What she understood. She focused on the wound, not his face. Forcing herself back into a place of war, instead of realizing she was working on a boy, not a man.

  And it worked, in most ways.

  "Vex--" Dean attempted as she emerged from the room with Hershel.

  "I-- I just need a second," Vex said quietly, pushing past him.

  Dean watched the woman hurry through the house and right out the back door.

  "Dean, I wouldn't have asked. . . if I hadn't needed her help."

  "I know," Dean said quietly, turning to Hershel, "Tell 'em the good news. I have my sister."

  Hershel nodded, leaving the man on his own.

  Vex Williams sat in the grass. With her head resting on her knees, focusing on the sounds of the night.

  On the crickets and cicadas. On the feeling of the grass beneath her. On the breeze that gave only brief relief from the sticky hot weather.

  She was here. Right here. 

  "Mom?"

  "I just need a second, baby," Vex said tightly.

  Zeppelin Williams took a seat beside her mother silently.

  "You're getting bad again."

  "No, honey, no," Vex said, lifting her head, "I'm okay, I'm good."

  Zeppelin frowned softly.

  "Saved a kid and all," Vex whispered with a tight smile.

  Zeppelin scooted closer, resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

  "Can we go to sleep?"

  "I'd love to, honey."

  Vex stood, hoisting her daughter up with her. They made their way upstairs, Maggie pulling Vex to the side to inform her of Otis's passing with a tight hug.

  Vex walked lifelessly upstairs, crawling into bed with her daughter, allowing the girl to snuggle up.

  But Vex lay restlessly until the morning sun poked through the window, only daring to close her eyes then.

🗡

  It was full sunlight by the time Vex rose from the bed. Zeppelin was already out of the room, but Vex moved slowly, knowing Dean wouldn't allow anyone close to the girl.

  "V, get your ass up," Dean greeted loudly, pounding on the door.

  "I'm up," She groaned in response, the door opening quickly, "What crawled up your ass?"

  "Rest of that group's here," Dean informed, "They have a girl missing, Zep's age. Figured you'd wanna help."

  Vex nodded, pulling herself out of the bed and crossing the room to retrieve a fresh set of clothing.

  "Hershel also told 'em about the 'no gun' rule, don't think they're takin' it well."

  "Yeah, neither did we."

  It had actually been a problem the first time Vex visited after the world ended. She hadn't wanted to walk around without a gun of some sort, not for a second, let alone days at a time.

  But with a bit of persuasion, to both Vex and Hershel, it was agreed upon that the woman would leave her weapons in the closet of her bedroom- taking it out only when leaving or arriving at the farm.

  "I'll be down in a second; where's Zep?"

  "With Beth, despite herself," Dean laughed, moving to the door, "She wants to meet all these new people."

  "Yeah, well I need to meet 'em first," Vex mumbled, "Now get out."

  Dean laughed but listened to his sister's orders.

  She was not thrilled to start the rotation of introductions.

  "I don't think y'all have been properly introduced," Dean greeted loudly as he approached the group, "This is Vex; she's gonna help y'all find that girl."

  The group rang off names quickly, Vex mostly uninterested in remembering them.

  "I'm better on my own."

  "Don't have to tell me twice," Vex said cooly to the man who introduced himself as Daryl, "We'll cover twice the ground if we split up. Where was she last seen?"

  Rick filled the woman in quickly, watching as she adjusted the rifle on her shoulder.

  "Vex. . ." Hershel said quietly as she started to leave.

  "I'm leaving with it now, Hershel, I'll put it up when I get back," Vex nodded, "Make sure Zep eats; she gets busy with Bethie."

  Hershel smiled, nodding once to the woman.

  Vex said a brief goodbye to her daughter after gathering her bag, promising she'd be back for bedtime, before setting out at the same time as Daryl Dixon.

  She got the idea that he was a real piece of work, even from the brief interaction they'd had. Difficult people made difficult situations, and even after Dean's pep talk about 'letting people in' she didn't want to give Daryl a moment of thinking he'd be accepted by her in any way.

  But she wanted to find this kid.

  "Here, call if you get caught, I'll be on channel 3," Vex said, tossing a walkie to Daryl, "I'm headin' West, and I won't go East past this farm. You don't call, I don't come."

  The man inspected the radio before eyeing the woman.

  "Great talk," Vex nodded, before starting toward the forest.

  "I ain't comin' if you call."

  "Radio's for you, dude," Vex called. "Take it or leave it, I don't have the energy to care."

  Daryl sucked his teeth as Vex Williams walked away without another word.

   His intentions weren't only to be an asshole, in all honesty, Daryl just had no interest in having to go out and look for yet another person alongside the search for Sophia.

  But he had no idea who Vex Williams was.

🗡

  The forest never changed. This was perhaps the solace and horror of it. That it did not bend, or falter. The trees remained, the leaves fell and regrew, and plants came and went with the seasons.

  Vex moved in silence, refusing to allow her boots to so much as crunch a leaf.

  Until a voice crackled over the radio.

  "Knew you took a radio."

  Vex rolled her eyes, pulling the radio from her waistband.

  "Switch channels, D," Vex responded. "Zep's birthday."

  Vex twisted the knob on top until it stayed on channel 7.

  "Someone else has one?" Dean laughed.

  "Yeah, Daryl," Vex sighed, continuing her slow walk through the thick forest. "Not that his ass was grateful for it."

  "Bitter, V?"

  "Always," Vex laughed dryly, "I mean, seriously, you'd think someone would be a little more grateful if a stranger offers backup."

  "Hey, now you know what it's like to meet you."

  "Oh-- Dean-- think--" Vex said dully, clicking the button rapidly to mock the scattering of a radio, "Breaking--"

  "Stop bein' a shithead, go back to channel 3, call one of us if you need anythin'."

  "Whatever," Vex mumbled, shoving the radio back onto her belt.

  She spent the remainder of the day wandering through a forest that had no signs of life.

  Vex ran into a few walkers, most she managed to avoid, the ones she couldn't were met with the sharp end of a bowie knife.

  And she returned to the farmhouse just as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon with nothing to help the search.

  "Anything?" 

  Vex sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead as she approached the man she knew as Dale.

  "No," She informed reluctantly, "Daryl find something?"

  "He said it looked like someone was camping out in an old building," Dale nodded, "Said it looked like a kid would be there."

  "Good," She nodded, "We'll re-work the plan tomorrow; we have horses and trucks, so we can make it quicker."

  Dale nodded, watching Vex start back toward the house.

  "You've been here since it happened?"

  Vex turned, pausing for a moment.

  "No, we just visit the Greenes'," Vex replied hesitantly, "Needed supplies, now you guys have a kid to find."

  "You have a daughter yourself, don't you?" Dale questioned, pausing when he saw her eyes narrow, "Lori was tellin' us about how your daughter sat with Carl."

  "Yeah," Vex said softly.

  "Wonder if she might help Carol at all. . . That's her mother. Sophia's."

  Vex softened, realizing this wasn't in interrogation at all.

  She'd been so wrapped up in it, Vex hadn't even wondered to ask about the girl's parents.

  "I'm sure she'll come up with something for her," Vex nodded, "I'll be ready to go when the sun rises."

WORD COUNT : 1757