CHAPTER 9.

A strong and salivating smell enveloped the room. Echo wiped her hands with a disinfected wipe, before taking a plate of food that sat on the countertop. Sanitary items to Echo were like gold in these times. She worried about catching the smallest amount of bacteria from a walker.

Candles decorated the sides of the counter and the kitchen table. Most of the group stood in the kitchen, some occupied the table, and some entertained themselves with conversation in the living room.

Echo thanked Hannah and Lori, before trying to disappear off somewhere silent. Echo would usually take a seat outside her window and onto the roof. But something floated around in her mind before she exited the Kitchen. She's seen multiple people in Rick's group, except Daryl. She wondered if that should be a concern or not.

She wandered into the living room, she saw Breanne, Carl, Maggie, Glenn, the old man, she assumed he was Hershel, and along with a blonde female that sat next to him. She held the paper plate and continued to trace her gaze around the room. She glimpsed forward, towards the screen door, she stared closely at the field ahead of the house. Hearing the silent creaks from outside. A crossbow leaned up against the pillar, that held up the canopy to the front porch.

A woman with short grey hair approached Echo. An eerie weight on her shoulder disappeared knowing that everyone was here and not missing.

"Are you alright?" The woman questioned. Echo's gaze shifted from the door and over to the women. She was thin and looked as if she was mistreated. The distance she kept between her and Echo seemed as if she knew what Echo was capable of. The woman smiled when Echo removed herself from her thoughts.

"Ya, I'm alright. I am just making sure everyone's here."

"Daryl's usually the one to keep a fair distance away from us. He's more of an independent person who sticks to the sides, but he's a good person." the woman looked towards the front door implying who she spoke about.

Echo raked her fingers through her black hair and let out a soft sigh. Her eyes were heavy, and she felt almost drained. Never expected herself to get this exhausted after so much happened today. The truth may be said, she wasn't used to being around so many people in weeks.

Myles pushed past the screen door, interrupting the woman and Echo's conversation.

"There you are, I guess she called the shots right then. Someone was missing." the women joked. A sweet smile formed on Myles's face. He wiped his fingers with a rag. His fingers were coated with a black substance.

"Don't worry I was careful. Besides we already got Oliver Queen on watch." Myles joked, as he stuffed the rag into the back pocket of his jeans. Echo rolled her eyes playfully.

"I swear you picked that up from a comic, didn't you?" Echo crossed her arms making her point clear.

"Guilty as charged. I took a mere glance at Breanne's comic book, I have to admit it's pretty damn good." Myles admitted.

"What were you working on?" the woman questioned.

"Some dirt bike I found on the side of the house. I thought it would come in use or maybe something that we could use. The bike needed a replacement of spark plugs, it was hard to fix. But I managed to get it to start with the help of your quiet friend." Myles smirked at Echo.

Echo shook her head, "We're not friends. It's only been a day, Myles."

"Oh, come on. I was only teasing you, EC." Myles tried to lighten Echo's usual serious expression. Echo's eyes still held that same dim and cold glow. Deep inside, Myles wished for one moment he could see the old side she left behind. Echo left behind a side of her that she never expected to find again.

The piece that she was missing. The kind, social-butterfly, and innocent side all burned beneath her the day she left. As much as he wished she never joined the army, it made her strong for the new world.

"I know." Echo replied calmly.

"If you like, you can take the dirt bike out for a spin tomorrow." Myles raised his eyebrows waiting for an answer.

"Sure. That would be cool, but I am a little rusty." Echo admitted sheepishly. 

Myles patted Echo on the shoulder, "Everyone is at some point." Myles chuckled, knowing he got somewhere that moment. 

Hannah's words floated around in his mind, from earlier. At this point remembering Echo didn't tell him about Hannah's situation, it didn't bother him. Myles didn't want to grow further away from her. He wanted to pick up the pieces that were left over the years.

"And one more thing. I made sure to swap your sniper rifle for a normal hunting rifle. That gun is far too loud and will probably attract something if we're not careful." Myles explained.

"So, where is it now?" Echo questioned curiously. There was a side of her that was slightly agitated for not asking her sooner.

"It's in the trunk of the car, along with the ammunition."

Echo gave an agitated sigh, "Thanks I appreciate the suggestion. It'll have to do for now."

"There's something I have to discuss with you, in private, Echo," Myles added, he didn't sound cheerful as his usual self. Echo swallowed thickly, premeditating what this should be about.
She took a wild guess that Breanne and Carl were connected to what Myles wanted to speak to her about. It wasn't the fact Breanne was influenced by the kid she hung around, it was the fact they told no one about where they were going to go.

"I have an idea what this could be about," Echo muttered, her mouth running wild at that moment.

"I just need to hear your side of the story, before condemning the situation," Myles states, leaving Echo and returning to his wife that sat at the kitchen table.

At this point, she was used to feeling anxious about how things will turn out. After all, Echo was a sniper before the world changed. She was used to being in perilous situations, thinking first, acting fast, and questions were left for later.

But there was no harm in telling what happened. Whether it had to do with her saving Carl and Breanne, or if it was keeping the small secret away from him about Hannah.

"So, what's your name? I haven't managed to catch it since we've arrived." the woman questioned. It was almost as if Echo forgot her existence. It surprised her that the woman stood around even when Myles and Echo exchanged a few words.

She felt a jolt to her chest, realizing the woman was still next to her.

Her focus shifted over to her, Echo gave a small and unnoticeable smile, before answering, "Echo, Echo Chambers, you are...?"

"Carol Peletier." She answered. Echo froze for a couple of seconds without speaking.

This was the 'Carol' T-dog mentioned. Echo reminded herself to not ask about her daughter since the event happened recently. She couldn't imagine losing someone that close. Though T-dog barely explained much about what happened to Sofia. There was minimum information about how she died. And that might prove to be a sensitive topic that Echo chose to avoid mentioning.

Besides, trust was hard to earn. And it was none of her business to possess such info to talk about. Even when this was the first day that they've been here in her home. She started to question: if it was alright to open her arms to a bunch of strangers? And so soon? 

She was praying things wouldn't go south otherwise there would be consequences that she hasn't decided yet. But that was an 'if'. It hasn't happened yet, but she chose never to be too safe.

"Are you alright?" Carol questions curiously.

Echo shook her head from her long train of thought.

"Ya, I'm fine. It was nice chatting with you, Carol." Echo chose to avoid telling Carol the information that she concealed within her mind. Echo felt in this situation anyone would be glad that there was no such thing as 'mind readers.'

At that second she felt as if she left Carol on the sidelines, she barely spoke to her. But of course, there would be plenty of moments she could get to know Carol.

Echo returned to the dimly lit kitchen, Echo looked down at the small portion of food on her plate and thought about Hannah at that moment.

After all, there were two pregnant women in the house, she felt a small wave of guilt that she couldn't split her share with both Hannah and Lori. But family came first in her mind.

"How are you doing?" Echo interrupted Myles and Hannah's conversation.

"I'm doing a bit better, I've managed to keep things down," Hannah admitted, picking at the last crumbs of her plate. Her face looked a bit discoloured even in a dimly lit room.

"That's good to hear. Since you're feeding for two," Echo placed the paper plate down onto the edge of the table, next to her.

Hannah widened her eyes and shook her head, "Echo, I cannot take this. You still have to eat-"

"No, I insist," Echo cut off Hannah's sentence. Hannah cared for Echo as much as she did for Breanne and her husband. Accepting a token like this was hard for Hannah. Hannah could picture how this could affect Echo's energy levels if something horrible had happened and they had to act fast.

"I am hoping I don't regret this in the future." Hannah stood down from protesting.

"You won't regret it, I promise you." Echo replied humbly and confident.

"Alright if this is what you want, then we'll keep it at that," Myles commented. He knew that Echo was giving up too much for them. She wasn't a saint, but she was surely one to Hannah at that moment.

Silence enveloped Hannah and Myles, Echo left them in their thoughts. She grabbed the last remaining plate of food on the counter, realizing the man outside hasn't come in, nor made his presence barely aware to everyone.

She questioned herself that second whether she should deliver it to him and then leave. Or if that seemed too rude she could join him as a company. If he wanted to be alone then she respected that.

But there was one way to find out whether this would go alright.

But in the end, she knew it was a kind gesture.

Fuck it, she told herself. Pushing those possible outcomes to the back of her mind. She wasn't going to put herself in a situation that was very cliché. She couldn't understand why she thought about these kinds of things beforehand.

Maybe it was the fact Daryl was quiet and unpredictable.

The quiet ones proved to be dangerous. And silence was always a weapon.

She approached the front door with an uneasy feeling, but confident that things wouldn't go downhill as she predicted.

She pushed past the screen door. Daryl sat there with one of his arms rested on his knee. He kept his focus on his thoughts. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and ignored that she was there.

She knelt and placed the plate next to him. He acknowledged her that second, believing that she would probably leave. But that changed easily in a couple of seconds. She stepped over his leg and sat next to him. Leaving a comfortable space between the two of them.

"So, what's your story?" Echo started, breaking the silence between the two.

"What?" Daryl's raspy voice replied.

"How was it in the beginning for you, before the world went to shit?" Echo rephrased her sentence for him to understand her question. 

"Doesn't matter, I've gotten this far and that's what matters," Daryl says calmly. It seemed as if he didn't want to open up as quickly. Which in her opinion was fair.

"That's fair." Echo agreed.

"What did you come out here for?" Daryl muttered almost as if he seemed annoyed. He turned his head and grabbed the plate next to him that was cold.

"Thought you needed company." Echo admitted. Goosebumps scattered across her arms from the temperature that started to drop within the night. Even the simple fabrics of the flannel over her black t-shirt weren't enough. Echo looked back to the fields and watched as silhouettes moved towards them. She reacted and jumped onto her feet. Almost spooked at what she saw.

Daryl's gaze snapped away from his food and towards the fields.

"Holy shit-" 

Daryl unpredictably saw the same thing that she saw.

Hundreds of walkers, slowly striding towards the dimly lit home. The two of them exchanged a look.

"We have to warn the others!" Echo added. Her heart's rhythm continued to quicken. This was a battle they would not win. They didn't have enough weapons to slow them down, but enough to escape. Her legs felt like jello and her survival instinct kicked in. She passed by Daryl and pushed past the front door, barging in.

"Walkers in the fields. Pack your shit up and let's go." Echo said loud enough to everyone. She started to worry about: how much time they had before the walkers pushed their weight on the fences.

Most stood up with a horrified look.

"Can we take them on?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Not with that number," Daryl answered Hannah.

"We cannot make the same mistake as last time. Not what happened at Hershel's farm. We lost people, we abandoned Andrea... We're not making the same mistake." Rick agreed with Daryl.

"I'll buy you guys time." Echo decided.

"No, you don't! I am not losing you, not after everything we've been through." Myles protested, horrified at the thought of watching his sister get ripped into with teeth.

"That's not up for discussion." Echo snapped. Her palms formed into tight fists. She felt her nails dig into the flesh of her palms.

"No! You don't." Myles followed her over to the staircase. On the first step she ascended up, she felt someone grip her arm tightly. Myles grabbed her forcefully by her arm, knowing where and what she was going. Just by the sudden action she reacted and slapped him. His heart swelled that moment, he was convinced if she stayed back and fought then she would die.

Myles froze in shock, he held his throbbing cheek, it felt almost as if he got hit by a truck.

"We have wasted enough time talking. Let's push as many as we can back, enough for us to escape and we'll meet up down the road." Glenn suggested. Myles and Hannah both knew Glenn was right. Rick peeked through the boarded window. The walkers have already reached the driveway, almost too close to the porch.

"Mom." Breanne nudged her mother pointing towards the door. A loud thud was made from the walker throwing itself against the door. Sounds of growls loud enough to tell they knew they were in there. Myles couldn't shake that feeling off of him. In seconds his mood changed to one of anger. 

If she wanted to die here and play hero, then let her. Myles inhaled deeply, what was he thinking? He never wanted that to happen. And he regretted thinking of that. That wasn't at all what he wanted, he wanted her to be alive! Even for this kid, Hannah was about to have.

"On three!" Daryl called out reaching for the doorknob. Everyone stood back and drew their weapons, including Myles and his machete. He kept a protective arm in front of Breanne and Hannah. Hannah held onto Breanne.

Echo searched the room for the rifle Myles gave her earlier. She spotted it next to her nightstand. She knelt down and turned the safety off, she placed the gun onto the open ledge of the window. She peered into the scope, praying that the sight wasn't off on the gun. She started taking out walkers closest to the porch. Loud blasts came from the chamber as brass bounced off of the old floorboards beneath her. She started to notice more started to pile in where the barn was. She shifted her body to the left and aligned her crosshair up with the oil lamp, that T-dog hung on the door earlier.

She kept a steady breath, finger twitching on the trigger. When her breath escaped was when she pulled the trigger. The bullet made the flames and oil in the lamp explode on the door. The flames started to dance on the wooden door.

She still couldn't believe the year 2010 was a shitty year. After all, the end of the world happened too quickly, it was predicted to be in 2020. She guessed whoever made that up was full of themselves. She heard lots of noise downstairs, and lots of movement, though she didn't see anyone hurrying out the front...

Her heart stopped when she heard the stairs start to creak. Loud shuffling came from the stairs. And snarls were made by walkers that ascended the staircase. This must of meant they broke through the front and the group snook outback.

She pulled her gun out from the window and pointed it at the walker that ascended through the hallway.

*Click*

A sound came from her gun, meaning she was out of rounds.

"Shit." She growled. 

She ran over to the doorway, attempting to stop them from coming in. With the strength she had she smashed the butt of the gun against the walker's head. Its head collided against the doorframe, and a fair amount of blood decorated the doorframe. It collapsed onto the side. She quickly finished it off. She dragged the walker forward and held one hand against the door pushing back the remaining walker. The walker tried to climb over the dead walker that blocked the door from closing.

"Come on!" She yelled managing to remove the walker she managed to kill. She pressed her back against the door, grounding her heels against the floorboards. The next walker continued to squeeze half of its body through the cracked door. At this point, she knew that more were piling up the stairs. She had to get rid of this one before she dealt with it more.

Then an idea came into mind. A loud honk came from outside, hinting to her it was time to go. Echo opened the door, enough for the walker to get in. She shoved it the opposite way as her. And she slammed the door shut.

She took her flannel off and twisted it up. She ducked under its arms as the taller, male, walker tried to grasp onto her. Forceful thrashes were made from her bedroom door. Echo jumped up and tossed her flannel around its throat and dragged him back. She kicked it at the back of its knees. 

The walker collapsed onto its knees and tried to twist around to bite her. Her right hand grabbed her blade from her belt and stabbed it in the head. A loud thud was made. The sound was made from the walker collapsing onto the ground. Large beads of sweat dripped from Echo's forehead, and her chest heaved relentlessly, trying to catch her breath.

She heard gravel rattle, as most of the vehicles started to pull out of the driveway. The wood on her bedroom door started to split, with the weight that pushed against it. She turned her head and climbed out the window. She had a sudden panic, realizing that her choice led to her being on her own to get out.

Just like in the city.