❛ SURVIVOR'S HEART ! ❜
chapter forty-one ―― canoodling

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ DALE COULD-COULD get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt."

Charlie sat in the bed of the blue Ford, her knees pulled up to her chest as she tugged her jacket around her shins, the wind blew her hair in all directions – even with it pulled up into a ponytail. She kept her eyes on her boots, they were worn and dirty, the sole of her left boot falling off – she had patched it up with duct tape. Josh rubbed her back, looking around as Shane drove down a dirt road towards the far end of the farm. Josh had been worried about Charlie. She hadn't been sleeping much, he knew because she had taken him up on his offer and she had been sleeping in his tent with him.

He tugged her closer to him, both of them rocking back and forth with the movement of the truck – as did Daryl and T-Dog who sat in front of them, their backs against the cab of the truck. The brunette looked up, smiling a little at him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She was cold and he was warm, but also because he made her feel comfortable.

"That kind of honesty is rare and brave."

Shane pulled the truck over next to a fence and the six jumped out, Shane checking the fence, Andrea carrying the wire in case it needed repairs, T-Dog carrying the tool box, while Daryl, Charlie and Josh kept an eye out for walkers. Daryl had his crossbow, Charlie had her knife and her gun in its hostler on her hip, and Josh had a rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it at one time or another."

The six ventured into the woods, Daryl leading the way as they did a sweep for walkers. Charlie held her knife in her hand, Josh had a baseball bat, Shane carried a shovel, Andrea a pitchfork, and T had a hammer.

"I couldn't always read him, but he could read us."

Daryl slowed to a stop, his eyes on the muddy ground, then he whistled, getting the attention of the others before he pointed in front of him and they started in that direction.

"He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us– the truth. Who we really are."

All six were piled back in the truck, cutting across a field where six walkers shambled down the hill towards three other walkers as they munched on a dead cow.

"In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken."

They all jumped out, weapons raised as the walkers turned towards them. Charlie threw her knife and it hit the walker closest to them right between the eyes and it slumped to the group.

"The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives."

Daryl shot one of the walkers as T-Dog smashed another in the head with the hammer and Josh nearly took off the head of one with his bat. Andrea jammed the pitchfork into another walker's chin, straight to its brain and when she yanked it out it fell to the ground.

"Our safety. . . Our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong."

Shane took another walker out with a shovel as Charlie made her way towards the walker she had killed, yanking her knife from it's head and wiping the blade on the ground, but she kept her eyes on Josh as he and T-Dog neared the three next to the cow they were eating. Daryl shot one in the head with an arrow as it stood up and when the other two turned, Josh slammed the bat into one's head.

"From now on, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

Shane kicked the last one to the ground and started stomping on it, grunting as he did so. The others, except Charlie joined him, all kicking and stomping on the walker as the brunette circled them, her knife in her hand as she gripped the hilt. She whipped the back of her hand under her nose then she tossed her knife with the flick of her wrist and it embedded itself in its skull. The walker went limp and she bent down, pulling her knife from its head before she started back towards the truck.

>>>>> • <<<<<

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ "GONNA BE TIGHT, seventeen people in one house." Rick stated, looking over at Hershel as they stood next to the blue Ford, the others were off packing their things.

"Don't worry about that." Hershel shook his head a little as Glenn and Mason started loading the bed of the truck. "With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up. . ."

"With fifty head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell." Maggie huffed.

"She's right." The vet nodded. "We should've moved you in a while ago."

"All right." Rick got everyone's attention and Charlie pushed herself off of the tailgate making her way over to Josh. "Let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines on both sides of the property."

"An actual room." Josh mumbled, tugging Charlie closer to him as everyone moved around them.

"Don't get too excited, we're probably gonna be sharing with Mason." She told him, reaching up onto her toes to press a kiss to his lips before she pulled away from him. Making her way over to help Glenn, since Mason had gone to move his truck like Rick had said.

"T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going." Rick told him as he walked by him.

"What about standing guard?"

"You, Daryl, Mason and Josh will take shifts." Rick told him, getting a nod and he looked over at the Mexican boy as he lifted a cooler into the back of the truck.

"Gotcha." T nodded before walking away.

"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be." Hershel stated as he walked over carrying a crate.

"I'll help." Charlie offered, getting a nod from the older man. "Just tell me when you need me."

"What about patrols?" Andrea walked over.

"Let's get this area locked down first." Rick told her. "After that, Shane'll assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randell offsite and cut him loose."

"We're back to that now?" Shane asked.

"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution."

"That's a slight understatement." Shane muttered.

"You don't agree, but this is what's happening. Swallow it, move on"

"Yeah, Bubba." Charle mumbled as she put a plastic tub of blankets on the back of the truck. "Let it go."

"You know," Shane lowered his voice as Charlie walked away from the two and over to grab more stuff and Josh made his way over to her, his hands full.

"Wanna meet at the truck later?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"For a quickie?" She raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk pulling up the corner of her lips.

"Not necessarily." He chuckled. "Maybe I just wanna spend time with my girlfriend."

"Yeah." She nodded, her cheeks pink. "After sunset."

"Great." He grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek before he made his way over to the truck and she chuckled to herself, her smile wide as she packed a few things into an empty crate.

"You two are cute." Carol smiled at the girl as she walked over to her.

"Yeah, I like to think so." The brunette nodded, her cheeks flushing a little.

"It's good that you're happy. You deserve it. You really do."

"Thanks, Carol." The girl told her as she picked up the crate and started towards the truck. Once she put the crate down, she closed the tailgate and Andrea put a tool box on top of the crate before hitting the back of the truck. Then they started towards the house and got to unloading everything.

"So, you and Josh get a bed all to yourselves?" Mason teased, spinning the truck keys around his finger as he leaned against the door frame of the room Charlie had been in when they had first shown up at the farm. "I'm jealous."

"Maybe we get a bed, but not a room. I figured you'd stay in here. Bring in a cot or something." She told him. "I mean, not exactly ideal, but-"

"No, I'm gonna crash in there with the others. Let you and Josh have the room to yourselves."

She shoved her suitcase to the side and turned to look at him, her eyebrows creased. "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "He's the first guy that you've liked in a while, the first decent guy you've dated. And you guys make me sick, being all coupley. I feel like a third wheel."

"Well, if you insist."

"I do." He nodded. "Now, I'm gonna go find Josh and tell him the good news." He turned but stopped himself. "Just because you two are sharing a room doesn't mean the others in the house can't hear you. So, no canoodling."

"Canoodling?"

"Better yet, keep the door open at all times. Yeah, that works." With that he walked away.

"Thanks, dad." She called out sarcastically, getting a laugh from the boy as he walked through the living room and the brunette sighed as she turned to organize what few things she and Josh had.

"So," Josh grinned as he walked into the room. "I hear we get the room."

"Yeah." She nodded as she turned towards him. "With a few rules."

"Mason filled me in." He nodded as he made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body to his. "We can break a few rules, can't we?"

"Definitely." She grinned, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek before she pulled away from him and made her way through the house and out the door to see what else needed to be taken into the house.