Living Like You're Dead

The house was quiet with no one there. Carol and Lori were keeping the kids occupied – Addie was cooking dinner in a dutch oven, something that would take all day. She spent time reading western fictions while waiting for the food to cook.

She checked in with the group on the walkie and simply waited.
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Addie found herself in her old home. She was back in Paris, busy streets, and busy people. She put on a pot of tea, her favorite blend. And she let Rachmaninov play through her speakers. She flipped through a book, fundamentals of psychology, it reminded her of her old college classes. She was wearing her favorite silk leopard pajamas, and she relaxed into her chair with her cup of steaming tea.

She called for Daryl to come join her. She called again, but he never came. All she could hear were small whispers from his voice, they were coming from the walkie.

Addie’s ears had picked up Daryl’s voice from the fuzzy transmission. She missed him, very much.

“I’m here.” She said.

“Good, you took forever to answer, everythin’ good there?”

“Here is fine. How is there?”

“Well Muddy. It’s starting to rain. We’re going to keep looking for a few more hours then we’ll head back.”

“Sounds good. Over… and out?” she said.

“Yes baby, over and out.”

Addie shut her eyes tying to return to her dream; perhaps she would get to be held by Daryl, maybe this time he would show up.

But her dreams evaded her mind; she could only recall what she had just dreamed. And she opened her eyes when her ears caught sound of a loud “thud.”
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Travel on foot was definitely taking a toll on them, they didn’t travel by vehicle for the fact that they wanted to remain silent. Especially if they came upon more hostiles then they planned for.

Rain began to fall, only lightly, but it made the air chilly. Surely someone would complain soon.

They had found tracks in the mud; ones that were for big tires. At least the general direction was correct. Daryl thought back to when Merle hadn’t come home one night, he had to go to the bar he had been at – and ended up following the tracks of the motor cycle to find Merle passed out in a ditch, that son of a bitch was always causing trouble, but he still made Daryl laugh.

Daryl was deep in thought when Rick held up his hand. Through the brush you could see a large truck, definitely theirs, they only traveled maybe ten miles away from the house – they wanted to be far from detection, but close enough to go back, they had chosen wisely about coming to find them.
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Addie headed upstairs to check on the noise she had heard. The door was closed, she put her hand to the knob and instead of it turning, the entire door moved. that was the thud sound.

“Lori?” Addie asked.

“Yeah it’s me, I can’t get the door open.” She said from behind the old wood.

“It must just be the age of the frame, I’m sure I can find something to take apart the knob.”

“Alright, I was just coming to check on you, you alright?”

“Yep, just fine. All is quiet here. I’ll be right back with something to get the door open.”

Addie headed down stairs, the first place she checked was the kitchen drawer. Duck tape, no. She threw it on top of the counter, there were lighters, stick of gum, hm a butter knife could work. Ahhh, a screw driver.

Addie shut the drawer, she had no idea how to take apart a door, but she was about to find out.

knock, knock. came from the front door.

perhaps not right now. she thought.

She slowly peered out the window, she couldn't see anyone, but surely she had heard someone knock. This was incredibly unsafe. She had no weapon except a screw river, and the only other people there were locked in a room. Still, it could be a trap set by the Redferns, she shouldn't open it.

knock, knock, knock. "You know I can hear you in there right?" the man said.

Daryl? It sounded like Daryl. Addie swung the door open only to be met by the barrel of a gun.