The Sharpest Lives

"Stupid bitch," Daryl grumbled Ace's favorite words.

"Fucker," Ace breathed under her breath, crossing her arms and shifting so she could have a better look out of the window of his truck.

"Whatever," Daryl huffed. "Ya the one that can go get fucked."

Ace scoffed at him, rolling her eyes. "Whatever," she repeated what he said, watching as he pulled his truck to a halt behind the caravan. "Ya can go get yer' own damn ride," Daryl snapped at her, swinging open his door.

Ace didn't say anything back, but did the same thing, both of them angrily hopping out of the truck and slamming the doors.

They were having a fine car ride after watching the CDC get blown to pieces, both feeling a little raw with emotion. They actually sat in comfortable silence, Daryl even tried mumbling a few things to her, asking random questions. But he started to get ticked off when he couldn't figure her out, or when she would just stay quiet like normal again. Ace doesn't even remember exactly what got either of them so pissed or what they were fighting about. Daryl just sets something off in her, making her want to punch something.

He's only ever nice to her when he's drunk. Or when they were/just had been in a life threatening situation, apparently.

Ace shook her head, going over to the rest of the group that had pulled over. Once far enough out of the city for comfort, they decided to stop, see if they could find any supplies, get rid of some of the unnecessary cars that took up a lot of fuel.

So Ace went over to Shane, her back up ride, him noticing her coming over and silently handing her a long tube to use to siphon some fuel with a nod. She took it from him while he grabbed the red container for gas, them both going over to T-Dog's old van for some fuel, each already knowing what to do. Ace slid the tube down into the gas compartment after opening up the latch, giving a deep blow on the top before quickly leading the tube to the container, watching the gas bubble out into it. "Dixon kick you out?" Shane asked as the container filled up, having an empty one in his other hand as well.

Ace looked behind herself to see Daryl pulling the motorcycle that was in the bed of his truck out, most likely ditching the beat down old truck. She gnawed on the inside of her lip, turning back to Shane and shrugging. It was a mutual agreement to not be near each other. Daryl Dixon was an asshole anyways. He set a fire off inside of Ace that she was pretty sure was a strong disliking.

Shane chuckled to himself and at Ace, but she ignored him, grabbing the now full container of gas and going back to Shane's car. She filled it most of the way up, but still saved some gas in the other container to keep in the trunk for another time. While doing this Shane had siphoned the fuel from Daryl's truck, handing it over to Rick for him to put in his trunk.

Ace did happen to notice Shane staring at Rick and Lori for too long after, making her feel kinda bad for him. She could tell he loved Rick's family. "Saddle up," Shane hit the top of his car, by where Ace was leaning by, getting her attention from her thoughts back. She jumped up, throwing her backpack in first before she hopped in, the Jeep being a little farther up off the ground then most cars. Either way, she did like this Jeep. Especially now with the top off, giving her a cool breeze when they drove.

And as they drove Ace was thinking over all the things that Jenner said to her, mostly about Frankie. The group was headed to Fort Benning now, finally, and she so badly wanted to prove Jenner wrong. And herself wrong too. Jenner had planted an even bigger seed of doubt in her head, up to the point were Ace felt like there was no hope. Even if she did find Frankie, would Jenner be right? It will just be another goodbye? She'll find Frankie to tell her she's dying of cancer again..?

Ace sunk down in her seat, feeling emptier than usual.

*

"I don't know why I'm tellin you this," Shane ran a hand fast over his head, one hand on the stering wheel as he drove. It had been a little while of just the two of them sitting in the car, Shane talking enough for the both of them. He was hesitant at first, but eventually started talking about a lot of the stuff he was keeping bottled up inside. Ace was happy to listen, Shane seeming like the type of guy that tried to keep everything in, but doing that only leads him to go crazy.

He didn't give Ace much detail, it really not being her business, but he told her about Lori and Carl, how he loved them. How he loved Rick too, he was his best friend, but he didn't think Rick was fit for the responsibilities he had. That Rick wasn't going to make the tough calls, or that he was not suited for this world. Shane talked about when Rick had gotten shot and he had to take care of Lori and Carl. He told her about how he thought Rick was dead, Lori too. He seemed really distressed about a lot of things.

Ace listened to him very intently, finally putting some of the pieces together now that she has the story. She agreed with him on somethings that he said, but others not so much. Either way she didn't say anything, just let him get his anger out a little bit. Ace was glad she could help, she would have never thought that when she first met Shane they would become acquaintances, maybe even friends?

At least one person wasn't ignoring and being rude to her.

"Me and Rick.. We were takin our sweep around camp the other day," Shane started again, gripping at the steering wheel. "After seein him come back from the dead, I thought... I thought he should stay dead... I took my weapon and I pointed it at my best friend."

Ace's head turned to look at him, a little bit shocked. "For a moment.. It was only for a second, but I thought everythin would be better if he had never came back." Shane took his eyes off the road for a few seconds at a time, giving Ace some glances to see what her response was. She had just leaned back in her seat, watching the road in front of them, really thinking about what he said. Shane was once a good man, but love was and will be his demise.

"You think we'll find somethin at Fort Benning?" Shane changed the subject after quiet a few moments of silence. Ace nodded. She didn't know, but she had a strong belief that they would. "Had a buddy that worked up there, said they were going crazy protecting that place... packing all the heat there," she mumbled, not taking her eyes off the road as she did. Ace was still new to speaking the things that were on her mind, one of the adjustments she had a harder time making once in a group. As much as she didn't mind the company, Ace just felt she would be able to breathe and relax better if she had a good amount of time to herself, with out the fear of being interrupted.

Shane smacked his hand against the wheel, "I knew we shoulda just skipped the CDC, that crazy doctor didn't do none of us any good.. We've got it goin now, though," he smirked, glad to know that they might actually have a chance somewhere and that someone finally backed his opinions up. Except for skipping the CDC part, Ace didn't fully back that opinion of his. Sure it was a hell of a scary adventure, but if not for going there she wouldn't have gotten those meds and information to help her survive a little bit longer. But if they had skipped that, she wouldn't have had that battle with the alcohol, or those harsh words Jenner said to her about no hope that really put her down in the dumps... The trip really wasn't all good or all bad.

There was more silence that lingered for a while after that, until the caravan pulled up onto a highway, cars and old traffic jams scattered everywhere. Ace and Shane both immediately sat up, eyes pealed as the caravan slowed to a halt for a moment, not sure if they could fit the caravan past the oncoming panic of cars. Especially the 13 wheeler that had flipped over on the middle of the road.

They sat waiting for a second, until the loud rumble of Daryl's motorcycle got closer, him telling everyone that he saw a way through.

The sight was absolutely horrible as they drove on, cars flipped and rammed into each other, corpses lying all around.. The eeriness had chilled Ace's bones since the first moment they turned here. She didn't like this one bit, hating the sight that was all around her. She wished they could just go find another road or that if she blinked, all the cars and horror would disappear.

Ace also was starting to dislike more and more the Jeep, not feeling very shielded or protected in basically this topless car.

And then possibly the last noise on earth Ace wanted to hear right now was sharp in her ears. Something short wiring and breaking down the RV, stopping the caravan. Shane swore under his breath as he put his Jeep in park, both of them immediately hopping out after grabbing their guns.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked as they came over to the RV, smoke rapidly coming out from the front of it.

"Oh just the small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with the small hope o-.. Okay, that was dumb," Dale went on before stopping himself, seeing that they were surrounded by cars full of parts to fix the RV with. As much as Ace really didn't want to stick around here, digging through dead peoples stuff, she sucked it up anyways.

It was decided, with only little protest from Lori, that they would look around, siphon more fuel, and collect any supplies they needed... Water, food.. As much as Lori was right when she said this was a grave yard, it is also a gold mine.

Ace caught Daryl's eye, him seeming to watch over her and what she was doing until their eyes met. They both gave each other a scowl before turning away in the opposite direction. Ace made sure she had her knife in her holster on her hip and gun still in her hand before went off as the group dispersed.

Ace stayed near the RV mostly, wanting to be able to hear someone say it was all fixed up and they could go when it was time. She took her time digging through a few cars, spirit being uplifted every time she found a suitcase full of canned food or bottles of water. And then she remembered something. The medicine list..

She quickly snuck back to the Jeep, grabbing her backpack and shuffling through it until she got to the list Jenner had wrote out for her. Some of the names on here were familiar from her last cancer treatment, but others she really could barely even pronounce.

Going back to the cars she looked for the same stuff, but this time took a little extra moment to look through the pills or random drugs they had inside. She mostly found aspirin, ibuprofen, allergy medication, and some cleansing ointment. She took it all anyways, just in case anyone needed it some time.

After a few more cars she searched through, grabbing a plastic bag she found inside of one to carry all the things she found, she was just wandering around cautiously. "Miss Ace?" A small voice came from behind her, making her turn around. At first all she spotted was Glenn working on the RV and Shane wandering around somewhere, but then looking down a little she saw cute and innocent Sophia.

Ace smiled and crouched down to her level, noticing the dirty old doll she was clinging onto. "I drew this for you," Sophia held out her hand that was holding onto a piece of paper. Ace was surprised that Sophia did this for her, but she couldn't wipe the smile off her face when she took the paper and looked down at it. It was a picture of three people all colored in crayon in a circle. "It's you.. me.. and Carl," she pointed to each figure, Carl being colored in blue, Ace green, and Sophia Pink. "We're playin cards," Sophia said shyly. "And on the other side," Sophia turned the paper over for Ace. "It's jus' me and you.. It's when I beat you at Go Fish," Sophia giggled, making Ace's face light up. "Look I even made your eyes pretty, too," She pointed to Ace's face, having two different colored eyes like now.

"This is amazing, Sophia," Ace said lightly, looking up from the picture. "Thank you, I love it."

Sophia giggled before turning around and running back to Carl who was sitting in the trunk of a car next to Carol and Lori who were going through it.

Ace was feeling a lot better now, smiling as she folded up the picture and put it into her back pocket to keep. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with her smiling face now, but as she looked around, catching something in the corner of her eye, she grew curious. A big truck was stuck off the road a bit, but on it in big bold letters read; 'Pure Life Spring Water. Home and Office Delivery'

Ace walked over to it, sliding her gun into the waist band of her pants before going to the side of the truck and grabbing onto the side door, shoving it upwards. Ace's jaw dropped at the sight in front of her, bottles and bottles of clean, fresh water. Shane was wandering behind her, but stopped to see what the noise she was making was, his jaw dropping too as he ran over. He ran up beside Ace with a cheery laugh, grabbing onto one of the lids and pulling it off, dumping water all over them both. Glenn took notice too and soon, he was laughing out in joy as well.

"It's like being baptized, man," Shane said to Glenn before he moved to the side after soaking himself with the water letting Ace get a drink, smiling bigger. She knew that Shane just wasted a tub of it, but it seemed like they have enough to spare now.

Ace wiped off her face, not nearly as drenched as Shane was, but then decided she would go tell the others. Shane gave her a nod, signaling over to the group and she grabbed the bag of supplies she gathered earlier and started walking over, stopping to look through a few other interesting things on the way. Even though she didn't find any medicine, she was pretty happy with her findings today.

Maybe this place wasn't as bad as it looked?

Ace was getting caught up in her thoughts again, finding a small amount of alone time to peacefully do so. She was leaning into the drivers side of the car, digging through compartments for some medicine when she noticed it went nearly dead quiet again. She shook it off until she heard someones footsteps walking up next to her, but before she could turn around a rough hand was put on her arm and shoulders, shoving her towards the ground. "Under," Daryl's gruff voice growled into her ear seriously enough for her to listen, shuffling under the car, him following suit.

She was confused, but she looked up to see many dirty rotten feet near by, shuffling towards them, making her body go rigid. Ace also happened to catch the sigh of T-dog slicing his arm open on a loose part of one of the cars. Daryl must have seen this too because when Ace went to get up from under the car to run over and help him, Daryl held her back. He put his hand out for her to stay, motioning one finger up to his lips for her to stay quiet also before he rolled out and up, sneaking over.

Ace was breathing hard, getting ready to go follow him and help, against his word, but when she peaked her head out from under the car, the biters had all gotten too close. When a frantic huff she curled back under, trying to tense her body to keep it from shaking so much and also to be ready for any oncoming attack. She even started to feel a little trapped after a while, hating how she was helpless under this car. She guesses it's better than being out in the open for the biters lunches. Ace knew she had Daryl to thank for helping her out twice.

Fuck Daryl's out there..

Ace tilted her head to see if she could see what was going on with him, but she couldn't spot him or T-dog anymore. Nervously swallowing, she quietly reached down and pulled out her knife, feeling better with it tight in her grip as she laid there, body stiff as a statue, waiting for the biters to finish their stroll. She should have knocked on wood or something because she second guessed this place too soon..

Ace started counting to 3 again in her head, each time the shakes slowly stopping and her putting her head back on straight. It seemed like she was counting more than usual lately.

But after a while of laying under the car, watching the feet drag by her head, the biters stopped coming. Ace decided to give them another minute before coming out, but she was settling down a little now.

Until she heard a scream.

Not just any scream, a little girl one that Ace immediately recognized as Sophia's whimpers. Ace's head started panicking again, looking out from under the car to see Sophia shuffle down the hill leading into the woods, two biters after her. Ace didn't even allow herself to think before she rolled out from under the car, getting up and running after Sophia, barely noticing Rick do the same.

It was hard to run down the steep slope of twigs and branches and dirt, Rick accidentally falling down, but Ace using more strength in her legs to run down it. She had mastered a lot of terrain in her days as a soldier. But the difference is the enemy she is running after now are biters, and she can't even use her gun unless she wants to draw back the attention of that horde.

Rick was now only a little bit behind Ace, but she didn't slow down, her breaths just becoming more frantic. She could see the back of the two biters and hear Sophia's whimpers, which was enough motivation for her. "Distract the walkers, I'll get Sophia!" Rick yelled over to her, coming up farther on her right side. She saw that he had a clear path to getting Sophia while she was closer to the biters. Ace wouldn't have minded it being the other way around, but she didn't question him. She'd do what it takes to make sure Sophia stays safe. "Hey!" Ace yelled, going around to the other side of the biters, farther away from Sophia and Rick's direction. "Over here you smell bastards!" Ace yelled, running backwards as fast as she could, even managing to pick up a rock and throw it at them. Once the biters were fully turned in her direction, moaning loud at their new food source, Ace cursed under her breath and spun around, nearly falling to the ground before she took off in a run.

She turned back every so often, making sure they were still on her, which of course, they were. And she was getting winded after a while, not them. She had no idea how far she had run, but she still was unsure how she is supposed to take on these two biters on her ass. Especially without a gun.

Ace decided she needed to get a distance ahead, so she took the last remaining amount of fuel she had in her body and sprinted, huffing as she pushed past many trees blurring by her. She checked one more time behind her, barely seeing the biters, so she quickly went to the nearest tree and pressed her back to it. Ace could feel her heart thumping fast in her throat, breaths large and heavy in her chest. Sophia had to be okay, right? What if she wasn't okay? What if these biters are too much?

"...1...2...3.." Ace this time counted aloud, trying to take a few deep breaths as she did. No more worrying. She cant be scared right now. She has to do this for Sophia.

Getting into the zone, Ace got her knife ready that was still in her hand, but also bent down grabbing a large rock. She propped the heavy stone up in one hand, waiting for the biters to come over, their moans becoming louder with each step they took closer.

Ace peaked back at them and decided they were close enough for whatever stupid plan she had cooked up in seconds. She took the rock and chucked it far to her left side, making the biters hear it and turn their direction over there, their backs now to Ace.

Ace let one more quiet breath out before pushing herself off from the back of the tree. She made her footsteps quiet, almost light as a feather, like she would as a soldier sneaking behind the enemy. And when she got close enough, Sophia was the only thing on her mind as she jumped up behind the first biter, shoving her knife into the back of it's head quickly, then backing up to the tree she was just at in a hurry. The other biter's attention had been drawn back to her now.

Ace readjusted her grip on her knife, keeping it out to the side as in the corner of her eye, the biter appeared next to the tree. In one swift movement, Ace couched down far enough that her butt was touching one of her ankles, but the other one was extended out on her leg that was swiping under the biters feet, causing it to fall forwards. It was a very majestic movement, but Ace didn't hesitate to after jump on the walkers back, sending her knife down with a huff into the back of it's skull.

Thinking of Sophia, she did it again.

And again.

But then the sound and sight of what she just did became too much and she crawled backwards off of it, her back on the tree again. The blood that had splattered all over her face and neck were itching like they had been drops of acid on her..She hated killing biters, especially like that. She really only had killed a few before up close. During the time she served as a Marine she had shot at people, wounded the enemies, but never really brutally killed or hurt someone. Besides her two buddies in Germany..
It's nearly a daily thing now, in this world. Ace knows that they aren't people anymore, but she could rarely ever get the thought out of her head that then once were and how inhumane it is to smash someones skull in.

Ace was now letting out whimpers and frantic pants of her own, not crying because her breath was too hard to catch for that, but still freaking out. She didn't know what to do with her hands, whether it was putting them over her face, gripping onto her hair, or punching the ground below her.

She had to keep reminding herself she did it for Sophia.

..Sophia... Ace shot back up from the tree, looking at the two biters once more before she pushed off from the ground and took off in a sprint again. She had to get back to the highway to make sure she was safe. Rick had to have gotten her back, right? No worries.

Ace hadn't realized how much she ran out here to get away from the biters until now, it seeming like forever until she saw the clearing off the woods. She was so relieved when she did, shoving a branch out of her way so she could get to that same hill she ran down. Ace was a little off to the side, but she still made her way over there in record time.

She saw that Rick was back, so Sophia should be back here too. Thank God.

Ace nearly climbed up the last part of that hill and over the railing, still panting like crazy. She walked over to the group that was now all standing by the railing, looking for Sophia, but not seeing her. Only Carol sobbing as she looked to see Ace. "How could you?!" Carol cried out at her, standing up when Ace came over.

"...Sophia," Ace mumbled, still not being able to find her and seeing Carol was just another sign she wasn't here.

"You let my daughter get left out in the woods!" Carol screamed at Ace, going to step forward, but Lori came up and grabbed her, also putting a hand over her mouth to stay quiet. Ace couldn't say anything, just guiltily avoided eye contact with everyone.

"Carol, it's not her fault... We-We'll go back out there.. Right now, we'll find her," Rick came over, trying to get her to look at him.

Rick then looked at Daryl and Shane, Daryl being the tracker and hunter of the group. Glenn also offered to come along and then everyone ran to get their weapons. "Here," Daryl grumbled as he came up to Ace, holding out his red rag he kept in his back pocket. Ace looked up at him for a moment, she hesitated, but gave in, her hands shaking when she reached up to grab it from him. She brought the rag up and did her best to get the sticky and gooey biter blood off her face and neck. It didn't do much, she could still feel it drying on her skin and in her hair, but it helped a little.

Ace barely looked at Daryl as she handed it back, him taking it and stuffing it back in his butt pocket. "C'mon," he nodded his head in the direction of the woods, watching Ace carefully as she stepped back over the railing, going back into the forest to find the lost little girl.

Lost just like Frankie.