Red Georgia Hills

“She’s weird” a beat “No she’s not she’s traumatized! You’re weird!” a bump in the road “you’re going to wake her shut up”.

Annabelle awoke shaking her head trying to snap herself back into the current situation. “what are you stooges bickering about” she had imagined these words coming out coolly, like an old 80’s movie badass, but in reality they came out in a tired whine of a child. Anabelle blinked a few time and looked over everyone. “Sorry Annabelle” Becky said softly turning to look into the back seat, “it was Emit fault” she added quickly a blush crept onto her freckled face. “It’s always my fault” Emit muttered “never mind the weird girl screaming in her bloody sleep, no that’s entirely normal” Emit ranted on. Zach grunted and leaned back in the seat, “that would can’t stay compacted” Annabelle said turning to look at him. Zach smiled his long eyelashes shadowing over his lazily lidded eyes. “It’s fine, I’ve applied pressure to it” He reassured. Annabelle looked off to the side “yes, but a wound needs air to, and sitting scrunch up in a car is depriving it of that” She said sharply. “You’re tongues like a dagger” Zach laughed. “You have a sharp mouth” He added, leaning his head back against the car seat he glanced over at her “you didn’t hang around people much huh?” he asked.

Annabelle glowered out the window turning away from him. He was right, she didn’t spend a lot of time around others. Just her sister and her mother.

An oddly built woman ran into a small cleanly kept apartment. She was panting heavily and held a delighted smirk. Her grip tight on a picket sign. A 2 years younger Annabelle towered above the kneeling out of breathe woman. “Allie you cannot keep making peaceful protests violet!” Annabelle scolded, the woman looked up at her with glinting blue eyes, and a mischievous smile “nor can you keep running in here afterwards trying to hide!” Annabelle went on. “That was close, those hoses kind of hurt” the woman said Annabelle leered “Allison! Are you listening to me!” she shrieked the woman Allison stood up and rested her hands on her hips and looked back to the door “I didn’t even know they still hosed down people!” she laughed, Annabelle sighed in defeat. “You’re reckless. Hopeless. I’m late for my gym practice” Annabelle muttered walking past Allison and out the door.

“Even then she was fearless” Annabelle thought her eyes clouded over with a misty sadness. “And to think I used to hate her” she thought, and it was true, Allison was a reckless, haphazard personality. She went with the direction of the wind and had the freedom of a bird, regardless of their father position she stayed true to what Allison wanted. Allison would look out for herself at all times. Irresponsible a lot of the time, but she always came away unscathed. She was the wild horse of the family, a Mustang as wild as the west. Annabelle, Annabelle was the proper and broken show horse, Placid until put into the show ring and told to let their fire lose. How envious is the broken filly of the mare who runs wild and free through the plans, tackles and without rope.

Annabelle sighed, she had found out through the past few years or so, that Freedom comes at a price or two. PLOP. Annabelle turned and leered at the sleeping boy on her shoulder, “wake up” she muttered tin like, her eyes irked. Still Zach slept peacefully. Annabelle glared down at him shaking her shoulder a bit “hey threadbare, seriously get up, you’re heavy” she barked. “You can give up, once Zach’s sleep he sleeps like a rock” Emit said never once taking his eyes off the road. Becky had her arms crossed in the front seat, grumbling to herself. Annabelle growled inwardly and continued to glare at Zach’s sleeping frame. He was so heavy she couldn’t sit back up or move to well. She could feel the warm air from his breathe exit his nose and brush against her neck. She was uncomfortable, she side glanced at him and with all she had ignored how comforting it really was, someone’s body heat. It’d been a long time since anyone had even hugged her, or shook her hand, the feeling on another living body.

In that moment she could feel his pulse, and the rhythm of his breath. Life, real tangible life. It had been so long since she had seen and felt life up close and life that was not her own. Annabelle’s body finally relaxed, and her eyes went back out the window. It wasn’t what she had expected and even if she was smashed against the side of the car, with dead sleeping weight on her. She would let him stay there and Sleep, because as long as his body was filled with a Living soul, Life, not just living but warmly thriving Life, He was ok for the moment. She would tolerate it. Just for a moment to witness and feel what it feels like to be really alive. Annabelle imagined that what she was feeling from him is what her own Life force might feel like, the feeling of Life is something you forget, when there is nothing but yourself and the ‘Stinkers’ as this group called them.

Annabelle struggled to stay awake herself as she watched the sky turn orange, and then Pink to Purple. They long ridden out of Atlanta and were now on open road. Annabelle sighed heavily at the movement Zach stirred and moved away from her, Annabelle hastily sat up and stretched “thank god!” she gasped rotating her shoulder, which had went numb. Zach’s eyes opened and he looked over to her confused “you feel asleep on me” Annabelle stated flatly. “You make a great pillow then” he stated with a grin. Annabelle blinked a few times and shook her head “he hasn’t any sense” she told herself “none” Zach looked to the front seat “were are we headed?” He asked. “The last time we heard a radio transmission it said that there was a camp near to a town called Woodbury it’s a few hours out though” Becky explained. “There’s a few farms on the way, we should take a look into those. Make sure we stay stocked up just in case the camp near Woodbury ends up being another Atlanta.” Emit added in, Zach sighed and leaned back “Emit you’re a buzz kill” he said.

“Would you sit still?” Annabelle growled as Zach flinched and squirmed, “it burns! Like fucking hell!” He cried out and indeed it did, like pure acid as Annabelle pour liquor onto his gunshot wound. “Shut up and be a man” She muttered pouring a bit more onto it, he cried out more, breathing heavily he looked down at her “such bedside manner, are you a nurse?” he chuckled trying to make light of the situation and focus on something besides the pain. “Nope, and guess what it’s going to get worse, I’m going in” she muttered “what do you? AHHH!” Zach screamed as Annabelle shoved two fingering into the bullet hole. “I’ve got to dig the bullet out…or it’ll infect” she stated, as her fingers searched Zach’s flesh more and more screams exited his body.

“Stop it, Annabelle give him a break!” Becky called, Annabelle squinted “but I’ve almost” she muttered as her fingers slipped against something smooth. She grasped it tightly and slowly worked her fingers out of the whole “got it” she said a smirk on her lips as she held the Bullet up for all to see. Zach smiled faintly and laid back against the wall. He looked down at Annabelle as she sat on the floor getting ready to pour more Liquor onto the wound. “You’re ruthless” he chuckled with a tired smile. “But useful as hell” he added. Annabelle looked up at him dully, Useful, yeah she was always useful, she was the show horse. She had to be useful or her future would be unknown. They’re eyes stayed locked for a moment, and Zach’s panting slowed down, Annabelle smirked and poured the Liquor into the open bullet hole and Zach screamed “but so much more ruthless!” he growled Emit shook his head at the two.

Annabelle walked around, their camp for the night? A small log cabin, it consisted, of a living room, a minute Kitchen, one bedroom and one bath. Emit and Annabelle had managed to bring the mattress in the living room, and with the help of Becky boarded up the windows. Emit had gathered some wood and started a small fire on the stove, It was chef Romonari again, ravioli as before. Becky handed a bowl to Zach and Annabelle, before fetching bowls for herself and Emit. “I’m sick of this stuff” Zach muttered Annabelle looked at him, He had to be Daft! It was warm hot flavorful food with pasta, meat, and sauce! Was he kidding it was gold in a can!

Annabelle fought the urge to yell these things at him, It was clear that they had been fortunate enough to have been living off of these things for a while, oh how she wished she could stick the thought and feeling of cold raw foods as a means of meals for over a year in their heads. But Annabelle was quiet. Eating happily she had no completes for that night, she was warm, had a mattress, hot food, and….She glanced at Zach as he talked to Becky and Emit, She had felt life again. Annabelle looked down at her food in her bowl. She’d didn’t want to lose a feeling of Life, and found something that troubled her deeply. She looked back up at Zach and then to Becky, and she could remember what it felt like when the ‘Stinker’ had attacked her. Annabelle frowned. “It’s only been two days” she thought growling at herself in her head. She took her bowl and stood up walking out of the Living room into the bedroom. She sat down on the floor in the dark and ate. “I can’t” she muttered.

It had been silent for a long time, Annabelle had not noticed the eyes watching her in the dark. “Can’t what?” His sharp voice, Annabelle looked up with iron eyes “Emit” she greeted her voice like stone. She didn’t know what it was but something never felt right about him. “Can’t what?” he asked again, Annabelle stayed quiet she wasn’t going to give his eavesdropping a reward. “Pay me a penny and maybe I’ll tell you, Brit-Boy” she howled that bitter cat that she was. Emit smiled in contempt and reached in his pocket, with a light whooshing sound across the air, and coin landed before Annabelle, it spun around on the wooden floors before falling still with a soft clank. “I’ve not any Pennies, but how about a Dime” he said. Annabelle leered at him “ever heard? It’s a Dime a Dozen…so out with it” He added, he two narrowed his eyes “can’t what?” He asked. Annabelle stood up and walked towards him, stopping at his side, she looked into the living room to see Zach and Becky getting ready to rest for the night. She smirked and side glanced at Emit and her eyes sparkled “stand you” she sighed almost happily, mockingly as she strode past him into the living room. Emit grunted and turned around to glare at her. “Bratty bitch” he muttered.

“We can fit Three in the Bed, it’s a king so three should fir fine, possible all four of us if you don’t mind sharing space” Becky said happily after examining the mattress. She climbed onto it and lay in the middle, patting the empty space next to her. “Okay Annabelle you and I will get in the center, cause we take up less room.” She said before turning to look at the boys “and you two will get on the outside of us.” She added. Annabelle looked off uncomfortably “I-I think I’ll just sleep on the floor” she stammered, losing a bit of her haughty flare. “But the floors cold, you’ll get sick” Becky pointed out sitting up a bit. “Yeah it’s better to just sleep on the mattress, it may be a while before you get to see one again” Zach said with a smile. “Come on or I’ll pull you!” Becky said laughing. Annabelle crossed her arms and closed her arms “no Wuh-waaay!” Annabelle shrieked as Becky grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed. “You’re strong for such a tiny person” Annabelle peeped, Becky smiled “and you’re not as tough as you lead on” she said smugly. Zach chuckled and plopped down next to Annabelle “I call shotgun next to Annie!” he called as he went down, Flinching as he remembered his wounded side, Annabelle froze, “Annie” his voice echoed. She shut herself down and turned her back to him closing her eyes. Becky watched her with concern, she could almost feel the air around Annabelle become colder. “That’s what you get for plopping down like that” Annabelle hissed to Zach as he groaned from the pain in his side. Emit crawled onto the mattress next to Becky, and she pulled the blankets over the four of them. “See isn’t this nice! And we’ll all be safe” Becky cheered. Annabelle grumped “yes like bugs in an itchy dusty rug”