From the Shadows

Teagan sat by the firepit abruptly, startling Lori and Carol whom were doing laundry. Teagan started skinning her kills, quickly and effortlessly. “Where do you put your meat?” she asked. Lori and Carol looked at each other and instructed her. Teagan followed suit, when Hershel walked out and looked relieved.

“Glad to see you back.”

“Mmm.” She avoided conversation.

“You tore your stitches last night. I need to fix them.”

“Already took care of it.”

Hershel was surprised, “Did you now?”

Teagan was annoyed, but showed Hershel her abdomen. The stitching was neat, not too tight or lose, and was just fine. Hershel nodded and asked, “Where'd you learn how to do that?”

“Part of surviving. Being an EMT helped a lot, too.” She smiled slightly, looked around nervously, and walked inside.

Daryl had set off in search of Sophia. He borrowed Hershel's horse, but Teagan was unsure if Daryl had asked first. Towards midday, Teagan was visited by Glenn. He wanted to know if she'd accompany him into town and get supplies. She agreed, packed up some stuff and headed to the car. She drove, and stopped a ways away from the town.

“Why are we stopping so far out?” Glen asked.

“Our small bodies can move through town easier than a car. In case we get trapped.”

When they were right on the edge of town, Teagan knelt down and motioned for Glenn to do the same. She began to ramble off instruction to Glenn in a whisper, as if he had no idea what he was doing. “Follow my instruction. Be quiet. Don't fire that gun unless you absolutely have to. It'll draw every walker for miles. Keep low and breathing steady. We'll check out that pharmacy over there.”

“I've been on runs before, I know what I'm doing.”

“You got a list?”

“A list? For what?”

“Of supplies you'll need.”

“Uh.. no? I just, grab what I think is useful.”

Teagan sighed and shook her head. “Lists save time. I'll tell you what you'll need.” Glenn grew a bit annoyed at her bossiness, but quickly shrugged it off. They approached the pharmacy. Glenn was about to enter when Teagan stopped him.

“Wait! Draw them out first.” She knocked on the door several times, and the few walkers snarled and staggered their way to the door. Glenn was confused, but Teagan disappeared around the corner to a broken window. She fired arrow after arrow at the unsuspecting walkers, silencing all of them. Glenn internally applauded her strategy, and they quietly stepped inside and over the bodies. Glenn admitted to himself that he wasn't really sure what to grab. He usually just stuffed whatever seemed helpful into his bag and left. Teagan stepped in with some advice.

“Grab a lot of pads and tampons. Any vitamin you can see. Grab a few pair of scissors. Shampoo, soap, conditioner...” and her list rambled on.

“Wait... what was the first thing you said?”

“Uh, tampons and pads?”

“I never thought about grabbing those before...”

“That's why I'm here.” Teagan smiled, which made Glenn feel at ease. She spoke again.

“I'm going to head over the counter and grab what I can. Toss me that box of gallon-sized Ziplocs and a Sharpie.” He did as was asked of him, bewildered. He collected all Teagan said to, and his bag was getting full. Teagan got into the main part of the pharmacy, with all the prescription drugs. She labeled the bags with short hand and dosage, and filled the bag with as many pills as she could, and closed the bag tight. She found several useful medications, and ones she recognized. After her bag was getting to an exceeding weight, she hopped back to the front of the pharmacy just as Glenn was finishing up.

“Got everything?” She asked him.

“Just about. Looks like you got a lot, too.”

“Yup. Everything you said.”

They started to head back out of town, when they came across a clothing shop.

“Should we go in?” Glenn asked.

Teagan ducked down and looked inside. She saw movement, but stable and intentional steps. They weren't the staggers of a walker, but the upright stride of a living person. “No. Let's go.”

“But, they're alive! We could talk to them an-”

“No! We need to go before they see us.”

Glenn stopped arguing, but this time he was fairly angry. What is her problem? They got back in the car, and Glenn chose to drive home. He decided to break the silence.

“So, the group is going to talk about whether or not you can stay.” He was quiet, as to not offend her.

“Tell them to save their breath. I'll hopefully be leaving in a few days.”

Glenn's jaw dropped, but he quickly pulled it up again. “But, why?”

“I've always been on my own,” she said in a sadder tone than she intended. She coughed to cover up her previous inflection, and said with solid confidence, “Besides. You don't know anything about me.” She broke eye contact, and stared out the window. Glenn, defeated, opened his mouth to protest, but ended up not saying another word. Teagan felt a little bit bad, knowing Glenn was legitimately trying to be friendly, but she couldn't risk it. Stay focused. You'll be healed soon. Then it'll be over.

Glenn asked her another question. “Why did we leave the clothing shop earlier? We need some of that stuff, too.”

“There were people inside.”

“So? They could help us, or we could help them.”

“People are dangerous. It's kill or be killed in this world.”

“We brought you in. We didn't kill you.”

“Would it be worth gambling again? That's what it is. Gambling with your life on the off chance a stranger will be nice. What if they killed you? Or tortured you? What if they saw us and followed us to the farm? They could kill everyone there. Yeah, they might be nice, but they could just as easily be sick bastards trying to kill you.”

Glenn and Teagan didn't talk for the rest of the ride. Upon arrival at the farm, Teagan and Glenn grabbed their bags and walked into the house, sharing their prizes. Teagan offered to distribute the feminine products, since Glenn began to blush. Chapstick, shampoo, soap, conditioner and deodorant were distributed evenly amongst the group. Teagan pulled Hershel aside to show him the medicine she brought. They cleared the kitchen table on one side, and she dumped her bag carefully, leaving one prescription behind. Hershel's eyes grew wide, and a huge smile began to form. Teagan shuffled through the medicine, listing off their purposes rather than their names.

“Pain, pain, nausea, antibiotic, antiviral, antibiotic, blood clotter, pain, blood thinner, nausea, migraine specifically, sleep aid, anxiety, antibiotic, pain...”

“Where did you get all this?”

“At the pharmacy in town. Hardly touched. All the over-the-counter drugs were swiped. I guess most people don't know the technical names, and left these alone. I'll rewrite their names in better handwriting. Had to do it quick. Dosage is on the front. Oh, snagged this, too.” She dropped a heavy book on the table. “Alphabetized by drug. Tells you purpose, how to dose, and side effects.”

“This is.. incredible. Thank you.” Teagan nodded, and headed towards her room. On the way, she ran into Maggie.

“Uh, Maggie? Can I ask a favor of you?”

“Yeah, no problem. What is it?”

“Well, Glenn and I went to the pharmacy today and grabbed some medicine. I also snagged these.” She held out some birth control. “I don't know everyone here, and it might be awkward if I distribute it. Would you be willing to do it?”

“Yeah, sure. No problem. Thanks for all your help.” Maggie smiled, and the two departed.

It had been several hours, and there was no sign of Daryl.