Come Morning Light

The car crunched the loose dirt beneath its wheels as the group inched closer and closer towards the camp. All of the men were silent with the exception of Rick’s few navigation instructions. Darkness had settled over the world around them and the air had grown slightly cooler. It nipped at Renee’s skin from the windows that had been rolled down to save gas in the Atlanta heat. She thought back to nights in her teen years when she’d be piled in someone’s truck or car, speeding down a back country road, blaring the radio, and letting the breeze whip through her hair; with all her friends laughing and singing along.

There was an obvious change of atmosphere in the car that night. No one was smiling; there was no music, just somber expressions.

“It’s just around this corner.” Rick stated, pointing to the slight curve up ahead.

Just as Renee’s hands gently curved the wheel, a loud shrill scream pierced through the night air. More followed as she slammed on the breaks and threw the gear in park. Gun shots echoed in her ears and sent her body into a panic. All four men flung themselves out of the car and sprinted up the rest of the way. Turning the engine off Renee found herself wishing she had that damn kitchen knife.

“Come on!” T-Dog shouted grabbing her arm.

“I don’t know…” She began but he seemed to understand, he was nodding and glanced in the direction of an RV.

“Run. Hide.” Was all that he could communicate.

Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog wasted no time joining in. They all ran past her charging straight into the chaos shouting for people to get inside the RV. One Hispanic woman clutching her children close made a dash for the door and flung it open. Her wide, fearful eyes turned towards Renee and opened her hand to her. Digging her shoes into the dirt Renee mustered up the strength to make a clear shot through the horde and let the woman pull her inside. The children were screaming for their mother and the mother was screaming for more people to come inside, but her voice was lost over the gunshots and cries of terror and pain. Finally the woman gave up trying to call anyone else inside and went to her children holding them close to her and smoothing their hair down. Letting her body sink to the floor Renee fought to catch her breath from her adrenaline spike. The woman was looking at her from the floor as well, wondering where she’d come from but knowing there was no need for introductions. Their eyes locked, both tired and exhausted and not even pretending to know what the other had been through. Renee’s mind flashed to the night in her apartment. Arms, and legs, and teeth broke through her windows; bodies fell at her door. In her mind she could see the sweat glistening over Daniel’s worried face, harsh lines drawn around his eyes and mouth. He lunged at her again, shoving her inside the bathroom. She could practically feel the firmness of his arms through her hands as she gripped onto him, and saw the panic in his eye and then the door shut. She had lost her brother all over again.

Glancing out of the window Renee watched as a blonde woman sat in the dirt beside a young girl, blood covering her entire chest and neck, she was crying hysterically.

Rick was holding his son and making his way to his wife before wrapping her in his arms as well. Two other men stood side by side, one holding a bat, both still standing ready for an attack. Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog were all scattered around but all doing the same thing: searching for any sign of anymore of those things. The cries of the blonde woman broke through the silence in the RV, it was one of the most heart wrenching sounds Renee had ever heard. She closed her eyes at the pain radiating with the cry, sunk to the floor again, and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them close as if they were her own children. The minutes passed ever so slowly, draining the energy clear from her body until she nearly passed out from exhaustion then and there. Just as her mind was beginning to drift off the RV shifted under someone else’s weight.

It was the man she had seen with a bat, standing just outside the window. He looked directly at the woman, presumably his wife, and spoke softly to her in Spanish.

“They’re gone.” He finally said to everyone. “There’s no more of those things for now.”

The children rose to their feet and hobbled over to the man who carried them outside one by one. His wife stood slowly, on trembling legs and offered her hand to Renee. They stepped outside together, and took in the atrocity before them. Corpses were everywhere, strewn about in grotesque forms, the stench of death far more pungent than Renee had ever known. Not wanting to take any more of the site or bother anyone with sleeping arrangements, Renee quickly made her way out of the camp, past the curious gaze of T-Dog and Daryl and opened the backdoor of her car before climbing in. She could see the two men exchange a few words and then glance back in her direction before splitting up and making their way to their own tents. Renee wasn’t worried about what they said instead she rested her face against the back soft back of the seat and closed her eyes for sleep.

A day at the camp starts early, just after dawn people started rising from their tents and grabbed some food and water to prepare for the work ahead of them. Renee’s stomach churned almost as soon as she opened her eyes. She hadn’t eaten a single bite or had anything to drink since the peanut butter sandwich and fruit cocktail the day before. Climbing out of her car she watched with weary eyes as the people went about their daily business, not noticing her. Rick had just emerged from his tent, radio in hand, and caught sight of her first.

“Go on, get you some food. They’re good people and will make sure you’re taken care of.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “I wish I could have been more of a help last night.”

“The way I see it,” Rick said putting a hand on her shoulder “if it wasn’t for your car we might not have made it here in time. You did help, and you can help today.”

Renee nodded knowing what he was talking about, they needed all the muscle they could possibly get to dispose of the corpses that were still strewn about the camp. She smiled at Rick’s kindness and watched him make his way out of the camp.

A few of the women were standing by the RV, handing out food to the children and men. No one said much of anything, there was just an echo of “here you go” and “thank you”’. Renee was handed a package of cheese crackers and a plastic water bottle about half full.

“Thank you.” She said quietly as her eyes met with the woman’s who had handed her the food.

“Lori,” she smiled gently “I’m Rick’s wife.”

“Renee.”

“Rick said you were lookin’ for your family.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well if there’s any way we can help, you let us know.”

“I will, and the same goes for y’all. I don’t want to be a burden, I’m not a fighter or anything but I’m not afraid of hard work.”

“Well I don’t know about you not being a fighter.” Lori said warmly as she sat down on the steps of the RV. “A young girl like you coming all the way from Louisiana by herself, you must have some fight in you. No telling what you’ve encountered.”

Renee thought about the porch at her family’s home, saving Daryl’s brother, the ferocity she found somewhere beneath her calm quiet exterior to kick him out of the car, and she smiled a little to herself. Glancing over her shoulder, however, her smile faded quickly. That blonde woman still sat beside the body of the young girl, she hadn’t moved an inch all night long.

“Is uh…is she going to be ok?”

“Andrea?” Lori asked. “Amy was her sister. Excuse me; I’m going to go check on her.”

Lori rose from the steps and made her way over to Andrea’s slumped form. Renee watched her crouch beside her before turning her attention to her food. She couldn’t help but think about how she would feel if that was Daniel, laying in the dirt covering in his own blood. The backs of her eyes began to tingle with tears that she quickly wiped away before ripping open her package of crackers. She had just stuffed one in her mouth when she noticed Daryl making his way over towards the RV, an axe hanging loosely from his pants making them sag off one hip just slightly.

“’Ey.” He started wiping his brow, his arms covered in dirt and blood. Clearly he’d been up early already starting on disposing the corpses. “There anything to eat in ‘ere?”

Swallowing hard she opened her mouth to speak but was cut short by a thin black woman.

“I think we have some more inside. Let’s go look.”

Daryl nodded and cast one last glance at Renee’s face before following the other woman inside the RV. She quickly scarfed down the crackers and took a big gulp of water before making her way to Glenn.

“What can I do?”

T-Dog was standing on the opposite end of one of the corpses, panting heavily. The sun had risen completely and the heat was stifling. There was a gentle hum of flies everywhere and waves of the flames that had just been started did nothing to help the sweat beading on everyone’s bodies.

“Can you help us carry these things into the fire?”

Renee glanced down at the corpse at her feet. There wasn’t a face anymore, it had been bashed in already by Daryl’s axe. It looked like a gnarly mangled mess and threatened the small amount of food she had just consumed to come right back up. But she so desperately wanted to be useful and so she nodded.

“Good,” Glenn said before he pointed to its ankle “grab one leg, and lift.”

Renee nodded and reached down, getting a good grip around the corpse’s pant leg and lifting with all her might. The three of them moved in baby steps towards the flames, swung it a few times, and then tossed it into the pile. The wood buckled beneath the new weight and small sparks flew upwards in a fit.

“One down.” T-Dog stated exhaling deeply.

Renee moved her eyes around the camp, subconsciously counting the bodies, both corpses, and fallen loved ones. Rick was already back and he was standing around with a few others including Daryl and Lori, they all had concerned expressions and were all starring at Andrea. Trying not to think about things, Renee instantly moved onto another body and grabbed it’s wrist, dragging it closer to the fire. T-Dog and Glenn picked it up from there and tossed it on top of the other burning corpse.

Daryl left the group and stalked over towards another man who was struggling to pick up a body by himself. Glenn paused to watch what they were doing as T-Dog picked up a shovel and began digging into the dirt. Renee pulled another by its wrist which quickly became detatched from the body and sent her straight on her bottom in the dirt.

“You alright?” T-Dog asked dropping the shovel to help her up.

“I’m fine.” She answered placing her hand in his.

“Wh-what are you guys doing?” Glenn asked suddenly. Renee was brushing her hands off on her jeans but looked up in question. Daryl and the other man were bringing a body towards the burn pile. “This is for geeks. Our people go over there!” He pointed towards the RV where a couple recognizable bodies with faces lay under the shade of the awning.

“What’s the difference?” Daryl asked. “They’re all infected.”

“Our people go in that row over there.” Glenn said more firmly stepping towards Daryl who was just straightening up. “We don’t burn them!...We bury them. Understand?”

Daryl looked at Glenn in somewhat surprise, his eyes dark with misunderstanding. But he said no more on the matter, instead his eyes flickered and locked with Renee’s. She understood Glenn, and held her breath for Daryl’s next move. Quietly he stooped back down and grabbed onto the body.

“Our people go in that row over there.” Glenn repeated.

Both of the men then hauled the body away without a word until they placed it down on the ground.

“You reap what you sow!” Daryl shouted.

“You know what? Shut up, man.” The other man responded.

Storming away from the body Daryl glanced back at the man and shouted again.

“Y’all left my brother for dead! You had this commin’!” Then he disappeared behind the camp.

Renee found it odd that so far no one had asked what had happened with Merle. She had told them he had taken her car, but that was all. Perhaps everyone just figured he had attacked her in his desperate attempt to escape and there was nothing else to say. Renee figured that for the time being that was probably the best that everyone thought that.

Walking away momentarily Renee recovered her water bottle Lori had given her and took a break in the shade for only a moment. The water was warm and not so refreshing but it soothed the dryness in her throat. She sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat off her face with her shirt. The layers of dirt and grime were starting to bother her, making her skin crawl and itch in discomfort. Her hair was in a complete disarray with long and short strands falling down her back and around her face. Taking her hair band out she gathered her long knotted tresses up again smoothing the sides of her head and put her hair in a high ponytail. Sighing she closed her eyes for a second, listening to the sound of the birds chirping and the slight breeze rustling through the trees. There was tranquility for just a moment. Suddenly a woman’s voice rang out in panic.

“A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!”

Everyone jumped to attention. They all stopped whatever they were doing and began to circle in. The man, Jim, stood alone in the middle fear stricken while every starred like he was a rabid animal.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” He mumbled to himself.

Daryl came closer to him, axe slung over his shoulder and pointed.

“Show it to us.”

Renee slowly rose to her feet as the man began to panic and picked up a shovel. The chattering became louder and faster and the circle grew tighter, everyone yelling for Jim to put the shovel down. T-Dog moved quickly and grabbed Jim’s arms from behind while Daryl ran to his side and yanked his shirt up so everyone could see the clear bite mark on his stomach.

Renee’s heart dropped at the sight. Everyone backed away instantly, their faces all holding shock and terror. All the while Jim stated over and over the same words: “I’m okay.”

Renee bit her lip nervously and shuffled her feet as they all stood together in a circle. She didn’t feel qualified to be there, standing amongst them, deciding a man’s fate.

“I say we put a pickaxe in his head.” Daryl stated confidently. “And the dead girl’s and be done with it.”

“Is that what you’d want if it were you?” A man named Shane asked with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Yeah, and I’d thank you while you did it.”

“I hate to say it- I never thought I would-” Another man spoke up. He was an older man wearing a hat and a snow white beard. There was genuine sorrow and concern on his kind face. “But maybe Daryl’s right.”

“Jim’s not a monster Dale, or a rabid dog.” Rick spoke up.

“I’m not suggesting-” Dale spoke but Rick interrupted.

“He’s sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?”

“The line’s pretty clear.” Daryl stated. “Zero tolerance for walkers or them to be.”

“What if we can get him help?” Rick asked. “ I heard the CDC was working on a cure.”

“I heard that too, I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell.” Shane responded solemnly.

“What if the CDC’s still up and running?” Rick interjected.

“Man that is a stretch right there.”

“Why? If there’s any government left any structure at all, they’d protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn’t they? I think it’s our best shot. Shelter protection…”

“Okay Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist they are at the army base. Fort Benning.”

“That’s 100 miles in the opposite direction.” Lori said with a shake of her head.

“That is right. But it’s away from the hot zone. Now listen to me, if that place is operational it’ll be heavily armed. We’d be safe there.”

“The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun we’ve all seen that. The CDC’s our best choice and Jim’s only chance.”

“You go lookin for aspirin, do what you need to do.” Daryl nodded. Renee noticed his hand twitch that was holding his axe. Suddenly he turned towards Jim who was sitting by the RV alone. “Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!”

Renee’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched him raise the blade. Rick acted fast and pulled a gun on Daryl, pointing it towards the back on his head.

“We don’t kill the living.” He said firmly.

Daryl turned to look down the barrel of the gun into Rick’s eyes. Shane stepped around and placed his hands on his hips, standing his grand in front of Jim.

“S’ funny.” Daryl said sarcastically as he lowered the axe. “Commin from a man who just put a gun to my head.”

“We may disagree on some things,” Shane said calmly to Daryl “not on this. You put it down. Go on.”

Daryl slammed the axe back onto the ground and stormed off again, brushing past Renee with a harsh gaze. She turned to watch him walk away, into the tree line and sat down in a lawn chair by the fire pit.

Later on that afternoon, the entire camp gathered around a few graves to put their loved ones to rest. The last was Amy. Renee hadn’t watched the girl reanimate and merely heard the fire of the gun as Andrea put her own sister down. That’s what she had been waiting for, she needed her to be awake so she could say whatever she had to and so she could do it herself. Renee understood that and watched with sympathy as Andrea went into the hole that had been dug for her sister and pulled her in herself. A peek of the girl’s blonde hair from under the dirty white sheet was all that identified her now and within an instant it was out of sight. People were crying and Renee wished she could join in, but all she feel at the moment was the lump in her throat and the heaviness of her eyes, almost there but just not quite enough for her to give way to tears. Dale helped Andrea out of the hole and the two of them set to work covering the body with dirt. No one said much of anything, they all just stood around, hanging their heads. The woman, Carol, with short silver hair wept the loudest as she held her daughter close. Then one by one they all turned and headed back down the hill towards the camp, no one even daring to look back.