Better Angels

There were three days, of extended chores, hands-on work and advanced survival classes. Those survival classes was basically Daryl going around making sure everyone knew how to start a fire.

Daryl and Merle left yesterday morning until five last night on a hunting trip. Just more rabbits.

I had assured him that we had more than enough meat still, but I think it's the storms that panick him most. When it's cold, all the animals hide, and if we just so happen to run out of food during that time, he thinks we can starve to death.

As likely as that is as an possibility, we have plenty and will be fine.

I help today setting up bunks in the hay loft, we set up over a dozen cots and beds in the living room in the house, two more cots per bedroom too, which mean we can fit a total of sixteen people in the house, we have 30 people to hole up during the storm that is estimated to begin this evening.

Dad stands on a ladder, nailing up a curtain across the hay loft to perserve heat.

"Are you sure we can't squeeze any more beds into the house, we have the kitchen and dining room floor too." I offer.

"I suppose we can add maybe six more, but beyond that is too many people in a small house. You get to choose your two people for your bedroom, Jaden chooses his."

I nod, I can't argue it anymore, I know I will probably spend more time out here with whoever stays in the hay loft than at the house.

Dale has his RV too, I think that's where he and Andrea are sleeping.

About six people will be staying out here, I already offered to be one of them and let someone else have my bed, but dad instantly said no, and something about me being too selfless.

I stood there, holding a handful of nails in my right hand, other hand resting on the ladder leg to stabalize it on the buckled wood floors.

No one was really thrilled about the snow storm, at least not as much as Jaden, Carl and Sophia. They were looking forward to building snowmen, I think Phil and Gram will probably be joining them.

It made me smile just to imagine the kids running around in the snow, grinning ear to ear and their cheeks flushed from the cold air. But that was something else, if someone got a cold, we were all vulnerable to getting it, making us weaker. We'd have to bundle up and be watching out for ourselves.

"You should go help Daryl and Merle take down tents and move belongings, I know they'd probably like the help."

I nod, and set the nails down on a bale, "See ya later." I called over my shoulder as I climbed down, walking out of the shed and towards Merle and Daryl.

They crouched on the ground in heavy clothing, leather jackets, vests and gloves, dismantling a dark green tent, then rolling it up into a clump and tossing it inside the RV.

"I've been transferred." I state, standing before them.

Daryl gestures to an already collapsed tent, "Start takin' the rods out of that one, it don't have to be perfect, just knot it up and toss it into the RV."

I nod, walking over to the collapsed navy blue tent, and began picking at flaps and buttons, pulling out the two criss-crossing black poles and disassembling them.

Doing as Daryl had instructed, I tossed the finished tent into the RV, and went to start on another.

We had just finished by the time the first snowflakes began to fall, settling into the grass.

I watched it fall, a little mesmerized by how there could still be something so fragile and beautiful in such an ugly world.

I held out my palm, but not on landed there, as if I'd been expecting it any other way.

I pull my jacket around my shoulders, looking south where the foggy clouds were rolling in, bringing the brisk cold air with them.

I followed the others towards the house for lunc, everyone was jammed into the house. I slipped away, unnoticed as I looked around the house for more places to set up beds. Closets, beneath stair cases, surely even that would be better than a cold drafty barn.

I cound several places, and went to report them to my dad. He complied, and we began recruiting everyone to their sleeping positions. I got Maggie and Beth to share my room with me, since Myriah and Mike were a package deal. And mom was having rules about no mixing, otherwise I'dve chosen Daryl and we'd stayed up all night talking.

"I think I could fit two more people in my room, actually." I volunteered, realizing how much extra space I had, even with Maggie and Beth's bed's on the floor. We three could even share a bed and let two other people take the floor. And when that was agreed upon, Glenn almost got one of those spots, until my mom shot him down and his position was replaced with Carol and Ellice.

After all my improved camp sites were figured out, no one had to sleep in the barn, which not only I was grateful for, but everyone was. Now the possibility of someone getting a cold or something had gone down slightly.

I was all over the house, doing many chores to get everyone ready for the nighttime. I helped mom begin dinner, and Jaden arrange his room, then Jackson helped me move the furniture around in the living room temporarily for more stretching room, because it was sure to be cramped.

When the day finally drifted to a close, I could be seen standing before the bathroom mirror in pajama bottoms: Something Beth had forced me into. I wouldn't have done it myself.

I brushed my teeth, if I had it my way, I wouldn't brush them at all, but mom still believes in hygene, therfor I cannot get away with it as I'd like to.

Not only am I brushing my teeth, but I seated at the vanity while Beth's hands are tangled in my hair, braiding and pinning it into ever which direction, I didn't really want what she called wavy hair in the morning, because beauty wasn't really a thing with me, but it kept her occupied from asking too many personal questions, so I played guinia pig Barbie doll hair dresser model for her.

I spit down the drain and rinsed my mouth, then sat back down for Beth to complete the fancy looking braided design in my hair, something only one could dream about, after seeing it in one of those beauty magazines.

I thank her, mostly for wasting her time on me, I do like how it looks now, but tomorrow... I'm going to look all out of place with really wavy, all-over-the-place hair.

I finished getting ready for bed in a blur, then closed my eyes as soon as I hit the pillow, yet I fidgited a bit, the uncomfortable tight braids against my skulls will probably make me wake with a headache, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to force unconsciousness, as everyone else has fallen asleep already.

"Hey Aries?"

I open my eyes and look over my shoulder, Beth sleeps on Maggie's left side, Maggie is on my left side.

I blink several times to clear my eyes and sit up "Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you, if you want to..."

"Sure," I pause to yawn as queitly as possible "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, it's about you, actually." Beth says nervously, sitting up as well. I can tell by the way she fidgets with her fingernails it's something she's like to stay out of, but being an oppinionated southern chick, she might find that impossible.

"Ok, what?" I ask slowly.

"You, and... your sister. You don't seem very close."
"No, we're not." I state flatly. "I'm sorry, that was rude." I apologize quickly, it isn't her fault I corrupted mine and my sister's relationship.

"It's fine." She says softly. "I know you were close."

"How?" I ask in muted surprise.

"Just the way you act towards her, and how when you first brought them back here, you reacted to her as though you wanted to be close, but there was something between you."

"We've grown apart." I say softly, figeting with my fingers.

"We were inseperable once, like wet on water. I don't know what happened. I guess all it takes is a boy to drive you apart, no matter how strong you are."

She nods, but doesn't look at me. "Ok, well that's all I want, sorry for waking you." She apologized.

"It's ok." I assured "I wasn't even asleep yet, so it's all good."

"Night."

"Goodnight." I replied, lying back down, my back on both of them, I found my mind to be racing more than before. I closed my eyes, but instead of the unconscious dull feeling I craved to feel, I felt vibrent with many emotions, fighting against my heart, fighting it and stabbing it. My face contorted as I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, I can't cry now, I thought I was strong.



Everything went smoothly, I guess. I finally fell asleep close to twelve-thirty, I think. I wake to an empty bed, fingers stretching out, only touching the cold fabric of the sheets.

I get up in a slow motion, and walk towards the mirror, the braids were everywhere, stray hairs stuck out in random directions.

Sighing, I began taking out the rubber bands and unravaling them all myself, and as Beth had promised, my hair hung in my eyes in long thick waves, I blew it out of my eyes, but as I got dressed, it continued to drift back into place again, so in a huff, I grabbed the black hairtie off the dresser top and tied it all back into a big knot and proceeded to get dressed.

As I jogged down the steps in the heavy boots that no longer had much spring to them, I was greeted first by Beth's disappointed face.

"What happened to them all?" She asked, horror struck as her hand moved up to catch a loose stand, wavy as hell too.

"You didn't warn me how annoying wavy hair could be." I noted as we walked towards the kitchen, she smiles "Yeah, I may have overlooked that."

"Overlooked it?" I demanded in surprise, how do you forget the side effects of a hairstyle?

She shrugs as we walk towards the group of cardtables set up in the living room once again, the kids yawning, slumping around, but everyone was up, except Daryl. He lied on the couch still, his left foot propped up on the arm, but dangling over, his right foot had fallen off, bent towards the floor, he snored a little bit, his left arm slung across his eyes.

I laugh and poke Beth's arm, she looks at me and I point at the sight, she giggles as we make our way to our seats.



What more is there to say? The snow stopped falling yesterday, and today the sun shone for the majority of it, everyone was getting excited, anxious to be outside doing something again. To re-set up camp, or something. I have been considering find them something better than the paper thin tents, but I'm not quite sure where to start.

Today, is October 6th. As I count back the days on a estimated calender in my head, the Atlanta group have been here for about a month now, the Missouri group for a week and a half, and Jacob's mixed and matched group for about a little over a week now.

I f you are wondering, not a great deal of things happened, those things I just didn't write down. Don't worry though, you didn't miss out on anything.

No, I did not make amends with my sister.

No, there is no brewing romance between anyone, anywhere. (though there's a few folks in the camp I secretly ship)

No, I managed to stay out of both verbal and pyshical fights, which is a good start.

Yes, I socailized more, branched out within the people living in my "Community"

Yes, I am pretty good friends with Maggie and Beth now.

See? Not much missed out on. On a brighter note, after my dad and Carol completed the supply count, they found that we won't be required to stock up on much again for a while, so out next supply run is scheduled two weeks from now, November second.

I sit now, beside the water pump in the backyard, scrubbing my arrows down with bleach. Walker germs and hunted game might not sit so well with the stomach.

After a few minutes, I looked down and realize that I'd been scrubbing the same arrow after five minutes, but my eyes were never once on the arrow, instead they followed my two subjects of interest around the bustling camp.

Clothes were hanging in a long colorful line on the clothesline, and everyone was enjoying the warm damp weather before it all turned cold again.

It seems that the deeper we venture into October, the more cold weather that is among us, I've never experianced an October like this one before, where it turns off all cold.

Anyways, back to those two subjects of interest...

Over the frozen cold sentence, I became pretty good friends with Jackson. We hang out like normal people after chores, and he's the only person other than Beth and Maggie that I can just discuss normal things and not survival related things.

But no matter hoe good it feels to have this freedom, I can't forget how it feels to live in the real world.

The other subject, I haven't made much progress with, Jacob.

He is arrogant, and not nearly as lippy as he was when I saw him last, in fact he had grown quite distant and quiet, regardless of the weird looks he gives me everyday, maybe for how I manage to live through it all each day, I still greet him when I see him in the mornings everyday.

And if he's had his cup of lukewarm tinted-water coffee, he might be in a good enough mood to at least breath in your direction, talking to him is awkward and hectic to say the least...

I set aside the arrow and stand, gathering the small handful of clean, plain black feathered arrows I did, and put them back into my ever-present wither on my back, then I grabbed the three arrows with neon feathers and went to find Daryl. He asked me to clean his bolts for ten bucks, though money has no currency anymore, I still smile to know people can still think that way, even if it isn't real.

We were mainly joking around, but he was serious about me cleaning the bolts, and I was serious about following through.

As I walk through camp, I find him standing beside the RV with Rick and Hershel. They are talking, about boring adult stuff I'm sure, although I'm probably lying when I say they are boring, I actually tend to find myself more immersed into an adult conversation than a kid's one, though I guess I could relate well to either.

"Here's your arrows." I say, holding out my hand and dropping the three bolts into his palm.

He nods "Thanks."

I nod as well, and walk off, where to go, what to do and where I'm needed, those were the questions I ask myself each day when I don't have a task at hand.

Just then, I realize the camp is absent of all women, I turn in time to see them all, coming in a big group towards the Atlanta' groups camp, with grins ranging across their faces...

Oh shit, this can't be good. I think.

"Rick, gather your people and the others, we have news." My mom grins, though like me, Rick is wary as he nods slowly "Most of my group is with you." He says.

The boys all come over to see what's up, and I think that in the end, they regretted it.

"Ok everyone, me and the other women of this group have been thinking, you all work so hard every day, it's time for a break. And with Halloween coming, we have decided to hold a dance." My mom says, the boy's faces visably fall.

"All the boys ask girls, dates are required for admittance, friends going together work too."

The fuck is this?....

I was exchanging the look with the other men, for a small portion of them were already married or had a significant other, a lot of the men, and women, would have to pair up.

I decided I would slip out of it and volunteer for watch that night.

Slowly the men-folk inched forward, ettiquettly asking the women they already were kicking heels with to go, like Rick and Lori and Glenn and Maggie, the rest of them stood around clulessly.

Of course Myriah and Mike would go together, my parents would too, but what about Ellice? Liam, Carter and Alex? There were way more men than women, maybe that's where the friends rule became effective.

I started to slip away, broad steps backwards, I counted them each in my head, until the process was interrupted when I walked into someone.

"Sorry." I apologize, looking up at a mess of black hair and green eyes, offering a friendly smile.

"We do that a lot." He laughs, grabbing my elbow and straightening me up a little bit, I nod, feeling the blush boil into my skin, permanently engraving it's presence there.

"So..." Jackson says, awkwardly swaying nervously hands buried deep into his pockets, the way I've noticed he does when he is nervous.

I have no time to escape or decline, his words come in a rush. "Would you like to go to the dance with me?"

It's flattering, of course. That I of all the other pretty girls in the camp like Beth or Ellice, that he chooses me. The girl who was so caught up being a tomboy cleaning blood off of arrows, that I wasn't invited to the dance planning comittee with all the other girls.

I stutter, trying to force out a chorent response, he notice my hesitation and his face falls the tiniest bit, but it's enough that his bangs shift into his eyes, shadowing them and making me double react.

"Uh, sure. Sure, Jackson. I'll go with you."

He grinned and folds his fingers into a fist, holding it out towards me, I catch on quickly and bop fists with him.

"We've got a week until then, and I'd love to talk plans, but right now, I volunteered for watch with Daryl." He jabs his thumb in the direction of the shed, a chill smile on his face.

I nod, relieved. I really just needed some time alone to think through the decisions that both halves of me hadn't agreed on.

"Ok, cool. Don't kill each other." I warn humorusly, he nods and starts walking in the direction of the shed, I follow a few minutes later, going to the house and up into my bedroom door behind me.

I am surprised, to say the least. Maybe even a little worried. About what exactly?

Jackson has a very naturally cheerful demeanor, he always knows what to say to shift your whole center, to see things the way they are meant to be seen in the old world.

I do trust him, I do like him. But there is something about him, ever since the day I met him, that was always... off.