Embers

I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I was a completely different person then. Somewhat. I sighed as I glanced down and seen I'd have to get gas soon. The worlds gone to shit. Roamers eating your neighbors. Friends. Loved ones. I then seen it. A group of people on the side of the road. A older model RV smoking from under the hood. Radiator is my best guess. As I got closer I took notice of the guns being pointed at me. I pulled to other side and set it in park. Instinctively checking to make sure my .45 glock was nestled in it's holster on my hips. I opened the car door and got out. My gun clear to their eyes. "Easy now. Just seeing if ya'll could use a hand." I said clearly. Eyes flickering from the weapons. "Look." I said and reached into my holsters. I under the clip and took the one out of the chamber. I flipped the safety on and set the clip and bullet on the hood. I then reached into my belt loop and took out my combat knife and laid it there with the gun. "Radiator hose?" I asked the older man with grease all over his hands. "What's ya name?" He asked walking over. I shook his hand. "Scarlett-Rose." I said. "I'm Dale. You got a radiator hose?" He asked. "Might find one around here." I said gesturing to the hundreds of vehicles abandoned. "If any supplies." I said taking note they had children with them.

Finally their weapons lowered and they accepted my help. A asian guy walked over I made my way to a older model truck. "Glenn." He introduced himself. "Scarlett. Can ya pop the hood?" I asked him. He nodded. "Where you from?" He asked. His head tilting slightly as he looked at me. "Montana." I said. He popped the hood and I raised it. I ran my hand along the radiator hose then felt the tear in it. It ran over half the length. It wouldn't hold long. I sighed. "No luck?" He asked. I shook my head. "Torn. Even duct tape couldn't fix it." I said and slammed the hood down. I walked over to the cab of it on the passenger side and opened the glove box. A pack of smokes. I grabbed them and the lighter that was with it. I placed one in my lips and lit it quickly. My eyes catching a pill bottle. I grabbed it and read quickly on the label. I tossed them to him over the hood. He barely caught them. "It's a pain killer." I told him. The instruction saying take one every 4 to 6 hours for pain. He nodded in thanks. I headed back towards the man that introduced himself to me first. Dale. Then I seen them. A man on the other side of a SUV by me with a crossbow. "Get down." I hissed quietly. He snapped his eyes towards me then what I was looking at. A herd of the damn things. Coming this way. I dropped and slid right under the SUV. Apparently he had the same idea. I brung my leg up slightly and pulled the 6 inch curved knife from my boot. He raised a eyebrow. "If I go out I'm taking many of the basterds I can with me." I mumbled. He never said anything.

I waited. My eyes watching their feet shuffle through. I breathe slow and light. When what I thought the last one went by I took a deep breath. Then I felt it. A roamer had seen my boot and reached down and grabbed it. I kicked it in the jaw with the other to make it let go and rolled quickly from the SUV and leapted to me feet. I walked over to it. Grabbing it torn shirt by the collar to keep it at a distance. It's jaw was hanging halfway from it's skull. Half it's face torn. I crinkled my nose before hooking my knife into it's eye socket. It's dark blood splattering on my previously clean singlet. I pulled out the knife and let it drop. The man watched me with a look in his eyes I couldn't quite read. Acceptance was the closet thing it came to in my mind. "Scarlett-Rose." I introduced myself. "Daryl." He said gruffly. I simply nodded and continued my way up when I seen a sheriff take to the woods. Right behind a couple roamers and a little girl. "Dear lord." I whispered. I made my way up there. A woman with a short cut style crying. I swallowed the thick feeling down. "Scarlett?" I turned. A woman with dark hair and stern but kind eyes walked towards me. "I'm Lori Grimes." She introduced herself. I shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you." I said dipping my head slightly in respect. "What you do before all this?" She asked. 'A killer.' The voice whispered. "3 years sniping for the marine corp then a bouncer when I got discharged on medical after getting shot.." I grinned. She laughed. "Little as you are?" She teased. I laughed lightly with her. "Little but mighty. It's not to hard. Bigger the opponent just means the harder they fall." I said and she nodded. "True." She turned to a boy. "Carl come here." She called and the boy did as told immieditly. "Carl this is Scarlett. Scarlett this is my son." She said. I felt the ice around my heart melt slightly. I always loved children. I gave him a friendly smile which he returned. "Hi." I looked up as I heard someone coming from the brush. The sheriff was the one that tried to blame me for my mother's death. Two weeks later they learned it was her junkie boyfriend. The woman that was crying earlier now sobbed. "Why you leave her out there!" She wailed at him. I tuned it out and walked briskly to my car. I slipped my clip back into my glock and loaded one in the chamber before slipping it in my holster. I slipped my combat knife back to it's sheath. "And what are you doing?" I turned. His stance. Cocky. BUt a deadly glint in his eyes. "A innocent little girl is missing. What do you think I'm doing?" I grumbled as I opened the drivers door and bent down and popped the trunk.

"Can't be firing in the-" I cut the man off. He was irking me the wrong way. I was sure his name was Shane. His eyes exploring much more than just my face made my skin crawl and my blood boil. "No shit sherlock. It'll cause more roamers." I snipped. "Scarlett?" I heard and looked up to see none other than Rick Grimes. "Sheriff." I greeted him. I pulled the machete from the trunk. He walked over. "What you doing?" He asked going into cop mode. "A little girl is missing." I said simply. "Didn't know you had a soft spot for children." He said narrowing his eyes. "Ya'll know each other?" The other man asked. "We've met a couple times when my mom died. Her junkie boyfriend killed her." I said staring Rick down. He finally broke eye contact. "Me and Daryl's gonna go out. Don't need more poeple-" "You knowing how to track a human?" I asked him bluntly. "No but he-" "I do. Military training. I'm going." I said blankly and turned and made my way over to the redneck that was waiting against the guard rail for Rick. "You going?" He asked as I sat on the rail to wait as well. I nodded. "Yeah." I said. I pulled the pack of smokes from my pocket and quickly lit one. I held it out to him. "Want one?" He wordlessly took one and I handed him my lighter.

"What are you doing?" Daryl asked Rick. "Checking for skin under the nails." He said. "How about we see what's his had for supper?" I said with a wicked grin. I took out my combat nkife twirling it between my fingers. "I got it." Daryl said. I simply huffed and put the knife back in it's sheath.

When we got back Carol threw a fit over how the little girl would be out overnight. "You can't track at night." I said softly. "More people would just be getting lost." I added asnd she simply looked down. I gave her shoulder a slight squeeze as I walked by to my car. I tossed the machete in the passenger seat and popped the trunk again. I kept my head clear and blank. I was leaving. I done what I could. Time to move on from it. I grabbed a loose full water bottle from it and took a long drink before capping it and grabbing the 32 case of water. I had another and they needed it. I walked over to Rick with it. "Here. Ya'll could use it more than me." I told him. His eyes widened slightly in surprise before narrowing in suspision. "Why?" He asked. I looked at Carl. "You got a son. A missing girl. Dehydration should be last of ya'lls worries right about now. Over heard Dale worring about only having a half gallon left." I said and turned and walked back to my car not giving him time to reply. I simply got inside my care and drove away.