Chapter 018

      Folding my hands around the warm coffee mug, I carefully sip the hot liquid inside. My hazel eyes remain locked on Sophia and Carl as the two chilled out by the slide, lost in their own conversation of whatever it is they read about. Millie isn't too far behind them, her body sinking into the mound of snow beneath her yet she made no effort to actually move. The snow continued to fall, blowing in every direction possible as the wind continued to pick up.

      Daryl had left early this morning to go hunting in hopes to get a few days worth of meat. He hasn't came back yet which worries me, but there isn't much I can do other than pace this cabin from one end to another - which I already have. Maggie and Glenn had came back an hour ago from their run, with not much luck in the canned goods department. But they did come back with extra blankets and a few warmer clothes for Sophia and Carl.

      The homes nearby were picked clean of the supplies we needed, some of the stores too. So I know eventually, we'll need to pack up and go for the sake of survival. Rick and T-Dog took turns surveying the property, making sure that nobody left or came back unannounced. Carol and Beth took to cooking and fixing clothes that needed fixing, while Lori and I looked after the kids and ourselves.

      Our pregnancies were progressing as well as they could given the circumstances we lived in. Lori is definitely further along than I am, showing more and growing bigger each day. My belly was visible now, a swollen bump residing just under the layers of shirts I wore to keep warm. I could feel and see their movements if I paid attention enough, Daryl and Sophia have also felt the baby move - which they were happy about.

      Noticing movement next to me, I tilt my head to see Hershel standing next to me. His blue eyes lingering on Carl and Sophia for a moment, before he looks down at me. A kind smile forms on his face before he looks toward the kids once more. "You know," He sighs as he continues to watch Carl and Sophia. "We're definitely in December now. I think it might be Christmas Eve."

"There is a calendar in the kitchen, right above the stove." I sign, continuing to look at Hershel with a faint smile. He then looks down at my left hand, spotting the ring on my finger. It wasn't hidden that Daryl proposed, as the ring never left my finger. We're engaged, but I'm not truly sure on what that'd call us as we can't legally marry anymore.

"My sweet Josephine had a ring similar to that. Emerald was her favorite color," Hershel says fondly as he finally looks away from the ring and toward me. A soft smile still resides on his face, his eyes lightening up at the mere memories Josephine's name brought to him. "She was buried with it because while she was alive, she refused to remove it. She wanted to give it to Maggie one day, so she was afraid she'd lose it."

"My mom wanted me to have this ring too," I inform as I look down at the ring, a faint smile forming on my own face. It's been so long since I've seen my mother, having her arms around me as she comforted me. "She was the best mom, a wonderful woman. Eventually, she was 'called home', as she would say. She's buried right by that tree."

"She must have been a wise woman, Katherine. Never forget all that she's taught you, good or bad." Hershel says before he places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before he turns to walk inside. Nodding at the older man, I turn to look back toward Sophia and Carl. The two were walking back toward the cabin, followed by Millie - still having their own conversation. Letting a heavy sigh pass my lips, I drink the last of my coffee before walking inside myself.

Kicking off the snow on my boots, I walk inside and place my mug on the counter. Shrugging off my jacket, I place it on a kitchen chair before I make my way toward the living room where the others reside. Sitting down on the couch that was pressed against the front door, I rub my hands together as the warmth of the fire greets me. Everyone sat in silence, relaxing as the day continues with no sign of threats.

Carl and Sophia make their way to the living room as well, plopping down in front of the fireplace with books in hand. Carl isn't very fond of my book collection, but always said it was better than nothing at all. While Sophia loved it, as reading slowly became something she enjoyed doing to pass time. I enjoyed it too, but mainly before we fall asleep for the night as a way to finally relax completely.

      Feeling a dip next to me, I tilt my head to see that Glenn sat down, stretching his legs out as he leans back. He offers a small smile as he allows his hat to cover his face, possibly going for a nap if the world allows it. He and I had grown closer since being here, having the time to talk and be best friends again. He tried to give me what I needed while on runs, just like he did for everyone else - but he always manages to sneak me some candy from the runs.

      Carol still kept to herself, occasionally conversing with Lori or T-Dog, sometimes Beth. She never makes an attempt to talk to or check in on Sophia, letting the girl know she finally grieved the daughter she once had. It still makes the young girl sad knowing that her biological mother wanted nothing to do with her, but she is appreciative that Daryl and I took her in. And I wouldn't trade her for the world, she is truly the perfect fit to be mine and Daryl's daughter, biological or adopted.

      Seeing movement at the back door, I look toward it to see that Rick is finally walking in from the cold, Daryl following behind him. Standing up, I walk over toward Daryl and quickly wrap my arms around his torso. He is quick to wrap his arms around my shoulders, planting a soft kiss at the top of my head. Pulling from the hug, we walk into the living room hand in hand.

      "While Daryl was out, he found a herd of walkers close by. Maybe a good five or six miles east," Rick informs once he had gained everyone's attention, T-Dog lightly kicking Glenn's foot to wake him up. "He counted thirty heads, but he is certain there could be more. And he thinks there is a good chance they'll head this way. So I need everyone to pitch in and pack our things quickly. We leave in twenty."

      Feeling a pit in my stomach form as we learn that we'd be leaving in a few hours in the middle of a snow storm, I turn to look at Daryl. He only musters a nod before he nudges me toward the bedroom. A sigh leaves my parted lips as I walk toward our room, followed by Sophia. Thankfully my things never left the bag that I had, however I needed to gather all of the supplies we have in there.

      Grabbing a duffel bag, I begin to toss in everything we needed along with a some books.

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      Clutching my jacket closer to my shivering body, I look toward the cabin that I once called a home. This would be the last time I came here, the last time I step foot on this land and I felt okay with that. Getting into the truck, I sit next to Sophia before closing the door as Daryl starts it. T-Dog agreed to let us drive the truck until it got warm enough for Daryl to go back to riding the motorcycle - which I appreciate.

Daryl begins to drive, following the caravan of survivors as we finally leave my father's cabin. Bidding it a silent farewell, I rest my hand on my belly as I pull Sophia close to me. We only have a few hours until nightfall and we hope to put a good distance between us and the horde before finding shelter. It was something we all agreed on, before Rick made the final decision. And while I wished we could have stayed at the cabin until the warmer months, I knew it was the better option to leave for our safety.

I'd rather us leave than wake up in the middle of the night to a horde trying to get in. We didn't need another farm situation while we are barely surviving as is. Not with two kids, two visibly pregnant women, and others who barely had the energy to survive. We had left in a hurry, putting out the fire and shoving our things in the cars, before we left in hopes to see another day.

I am terrified for what's to come, not knowing how we'll survive moving from one place to another for the duration of winter. But I know we'll have to for the sake of the children who are here and the ones who will be born into this mess. And knowing Lori and I don't have much longer for our pregnancies, it scares me now that we don't have a permanent shelter or protection. Sophia snuggles into me as she rests her head on my shoulder, her eyes beginning to flutter shut as we continue driving.

Running my fingers through her hair as a way to keep her relaxed, I glance over toward Daryl as he keeps his eyes on the road. He is biting at the dead skin around his thumbnail, no doubt thinking of all the things I worry about. However he won't let it show the way I would, in fact - he'll keep it hidden to make sure I don't stress about it more. Feeling that I was staring, he looks over at me and offers a small smile as he brings his hand from his mouth.

"We'll be okay Kat," Daryl assures as he places a hand on my thigh, careful to not wake Sophia. He gives it a gentle squeeze before placing his hand back on the steering wheel. "I won't let anything happen to the three of you. Y'know that, right?"

Giving a faint smile, I could only muster a nod before I turn to look outside. The trees flew by quickly as we continue to drive at a steady pace, putting distance between us and the cabin. Continuing to hold Sophia close, I rest my head against the window as I felt myself growing tired. Feeling my body relax as my baby begins to move, I allow myself to fall asleep.

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Jolting awake as the truck skids to a sudden stop, I grab ahold of Sophia so she didn't face plant the dashboard. Looking in front of us, my eyes grow wide at the sight of a horde of walkers. They move slow against the snow on the ground, the bodies barely holding together against the wind. Cars and vans littered the road, making it almost impossible to cut through them and the walkers.

As the others began to back up their vehicles, I watch as Rick begins to drive down a one-way alley. Sharing a look with Daryl, he quickly puts the truck in reverse as he backs up before putting it in drive, following after Rick. Sophia tilts her head to look behind us as we drive down the alley, making sure Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, Beth and Millie were following us in their SUV. Continuing to look out the window, I notice that it is getting harder to see as the wind picks up.

Snow begins to blow all around us, blowing in each direction possible as we try to navigate through the pending blizzard. I can barely see the Volkswagen in front of us and if it wasn't for them flashing their hazards, I don't think I'd be able to see them at all. As we exit the alley, I continue to watch Rick's car as he pulls down another one, before slowing to a stop just outside of a tall garage door. Daryl slows down and throws the truck in park, before he looks over at me with panicked eyes.

"You and Sophia stick close to me, got it? Not an inch away." He orders before he pushes open his door as he pulls out his gun. He then motions for Sophia to slide his way, causing me to let go of her. She carefully, but quickly gets out of the car before snuggling into Daryl's side as he motions for me. Carefully maneuvering to the other side of the truck, I step out into the blizzard.

Holding my jacket closer to my body, I grasp Sophia's hand as we stick close to Daryl. Shivering as the wind blows in all directions, smacking us with snow from all around, I continue forward. As we reach the garage door, Daryl and Rick begin working on opening it as I pull my own gun from its holster. I don't have many bullets left, but if needed I'll use them to make sure Sophia and Carl can get to safety.

Lori and Carl stand next to me, the kids huddled together to try and keep warm as the others begin to make their way to us. Glenn and T-Dog are quick to begin helping Rick and Daryl with the garage door, as Maggie and Carol stood in front of the rest of us - their rifles in their hands. I could smell the rotted flesh of the walkers, but due to the wind and the snow blowing all over, I could not see them which scares me. Tilting my head toward Daryl, I watch as he, Rick, Glenn and T-Dog finally gets the garage door to open.

Rick and Glenn are the first to enter, raising their guns with ease as they begin to look around for any threats. Daryl and T-Dog stand outside as they motion for all of us to get inside as they held the garage door open. Pushing Sophia to go inside, we both duck beneath the door so we didn't hit our heads. Rolling my shoulders as we get inside, my eyes are wide as I take in the sight in front of me.

A pile of dead bodies lingered to the far right, the bodies are decayed as they lay in a puddle of blood. Flies flew around the decayed bodies, as maggots and god-knows-what-else crawls over them. The stench greeted me, causing me to fight back a gag as I hold my hand to my face, using my other hand to force Sophia to look away. Daryl comes to stand next to me, taking in the sight as he shrugs off his crossbow.

"Glenn, you're with me," Rick orders as he motions for Glenn to stand next to him. He was speaking in a whisper, I could tell by how silently Glenn walked to him. "T-Dog, Daryl, you take the rear. Everyone else, stay between us. Stay alert. Knives out."

Putting my gun away, I pull out my knife as Sophia does the same. Giving Daryl a final nod, I lead Sophia and I to the center of the four men. Lori and I kept the kids between us, while Beth, Maggie, Hershel, and Carol created a barrier on our sides and behind us. Clutching my knife in my hand, I grab Sophia's free hand in my own as we begin to follow after Rick and Glenn. Rick opens a door at the stop of the steps, aiming in front of him as he walks through them, followed by Glenn.

We all follow, our eyes searching our surroundings with ease. It is a small hallway, that leads to a room full of windows and two sets of doors. Shelves and racks filled the area along with a few lanes and cash registers. The racks were filled with clothes, summer clothes while the shelves were full of decorations and shoes. At the sign of no threat, Sophia and I put our knives away as we continue to look around.

"We'll search this. Find anything we may need or you need, then we'll meet where we came in." Rick says as he puts his gun awake, nodding in our direction as he begins to walk toward another wooden door that was labeled Employees Only. Nodding to Sophia, he gives a curt nod back before she begins to look around the store for anything useful for herself or someone else.

I walk to the closest clothing rack and begin to rummage through the shirts. We could use more clothes to try and keep ourselves warm. Finding a maroon shirt, I stuff it into a basket I had found next to the rack, before doing the same for a yellow shirt and a green one. Making sure to add shirts for all of us, I move on to the next rack where I see some baby clothes.

Smiling at the sight of them, I grab a few gender neutral ones before turning to the shelves. Scanning them as I walked, I smile at some of the summer decorations. Dust layered them, yet they still remained beautiful. Moving through the aisles, putting anything useful in my basket, I finally decide I grabbed enough. Beginning to walk back the way we came, I was stopped by Beth.

"I figured you or Lori may need these more than any of us," Beth signs before she hands me an item out of her basket. Looking down at it, I notice that it is a baby carrier and a wrap. "It'll be easier to have access to your gun and knives, if you had something else holding the babies."

"Thank you, Beth." I say as I place the items into my own basket, as she begins to walk back toward the loading dock. Following after her, I finally allow myself to smile a little. She did have a point about these carriers and wraps, they would become useful if we needed them. Reaching the loading dock, I notice that Rick, Daryl, Lori, Carl and Sophia were already back.

Placing my basket with the others as Lori rummages through them to separate items, I walk over to the ramp and sit down. It is freezing back here, but definitely not as cold as it was outside. Looking around as everyone begins to make their way back here, I couldn't help but feel terrified. We were in a town that is covered in walkers, hiding out in a store with zero view points.

We have no way in telling when this storm will let up or when we can finally make our way out of here safely. Millie lays down by my feet as she continues to look around at the others. Her fur was damp as the snow was beginning to melt off of her, yet she still seemed content. Carol had sat down and began to help Lori, beginning to pass out shirts and other things that could keep us warmer.

Rick and Daryl stood by the door that lead into the store, while Glenn and Maggie stood by the garage doors. T-Dog stood close to Glenn, but not close enough to engage in the conversation he and Maggie are having. The rest of us sat silently, fear of the unknown settling as we think of our next plan. Running my hand over my bump, I let out a sigh as my baby begins to move again.

      Please, God - let us make it out of this.

____Word Count: 3,355

WELCOME BACK, my fellow readers!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Fourth of July, however which way you handled the day. I know some celebrated while others chose not to, both are perfectly okay!

Anyway....

Here is chapter eighteen, I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's another filler-type chapter as I don't want to get into the prison stuff just yet. I wanted to explore a bit of the winter months before throwing ourselves into the chaos that the next season brings.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Lots of love,Crimson Rose