Chapter 009

One hundred and twenty-five miles is what lies ahead from the big city of Atlanta to the military base of Fort Benning. As we attempted to load up on supplies from the surrounding cars just outside of the city, as well as stealing their gas - I could tell that we were beginning to lose our faith in the world and ourselves. None of us tried to communicate with each other, all of us wanting to forget the lives we had lost during the explosion, even if it's just for a little bit. Shane decided it was best to abandon his jeep after getting the gas from it for the RV, claiming it is for the best if we wanted to make it to the military base. He even ordered Daryl to leave the motorcycle behind, which of course caused an argument before they both agreed on the truck.

It had pained me to leave the truck behind, but I knew that was what we had to do, even if I didn't like it one bit. Once Daryl had gotten himself and his crossbow situated on the bike, he had offered me the spot behind him - but I opted against it and chose to ride in the RV with Glenn, Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, and Dale as they had agreed to keep Millie with them. As much as I wanted to stay near Daryl at all times, especially since we still needed to talk about what happened at the CDC, I knew it was safer for me in the RV with Millie in case the events that led to this moment finally caught up to me. He must've thought the same way as he didn't try to argue with me about it, which I am thankful for. We had been on the road for a few hours now, all of us seemingly lost in our own thoughts.

My entire body suddenly tenses as I felt a hand resting on my shoulder, causing me to look away from the RV's window. I had chosen to sit up in the front with Dale, giving me time to think about all of the things that have happened thus far. Tilting my head a bit to look over my shoulder, I notice that Glenn Rhee is standing behind me, causing me to relax a bit. The young Korean looks down at me with a small smile, before he turns to look over at Dale just as the RV slows to a stop. Looking out the driver's side window, I notice Daryl had ridden up on his motorcycle

"See a way through?" Dale questions the middle-aged redneck, as he motions toward the front of us. Seeing a curt nod coming from the man, I look away and toward the cluster of abandoned cars causing my eyes to grow wide. Some had been sideways on the road, as others seemed to just have been parked; what had happened here? "Uh, maybe we should go back," Glenn suggests once I had looked back over toward his just as Shane moves from his seat to stand next to the twenty-two-year-old. "There's an interstate bypass...."

"We can't spare the fuel." Shane states, cutting off Glenn before he could finish his suggestions. Rolling my eyes at the former cop, I lean back in my seat and look toward the cluster of cars. Dale slowly maneuvers the RV through a few of the cars, his blue eyes trained to the road in front of him in hopes not to damage the motor home. Watching as Daryl gracefully rides through the cars, I watch as his hands tighten on the handles just as the RV jerks to a sudden stop. As a reaction, I place my hands on the dashboard as I jerk forward before I snap my head in the direction of the older man.

Without saying a word, Dale stands up from his spot and moves past Shane and Glenn before he opens the RV's doors. Sparing a glance with my Korean friend, I give a curt nod before I tap the side of my thigh to gain Millie's attention as I stand to my feet. The husky's head lifts from the flooring of the motor home as she looks in my direction before she lifts herself up and trots toward me. Smiling down at the dog, I grab what is left of her leach before we both walk out of the RV and out in the humid air of Georgia. Walking toward the front of the RV, where Dale and Glenn now stand as they check out the engine that is smoking - I notice Rick and the others coming to join us.

"I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale proclaims in annoyance, as he throws his hands up in defeat. It seems that no matter how many times he tries to fix this damn motor home, it continues to break down some more. "A thousand times. Dead in the water." Noticing that Rick and the others finally join us, I watch as the former sheriff glances toward the smoke than toward the older man. His hands rest on his hips as he shifts from one foot to another, unsure of what seems to be going on. "Problem, Dale?" Rick questions, as he continues to look at the aging man in front of him.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of -" Dale starts to rant in frustration before his voice begins to fade. Watching as the man takes in our surroundings, his eyes catch the sight of a few large trucks. "Okay, that was dumb." Smiling toward the man as I find amusement in his words as I cross my arms over my chest. Following the gaze of the others, I take in the sight of many abandoned cars that litters the interstate, some of them shifted in both of the lanes. Just from the sight of the dirt and dust buildup from the outside, anyone could tell that they've been here a while.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl admits after he bumped into me to gain my attention before he turns to face the others. Nodding in agreement with the man I had fallen for, I turn to face T-Dog as leans against the RV in an attempt to shield himself from the burning rays of the sun. "We can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." The ebony man suggests, as he motions toward the abandoned cars that lay within our view. Rick and Shane nod in approval toward the man, as they share a look of contentment. "Maybe some water." Carol says, as she crosses her arms over her chest, finally using her voice without fear of being put down.

"Or food." Glenn chimes in all while looking around at the others, before adjusting his hat over his head to shield the sun from his dark brown eyes. At the mere mention of food, my stomach tightens before it growls, causing me to place my arms over it. Although I couldn't hear the rumbles that seemed to have erupted from my stomach, I can only hope that it had fallen silent in the ears of the others. "This is a graveyard," Lori states wearily, as she looks around with sad brown eyes while she holds Carl close to her. Allowing my arms to fall to my side, I am grateful to feel Millie's head beneath my fingers. "I don't know how to feel about this."

"Ain't nobody coming back for these supplies, Lori," I sign, my eyes squinting as I stare over at the brunette woman. She looks over at me in shock, unsure of how to truly react to the words that left my fingertips. "They're either dead or somewhere far away from here." Daryl nods in agreement with my words, before he leaves my side to begin looking at the cars. Not caring if the others want to talk some more about what to do, I tap my side to gain Millie's attention before I start to walk back toward the RV's door. Once I enter the RV, I motion for Millie to sit down in the passenger's seat, before I close the curtains that block those seats from the rest of the motorhome.

Grabbing an empty bag from the counters, I quickly make sure to have my bow and arrows as well as my loaded gun and hunting knife in case something goes wrong while we loot the cars. Placing my hair in a ponytail due to the heat from outside, I let out a sigh before I exit the RV to begin my search for food and anything to drink. Walking past the cars Lori and Carol are looking through with Carl and Sophia, I make my way through the cluster of cars before I find a grey 2001 Honda. Walking up toward the vehicle, I dust off the windows before peering inside to see it abandoned with trash and baby toys littered within it. Upon noticing a car seat that seems to be made for a small infant, I feel my heart tighten at the sight of blood within the seat itself.

Not wanting to know the truth behind what had happened to the child or the family that once owned the car, I move on to the next one in hopes to see something better. Reaching a red Chevy truck that seems to be on the newer side, I peer into the bed of it to see a few bags and boxes. Reaching for the closest duffel bag, I am quick to zip it open to see a few pieces of clothing inside. Noticing a maroon t-shirt that seems about my size, or even Lori and Carol's sizes, I grab it before stuffing it into my bag alongside a small child's jacket. Moving on to the next bag, I unzip it to find a few cans of sweet corn and a can of beans before stuffing them into my bag as well. Grabbing my knife, I cut the tape on the boxes before opening them to look inside.

Noticing a few photo albums within the small box, I close it before moving on to the next box. Upon opening the next box, I notice a small sewing kit that holds a few things of thread and needles inside as well as a small box of medicine. Placing those items within my bag, I am suddenly jerked away from the truck causing me to nearly scream before a hand is placed over my mouth. Turning around rather quickly, with my knife raised once I broke free from the person who grabbed me, I am greeted with a familiar set of blue eyes I've come to love. "Don't make a sound and get under the truck." Daryl signs quickly, before he motions toward the RV causing me to look in that direction.

My eyes grow wide at the sight of a herd of walkers stumbling toward us as everyone else scrambles to get under the cars they are by. Nodding toward my best friend, I instantly crouch down before sliding beneath the truck in an attempt to hide from the walkers. Watching as Daryl rushes away from the truck, I feel my heart beginning to race as I have no clue if the others are okay. Looking out in front of me toward the other cars, I notice that Sophia is under the car in front of me, as Carl is under the one beside hers as he stares past me with no fear in his baby blue eyes. Tilting my head to look behind me without being seen by the walkers that are slowly making their way toward us, I notice that Carol and Lori are under an SUV a few cars down from me.

Once the walkers finally reach us, as they slowly stumble past the vehicles we all hide under, I feel tears forming in my eyes as I remember that I left Millie inside the RV. Praying that someone closed the door before the walkers arrive, I slowly look toward the kids to make sure they are okay. Noticing that Sophia is squirming at the sight of the walkers' feet passing the car she is under, I watch as she stares in my direction with so much fear in her eyes. Raising my index finger toward my lip to signal for her to stay silent, she shakily nods before she goes back to watching the feet pass by. Squeezing the handle of my knife tightly, I glance toward a walker that nearly trips over their own feet that is too close to the truck, I mentally sigh once it regains its footing.

Beads of sweat roll down my face as it continues to grow more humid and hot beneath the truck, as it feels like hours have passed before the stumbling feet seem to disappear. Looking toward Sophia to make sure she is alright, I notice that she is beginning to move out from under the car, only to be seen by a few stragglers. The young girl instantly jumps back in fear before she rushes out of the other side and starts to run into the woods. Without thinking, I quickly climb out from under the truck and start running after the run girl, quickly passing the walkers that began to stumble after her hungrily. Jumping over the guardrail after the girl, I feel my sprained ankle get caught on something before I lose my footing.

My throat vibrates painfully as I begin to fall down the slope, just as I begin to roll over sticks, twigs, and small rocks that scrape at my skin like nails. Suddenly, something sharp pierces through my shirt and into my hip causing me to cry out in pain as I continue to roll. In an attempt to stop me from rolling, as the pain in my hip grows worse, I quickly place my hands out to stop myself. Flying off my back as I land on my stomach, my throat vibrates again as my mouth flies open, as tears begin to brim my eyes even more. Wincing as I tilt my head to look down at my left side, my eyes grow wide as I notice blood seeping through my shirt as my hunting knife is embedded into my side just above my hip.

Grunting, I look away from the knife, as I look toward the walkers that are now stumbling down the slope that I just fell from, I quickly look behind me to see that Sophia is running toward me. Painfully lifting myself from the ground, I nearly cry out from the pain in my side and ankle but I choke it down as I grab Sophia's hand. Keeping her close to me, the two of us are quick to start running through the woods in an attempt to flee from the walkers that seem to be hot on our tails. Holding my free hand against the knife that is still on my side, I try to apply pressure to the wound, as I continue to limp through the woods as Sophia drags me alongside her in a fit of panic.

Suddenly a pair of hands grab onto my shoulders, causing me to jump as I let go of Sophia's hand. Quickly spinning around to take care of the threat, I nearly cry at the sight of Rick Grimes standing in front of me. Sophia is quick to fly toward the pain, as she tries to reach for the gun that sits in its holster. "Shoot them!" Sophia cries, as Rick struggles against the small girl as she continues to grasp toward the gun. "No, no. The walkers on the road will hear it," Rick informs worriedly, as he then takes in my appearance. His eyes grow wide at the sight of my hunting knife embedded into my side and the amount of blood that I am losing. "Jesus Christ. How did that happen? Know what, no time to ask questions. Follow me."

Rick carefully picks up Sophia as he glances behind us knowing that the walkers are approaching. He then motions for me to place an arm over his shoulder causing me to do so before the three of us start to push further into the woods to flee from the walkers. Wincing as I place a little too much pressure on my ankle and wound, I notice that Rick is leading us to a small body of water which causes me to mentally groan as I begin to feel tired. As we approach the body of water, I notice a small cave-like area beneath the ground that is covered by long grass just as Rick places Sophia to her feet and lets me go. "Sophia, do exactly as I say, okay? Hide in there," Rick orders gently, as he tries to push Sophia into the small cave-like thing. "Squeeze in tight, Katherine you get in there too. You're too injured to help draw them away. Just keep yourself awake and keep Sophia safe."

"No, no, please don't leave us." Sophia begs, as she tries to step closer to Rick in a fit of panic. Stepping into the water, I carefully maneuver myself into the cave and squeeze in next to Sophia as my side burns with pain as water seeps into the wound around the knife. Wrapping an arm around the young girl, Rick then crouches down to her level. "Listen, they don't get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time," Rick explains as he looks the young girl in her eyes, before he then looks in my direction. "I wouldn't be able to protect the both of you. Do you understand? Now if I don't make it back, get yourself and Kat back to the highway. Back to the others, straight back from where we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder."

"I've got her, Rick." I sign tiredly, as I can feel myself already growing weak due to blood loss. The older man nods at my words before he begins to walk away as he tries to gain the attention of the walkers, while trying to get them away from us. Sophia huddles closer to me, gently in an attempt to avoid my wound, as I wrap my arms around her shoulder. Once Rick and the walkers are out of view, Sophia is quick to get from my grasp as she peers from behind the tall grass that falls in front of the cave before she looks back at me.

"Let's get you back to the highway so my mom can patch you up."

><><><

Slowly limping alongside Sophia as I kept my hand pressed against my left side, I can feel my body slowly beginning to shut down from the amount of blood I've lost in the last three hours. I'm just glad that I wasn't dumb enough in those moments to pull out the knife, as that is the only thing keeping me alive as I continue to walk alongside the preteen. Her big blue eyes are wide and alert as she looks through the woods, fears deep within them as she looks for any pending threat that lurks within the dark. She tightly holds onto my free hand with her small soft ones, as she tries to stay as close to me as humanly possible. We had gotten lost hours ago as we had gotten cut off by walkers on our way back from the highway, and as an attempt to run from them knowing that I couldn't take them all down and protect us both, we had no choice but to run in the opposite direction.

I know that the others were worried about us, especially Carol and Daryl as they both have someone out here to worry about, and I also know that they were probably out looking for us as well. But as the sun sets further beyond the trees, I know they'd have to double back to the interstate since it'd be too dangerous to continue tracking at night. Wincing as I place a little too much pressure on my sprained ankle, I allow myself to look up once I notice that Sophia has stopped walking. My eyes suddenly grow wide at the sight of a small cabin in front of us, one that looks nearly abandoned, but one cannot be too sure of that. Feeling a nudge against my arm, I look down to see that Sophia is looking at me.

"It could be a place to rest," The young girl says, before she looks back toward the small cabin that seems to be falling apart. She then looks back at me and toward the knife in my side, her eyes growing more worried. "We could take that out and clean it, couldn't we?" Looking away from the twelve-year-old, I look down at my own injuries and feel myself growing more tired. Knowing that I have to take care of it soon, I slowly nod toward Sophia. Motioning toward the cabin, the two of us begin to walk toward it at a slow pace.

Grabbing my own gun from my holster, as I walk up the porch with Sophia behind me, I click off the safety as I point the gun toward the front porch. Once I reach the wooden door, I take my hand off my wound long enough to knock on the door, only for it to push open slightly. Glancing down at Sophia, as she cowers behind me, I look back up as I push the door open. Slowly limping into the cabin, I take in truly how small it is - yet seemingly bigger than all of the cabins I've been in throughout my life. After entering the cabin fully, I motion for Sophia to close the door behind us, as I peer around the living room.

On one end of the living area, there is a couch that seemed to have seen better days alongside a recliner that sits in front of a boxed TV that is placed on a small table next to a fireplace, and on the other side, there are a few cubbies that seem to be built into the walls. In the middle of the living room, there is a doorway that seems to lead to a kitchen which then leads to a bathroom or kitchen. Turning to look at Sophia as she too stares around the cabin, I motion for her to stand behind me before I slam my hand against the wall harshly. Sophia jumps at the loudness of the hit, but continues to stay behind me for her safety. After a few minutes of no walkers appearing, I place my gun away as I walk toward the couch.

"Help me push this against the door." I say before motioning down toward the couch that looks to be heavy, causing the young girl to finally step away from the door. She nods slowly before walking toward where I stand, before the two of us get into the position to push. Nodding toward the girl, I grit my teeth as I push the couch toward the door, which causes pain to shoot through my side and ankle nearly causing me to stop. As the pain grows worse, I fall against the couch as a few tears escape my eyes. Forcing myself to ignore it, I begin to push the couch again with the help of Sophia.

Once the couch is pushed firmly against the door, I collapse onto it as I shrug my backpack off my shoulders - where my bow should be. My bow had broken during my fall from the slope, so I had tossed it a few miles back before placing my arrows into my bag. Looking up toward Sophia, I notice her staring at my side which is still bleeding. Letting a huff escape through my lips, I open my bag as I begin to dig through it for something useful. Grabbing the shirt that I had grabbed off the highway and the sewing kit, I mentally cry at what I knew I needed to do. I look toward Sophia as I knew that I needed her help, I place the items on the couch.

"Okay, Sophia, I'm going to need your help," I inform the young girl once I gained her attention, before I motion toward the sewing kit that I had also found on the highway. Already feeling nervous about what's about to go down, I look back toward Sophia. "I need to get this knife out, okay? Did your momma ever teach you to sew?" Watching as the young girl looks from me and toward the kit, I watch as she slowly pieces together what I"m about to ask her. She then nods at my question, before she sits down next to me. "Good, that's good. I need you to sew me up once I take the knife out. There's going to be a lot of blood, but that's okay."

"But what if I hurt you?" Sophia questions, the fear evident on her face as she stares at me. Wanting to reach out and hug the poor girl, I shake my head a bit at her question, before I look down at the knife. "Don't worry about that, Sophia. Just focus on putting the skin back together." I reply, my fingers shaking as the fear courses through me as the mere thought of this not working. She nods at my words before she grabs the sewing kit and begins to open it. Watching as she grabs one of the needles, I watch as she grabs some dark three before she starts to put it together.

Once I know that she's ready, I nod toward the young girl as I wrap my hand around the handle of the knife. Sucking in a deep breath, I grit my teeth together in an attempt not to scream out, as I yank the knife harshly from my side. Feeling my entire body go numb, as I throw my head back, I feel my mouth open as my throat vibrates painfully. Pain shoots through my entire body as I drop the knife to the floor, as I grip tightly to the arm of the couch as tears begin to fall down my cheeks. Nodding rapidly at Sophia, I feel her lifting my shirt before she shoves the needle through my skin, causing me to cry out once more.

Feeling my body grow weaker, as the pain officially takes over, I tilt my head to look down at Sophia as she carefully sews the wound. Her face is full of concentration, as her eyes stay locked on the wound, as she slowly repeats the words that her mother had told her during their sewing sessions. As the energy slowly flees from my own body, I smile softly toward the girl as I feel myself losing consciousness. As my world slowly fades to black, all I manage to see before losing my battle to stay awake is Sophia looking at me with her worried blue eyes as she continues to sew me back together again.

__Word Count: 4,580Date Published: January 17, 2022

Hi guys, gals, and non-binary friends and welcome back! I am so excited to finally get back into writing The Deaf One and to give you all chapters you deserve! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and will be here for the next one, which I will try to have out in the next couple of weeks!

What are your thoughts on this chapter?[ Personally, I think this is my favorite chapter yet as I can finally deep dive into Katherine being "alone" in the woods, as well as learning to adapt without Millie. ]

Do you think Sophia will survive with Katherine by her side or will she meet the same fate as the TV show? [ I'm so excited to see what you guys think will happen! Although I feel that they did Sophia dirty in the show, that doesn't mean I won't kill her off in my story. So there is a 50/50 chance that she'll either meet that same fate or not. ]

How was everyone's holiday season? [ Mine was surprisingly good! I got a few cool items from family members including socks that have my cats faces on them. I'm such a crazy cat lady sometimes! My boyfriend did get me a necklace that's very meaningful! ]

How's everyone's 2022 treating them so far? [ So far it has treated me decently well. It could be better, but hey, sometimes years start our rough and end great! ]

Thank you guys for coming back!

Lots of love,Crimson Rose