Daddy's Little Girl

Sheriffs' Station - 3

I wake up in the morning to find Reg and George fixing breakfast in the kitchen with Dwight as he sets the table. George offers Reg and I proper clothes, and thank the Lord he did cause these hospital gowns are really starting to piss me off. As we leave the house Reggie asks the same question he has been asking since we woke up, “They’re dead?” 

“They’re dead.” George says, again, “Except for something in their brains.” He hands Reg a bat and a gasmask be we cautiously start making our way down the front path. A Walker raises up from debris and starts shuffling towards us. s**t. Reggie lightly pushes me behind him as he goes after the Walker. Hitting it in the head repeatedly before both of them fall to the pavement. I rush to his side, “Reggie you alright?” I ask in distress. He looks pale and can barely open his eyes as he pants heavily.  

“Just need, a moment.” He shrugs it off, taking a minute to collect himself. I help him stand before we join the others standing on Reggie’s front porch. The front door is open with the same gap from the last time we were here. The four of us filing in before closing the door firmly.  

“They were alive, my wife and son. At least they were when they left.” Reggie points out as we enter the living room. 

“How can you know?” George asks doubtfully, “By the look of this place…” 

“I found empty draws in the bedroom.” Reggie cuts off, not wanting to even hear it. “They packed some clothes, not a lot but enough to travel.”  

“Anybody could have broken in here and stolen clothes, right?” Mr. Doubtful strikes again. 

“You see any framed photos on the walls?” Reg questions rhetorically, “Neither do I. Some random thief take those too?” He reaches into the cupboard next to him, pulling out nothing, “you think our photo albums, family pictures, all gone.”   

George laughs dryly, “Hold on, my wife, same thing. There I am packing survival gear and she’s grabbing photo albums.” Reg and I look at each other, sadness in his eyes. 

“They’re in Atlanta I bet.” Dwight speaks up.  

“That’s right.” George nods, looking over at his son.  

“Why there?” Reggie and I ask at the same time. 

“Refugee center; huge one they said before the broadcast stopped. Military protection, food, shelter. They told people to go there. Said to be safe.” George explains, looking lost in thought.  

“Plus, they got that disease place.” Dwight adds.  

“Center for Disease Control.” His father corrects, “Said they were working on how to solve this thing.” I look at Reggie as he walks into the kitchen, I follow of course. I still don’t trust them all too well. He opens a cabinet in the kitchen and reaches for one of many keyrings that are hocked onto the door. The three of us follow Reg in silence to the garage and into the garage. Dwyane and I climb in the back and Reg in the front as George looks through the windows to make sure our path is clear. He nods his head before opening the garage and jogs to the passenger and jumping in. The entire drive is in silence, not even Geroge asks where we’re going, Reg turns down a long strip and the area seems familiar to me. He pulls up to a building that looks awfully similar to a police station. Earle is a total i***t when it comes to following the law so I wouldn’t doubt he’s spent a few nights here. We follow him through the building until we reach the men’s changerooms. Reg and George go to check if the showers work. Dwight sits on the bench in the middle of the room fiddling with his thumbs. I hop up in the sink and pick at the grime building up under my nails. I hear the sound of running water and a wide grin slips onto my face, I hop off the sink and stand before the showers. Steam rising into the air. Thank God it works, I can’t remember the last time I had a shower, let alone a hot one.  

“Gaslines been down for maybe a month.” George says, staring at the water in disbelief as Reg checks the temperature of the water. 

“Station got its own propane system.” Reggie states, smiling widely. “Pilot’s still on.” 

We all look at each other in utter joy. The men stay on the far, each of them with their own shower. I wait for them to start their showers before I strip quickly and hop into my own, not incline to have any of them see my naked body. The hot water feels amazing on my sore muscles. Reggie’s on the far end shaving, I know cause I can hear him hissing because he nicked himself. George is doing his own thing, and Dwight is hooting and singing. I laugh quietly to myself, humming as I wash the sweat and dirt out of my long brown hair.  

“Oh, my Lord! Hot water!” George yells in excitement. 

“Whoo!” Dwight adds just as cheerful. 

“That feels good, right?” George asks his son. He doesn’t even answer, it’s like he’s lost in this own little world of bubbles and steam. The shower was absolutely amazing and definitely well needed. I feel more relaxed than I have these last twenty-four hours. Reg hands Dwight and I clothes and tells us there is a room in the back we can go and change in. I smile at him before following Dwight, looking back at Reginald before we turn a corner. 

“I think this is it.” Dwight whispers, opening a door that looks the exit of a changeroom. Dwight clicks his flashlight on, leaving it light up, casting the light across the ceiling giving us ample light to see. It’s a pretty basic room. Hooks, cubbies, name tags. “I-I’ll turn around.” Dwight stutters, turning around so fast he almost fell over. I don’t say anything as I turn around also. Quickly slipping on each layer of clothing before lacing up my boots. Waiting for Dwight to finish as I think about Daddy and where in this mess could he be.  

Reginald’s P.O.V 

Kathryne and Dwight go off into the backroom to change, leaving George and I sitting on the bench in the middle of the showers. I can tell she feels better than she did yesterday just by the smile on her face.  

“Atlanta sounds like a good idea.” I tell George. Ever since they mentioned it earlier it has been my main propriety to see if Irene and Clyde are there, “Safer anyway.”  

“That’s where we were heading, things got crazy. Man, you won’t believe, the panic streets weren’t fit to be on. And then my, my wife couldn’t travel. Not with our herd, so we had to find a place to lay low.  And then after she died, we just stayed hunkered down. I guess we just froze in place…” George trails off, eyes distant.  

“Plan to move on?” I ask.  

“Haven’t worked up to it yet.” He muses just as he put his s**t on. After we all finished getting dressed, Kat and Dwight join us as we head to the gun storage. Not much left of us to work with. Most shelves empty, boxes littering the floor. Odd ammunition cases and guns, most of the storage bare.  

“A lot of its gone missing.” I tell them as I grab what's left off the wall of the guns.  

“Daddy, can I learn to shoot? I’m old enough.” Dwight asks his father.  

I look over at Kathryne, “My daddy already taught me how to shot, and I’m pretty damn good too. Even better with a crossbow!” She says as she goes to pick up a shotgun off the rack. Her eyes light up a little as she checks the sight before the clip.  

George looks at his son, “Hell yes you’re gonna learn. We gotta do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon.” 

“That’s right.” I join, “it’s not a toy. You pull the trigger, you have to mean it. Always remember that Dwight.”  

“Just like my daddy always told me.” Kathryne says quietly with a small smirk on her face. Dwight nods his head, and George hands him a pistol. I check on the sniper hanging in front of me, checking the scope as George appears beside me. I hand it to him.  

“Take that one, nothing fancy. Scope’s accurate.” He goes to check on the scope himself. Kathryne and Dwight are packing ammo; I’m checking the rest of the guns. We have quite a collection here. After we gather what we need we head out the back door.  

“Conserve your ammo, goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice.” I give a word of caution, looking back at Dwight. George tells his son to take their bags to their car. Kathryne walks up and stands behind me leaning against the squad car. 

“You sure you won’t come along?” I ask George for what seems like the 10th time.  

“A few more days, by the end, Dwight will know how to shoot and I won’t be so rusty.” George tells me while looking at his son. I reach into the passenger side my squad car a pull out a walkie-talkie.   

“You got one battery.” I say as I had it to him, “I’ll turn mine on, a few minutes every day at dawn. You get up there, that’s how you find us.”  

“You think they’re there?” George questions.  

“Can’t afford not to.” I tell him, “Not anymore.” 

“Listen, one thing. They might not seem like much one at a time, but in a group, all round up and hungry, then you watch your ass.” He warns Kat and I.  

“You too.”  

“You’re a good man, Reginald. I hope you find your wife and son.” He says to me. “And I hope you find your father.” He says looking at Kat. 

“See ya, Dwight. Take care of your old man.”  

“Yes, sir.” He smiles. 

“Bye Dwight ...” Kathryne says as she walks up from behind me and hugs him. “…You take care of yourself, George.” She says shaking his hand. Just as we were about to split up, George looks behind me and his face falls flat. We turn around to see Jude Brossi walk towards us, except he wasn’t Jude anymore, he was a Walker.  

“Jude Brossi?” I say in disbelief, “Didn’t think much of him.” I tell everyone. “Careless and dumb but, can’t leave him like this.”  

“You know if they hear the shot…?” George questions. 

“Let’s not be here when they show up.”  I say as I take my gun out and walk towards Brossi.  

“Let’s go, son.” George says as the two of them walk towards their car and Kathryne gets into ours. I walk up to Brossi as he growls and bangs on the fence that separates us. Now he’s hitting against it with more force, trying to reach me, no… tying to eat me. I take my gun and point it out his head, stare into his cold, dead eyes then I pull the trigger. His lifeless body falls backward, only his fingers hanging on to the fence is what kept him from falling to the ground, until he slowly yet surely is lying on the ground. I walk back to the car which Kathryne had already started. I go into the driver's side and pull the car out of the station. George turns right and we turn left, I flash my sirens as a sign of respect and goodbye as we go our separate ways. Who knows how long it will be until we see him or his son again. I wonder if we will ever run into again, dead or alive. I look over at Kathryne; she is looking out the window taking in the scenery. I can’t help but think of Clyde every time I look at her, they look around the same age. But she has so much personality for such a small being. I know we will find them in Atlanta, I just know it.