Daddy's Little Girl

Frogs - 12

Clyde’s P.O.V. 

A little while after my dad with the others left, mom grabbed Ruby and I for our morning lessons. Closer to the afternoon Derrick asked me to go frog hunting with him. 

“I'm not getting anything.” I tell him as I lazily tug at my line. 

“Yeah.” He answers. “Being all wily, staying submerged. Little suckers, they know something's up. That's what's going on. Just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.” He says as he get up from where he was crouched and brings the bucket he was carrying with him. “All right, little man, look.” He says as he submerges his legs into the water. “You are the… you are the key in all this, okay? All I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go after one of them, all right, scare the rest of them off. They're all gonna scatter. I'm gonna drive 'em your way.” He explains as he gets into a stance. 

“All right.” I smile. 

“What you need to do is you need to round up every bad boy you see, all right? Are you with me?” He asks.  

“Yeah.” 

“Hells yeah!” 

“Hell Yeah!” 

“Give me your mean face.” He says growling. I join him, it’s just a little thing we do. “Yes sir. Are you ready?” 

“Yeah!” I shout.  

“Are you ready? Here we go, boy.” He says looking at me. I look back rising my brows and smiling. 

“Here we go.” He says as he drops in the water.  

“All right, little man, they're coming your way. They're coming your way.” He says splashing the water and unsettling the marshy lake floor as I rake the net in circles around the water. “Go on, get 'em, get 'em! They're coming your way, come on! Catch them frogs.” He repeats splashing the water at me as I laugh. “Catch them frogs. They're coming, little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em! They're coming, little man! Get 'em! Get that net in there and get 'em! What have you got, bad boy?! What do you got?! What do you got?!”  He asks as I lift up my net. 

“Dirt.” I sigh dropping the net back into the water.  

“Oh boy. All right, we've got to start over.” He jokes. “Come on, let's find this bucket.” He says dipping down in the water making both of us laugh. On the other side of the lake the women sit doing laundry, talking and laughing. Ed sitting in his truck smoking. My mom comes down the path and calls me.  

“Hey, Clyde, what did I tell you about not leaving Roy's sight?” She calls out. s**t. 

“But Derrick said we could catch frogs, remember?” 

“It doesn't matter what Derrick says. It matters what I say. Go on, back to camp.”  

She always seems to come around the time I’m having the most fun, and ruins it.  I let out an overly dramatic sigh as I walk back up. I bet Deacon lets Kathryne do whatever she wants.  

“I'll be right behind you.” She says before turning around. She looks like she’s giving Derrick a piece of her mind. Wonder what’s goin’ on with them? I think as I continue to walk up the hill back to camp.  

*** 

Kat’s P.O.V  

We’ve been running through the city all morning, and my feel are starting to kill me. We finally stop at a fence with a hole cut into it, big enough for us to squeeze through. As we go through it Reginald speaks up. 

“Earle first or guns?” He asks.  

“Earle!” Daddy and I say at the same time.  

“We ain't even having this conversation.” He adds. 

“We are.” Reginald raises his voice. I can tell it’s gonna take them awhile to get use to each other. Reginald looks back at David. “You know the geography. It's your call.” 

“Earle's closest.” He says as we break into a light jog. “The guns would mean doubling back. Earle first.” 

*** 

Getting off the street we duck into a random store, and damn! It’s totally wrecked. What the hell did those Walkers do? Pick out a new summer wardrobe? I think as I kick one of the manikin heads around. Reginald holds his hand up, signalling us to stop. He points to my daddy and I to take out the two Walkers in front of us. The two of us walk around the others and position ourselves in front of the two female Walkers. 

“Damn.” My daddy says quietly. “You are one ugly skank.” He mutters the insult was we both shoot them in the head with our crossbows and they fall to the floor. I think about the usefulness of our crossbows, the stealth behind them. Ripping my arrow out of the walkers head, wiping the residue on its blouse. We keep to the buildings, the heat beading down on the fallen city streets. Before we know it we reach the same storefront. Heading in through the same backdoor, racing up the staircase, the door stilled chained.  We let Tre go first with the bolt cutters, the heavy chain clanging on the floor as the door flies open, Daddy the first out on the roof.  

“Earle! Earle! Earle! EARLE!” He yells, looking around for him. I head to the spot where’d I’d last seen my uncle, no Earle. Only a hand, a handsaw, and blood. A lot of blood with the cuff still attached to the pipe. I feel anger and sadness built up inside of me. 

“No! No! No! No! No!” Daddy yells as he falls to his knees before me and cries while hugging my legs, his sobs shaking my frame. He’s gone, not sure if I’m hoping he’s dead or not.