Chapter 14
[Hadn't checked for grammar errors. I'm also fucking sick, so I haven't been able to concentrate]
"Anyway...Why did you come?" I asked her with a smile, as I sat down on my armchair while taking a drag from my cigarette.
"I...I don't-" she doesn't even know what to say.
"What? You know you can tell whatever you want." I tell her with a smile.
"I don't even know. I'm not sure. I've been hallucinating for a while now, I can barely get any sleep." she says with a sigh.
"What. Is. It? I like you Carley, very much, but spit it out, please." I don't even know why I'm getting pissed off to be honest. Maybe I've been drinking too much? I really don't know.
"Okay...Jeez." she sighs again before continuing, "I think, I saw a kid wandering in the woods...quite a few times."
Hearing this my hand stops in the air before I could take a drag from the cigarette.
"A what?" I give her the 'fuck is you talking about' look. "A kid? A child?"
"Yes, she, I mean I at least think it was a girl, was wandering around in front of the camp. I didn't want to say anything because as I said I've been hallucinating for a while now." she looks away putting her palm on her forehead, "I've been seeing my grandfather as well...he's been dead for over a decade."
I sit back in my armchair, taking in Carley's words. The cigarette in my hand burns slowly, forgotten for the moment.
"Are you sure, Carley?" I ask cautiously, my voice filled with a mix of concern and disbelief. "You've been through a lot, so it's understandable that you might be experiencing some... "
"We've all been through a lot." She interrupts me. At her sentece, I just nod, agreeing.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear, I saw her. It wasn't just a figment of my imagination. She was there, staring at me with those empty, lifeless eyes." She says with a bit of fear in her eyes.
My mind races with possibilities. I've been transmigrated or reincarnated or whatever, into the world of two Walking Deads. One is the Telltale one, and the other is the TV series. This must've been the work of some higher being. What I'm getting at is that it is not impossible if something supernatural is happening. It may be that she's some kind of ghost, as Carley said that she had lifeless eyes.
Okay, let's not throw that idea away.
It also may be just a lost kid that has seen her fair share of horros with caused her eyes to lose the light of life. I've seen those type of people, as I've been in THAT kind of business. What is it called? Thousand Yard Stare? No, I don't think that's it. Whatever.
"Tell me everything," I say firmly, my curiosity overwhelming any doubts. "Start from the beginning. When did you first see her? Did anyone else notice?"
Carley hesitates for a moment, doubt etched across her face. She takes a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, her eyes locked on my bottle of whiskey on my nightstand as she begins to speak.
"It started about a week ago," she begins, her voice shaky. "I was being the lookout. I was looking out into the woods. I was about to head down the bring up some snack to eat when I saw her for the first time. She was standing near a tree, just watching us. I thought maybe it was a survivor, a lost child, but when I called out to her, she didn't respond. She just vanished into the trees."
My heart quickens as she continues her tale. "After that, I started seeing her more frequently. Always in different places but never too far from camp. She's always alone, and she never speaks. I tried telling others, but they brushed it off as just another hallucination. They didn't believe me. But I know what I saw, what I've been seeing."
I lean forward, my stance shifting from skepticism to concern. "Carley, have you tried following her? Maybe she needs help. Or maybe she's trying to lead us somewhere."
Carley shook her head, "No, I don't dare to."
I stand up, crushing my cigarette in the ashtray. "I'll head out tomorrow for a little hunting either way, so I'll check for her. This kind of creeped me out, not going to lie to you. Hearing creepy stories involving kids are always scary." I chuckle a bit.
"Okay, thanks, Poul." she says before hugging me for a second. Then she leaves my room.
I go to the table, pick up the bottle that has the liquor in it, then drink the rest of it, which was like 3-4 gulps.
I stumble a bit to my bed, I raise my blankets high enough to slip under them, and I drift to sleep.
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"You can't keep doing this shit!" A woman shouts at her boyfriend, holding a baby in her arms.
"What do you want me to do?! We need the fucking money, and this is what I know how to do!" He shouts back at her.
"Well, figure something out because you're putting all three of us in danger!" she shouts, now with tears in her eyes from either because of anger or tiredness.
"You think I don't want to?! You think I want to put you, and her in danger?!" He asks her with a shout while pointing at the baby, calmly sleeping despite the shouting around her.
The woman just huffs before sitting down on the bed, now starting to sob.
The man sighs as he calms down, and sits down next to his girlfriend holding their few months old baby, and puts his arm around her shoulder.
Feeling the strong arm on her shoulders, she just looks the other way while wiping her tears, then snot on the sleeve of her hoodie.
Seeing her act like a kid, the man chuckles, then kisses her on her forehead. "I promise you, Amelia...I won't anything happen to you and to our baby, Alexa."