Ch. 9 I shall find Otis

The mood was still quite somber all things considered so Julius was curious if they were worried about the boy. Julius walks around the house helping and talking to everyone to get a feel for their nature. Among the people present he really hit it off with Glenn and T-dawg. He helped Glenn carry this small solar powered Tv, and he showed T-dawg how to load this custom fifty caliber pistol he had. As they were talking, they mentioned two members were still missing hence the somber mood. He finally comes to understand that inside this house exist two separate groups, one consisting of Hershel and his family, another, the one he thinks he has joined, is a ragtag bunch of survivors who despite it all have a very familial aura. He wouldn't be surprised if both groups were actually related. Honestly, they made him miss his team, but he knows they're alright.

"Hey Dale, who exactly is missing? And where did they go?" Julius approaches a small group of people and questions Dale as he feels the old man has a real amiable aura and is overall just a good person.

"Oh, you're talking about the medicine run! Damn we need to stop that guy and Otis from going into all that danger!" says Hershel's eldest daughter, Maggie.

"Your right Maggie!". Hershel's younger daughter Beth says.

"It's been a while already though, don't y'all think they could be finished? Or at least almost finished?" Says Glenn

"WHO?!" Exclaims Julius.

"Their guy Otis the one shot- I mean accidentally hurt Carl," Glenn squeezes out noticing he is getting death stares from everywhere. He wished to stop but Julius did a hand motion for him to continue. "And Shane a guy from our group." Glenn blurts out to get all speaking done while walking away swiftly and awkwardly, this elicits a small smile and chuckle from Maggie.

"Where did they go?" Dale asks.

"To my old school, it became a Fema base." Maggie answers.

"Is that the local high school?" asks Julius to be sure.

"Yes?" Maggie answered in a inquiring tone.

"Then I shall return." Julius says as he begins to leave.

"You cannot go back out there. "Lori immediately says.

"Don't be stupid just wait for em' to comeback." Maggie echoes,

"Yeah bro just chill they gone be aight." T-dawg says with a concerned look.

As they all begin to chime in their different opinions Rick, Andrea, Carol and the two little girls enter the room adding to the chatter. Julius was ignoring everyone while slightly touched at the concern he was more irritated they genuinely thought he would get hurt. Julius begins to look in the weapons bag to decide which sword to take as the others start to butt in again.

"Now boy, I know you just joined but that ain't how we do things round' here." Rick says while making eye contact with Julius.

"Your logic is flawed. I am leaving to go save someone, isn't that a good thing. I have already given you supplies, and it is not like I won't be back. My sister is here. I'm not endangering anyone am I?" Julius questions slightly dismayed he can't get behind the thoughts of those things having the slightest capacity to hurt him.

"Honey they're just worried about you, you will be the one in danger." Carol says approaching him and setting her hand on his shoulder.

"I understand that, but I'm asking you Carol. Can you trust me?" Julius answers with a question of his own while looking up at carol making direct eye contact with her. "I'll be fine."

"It's not about whether or not-" Rick begins before being interrupted.

"He'll be alright." Daryl cuts in from the background shocking everyone.

"I trust you." Carol responds even if it makes her stomach queasy as a parent.

"Yeah, Dale why are you so worried? Hell I think he'd walk out of an army of those things." Andrea chimes in from the side.

"You guys can't be serious about this? He's still a boy! He told me himself he was seventeen just earlier!" Rick says practically screaming.

"Carol, can you watch my sister?" Julius questions while ignoring the man and looking at the weapon with those deep purple eyes. When he looked at her it was like a tiger was looking at her, a fierce, and unchallenged killer. His silhouette seemed to be growing bigger in front of her very eyes, but not just to her. This aura of bloodlust halts Rick in his tracks. It was not something he saw or knew, more so something he felt instinctually. The same reason a baby animal knows to flee from a predator, he knew to leave it alone.

"Yes, I got her." Carol stammers looking away. The little girl in discussion ignores all the tension in the air, and runs straight up to Julius and holds her arms out for a hug. Julius lifts her up and she makes him pinky promise to be safe. She is not really scared, but he's all she has right now. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

"Aww don't cry, you know I will be fine! what did I tell you?" Julius asks Clementine.

"The strong don't look away." She mutters wiping away her tears.

"Good, now you know it's my turn. I can possibly help, even not I won't hurt anything, you of all people better trust me." Julius says with his signature smile showing. Clem looks up at him not sniffling anymore.

"Okay I know you'll be back, you're the strongest!" The girl says now convinced.

"Good." He says while setting her back down and looking over the group. He notices Sophia and Carol's excessively concerned faces, he rubbed the little one's head and nodded to her mother. He then turned to Rick.

"Sorry Rick, didn't mean to ignore you, but you should know throughout all of history tragedies occur when those who can help don't, and I happen to be capable. I appreciate you looking out for me. It's been rare since I got older, so I appreciate it even if I'm not really showing it. Ask Daryl a little about me when I leave, or even my sister. I can handle myself just fine." He says calmly. He opens the screen door vanishing into the night. Clem and Sophia race to see him off, along with a few adults, but to shock most except Clem and Sophia not even a shadow can be seen.

"Gone ain't he?" Daryl questions from his sitting spot eating seeds. No response greeted him, but he knew. He experienced it firsthand. This confused everyone Rick even walked out the house looked around back, walked to the front looked on top, even checked the boards under the house. How could he find him? Julius had already covered the seven miles to town.

…..............

Julius arrives in town and looks towards the school's direction from his rooftop vantage point, it's supposed to be roughly five miles away. His eyes flashed brightly for a moment, letting him see into the transparent world. In his eyes he saw dead everywhere, and could not see the school yet. POWW! "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" He hears a gunshot, along with the kind of screams that only belong in hell. He ups his speed again. Seconds later he could make out a living silhouette running away. He looked behind the man, around sixty or seventy yards away was a man being devoured alive by a horde. Julius did not hesitate as he ran towards the downed man.

"AHHH" Julius lets out a war cry to attract their attention, the undead look up from the body. There are at least eight on him, around forty in total. He flashes past the man, his hand out like a sharp claw. The heads of the walkers feasting on the man slide apart like deli cut meat. He looks toward the man lying on his stomach. His back is destroyed, organs spilling out all over, he cannot seem to speak but the groans of pain let Julius know he is in fact still alive.

The horde closed in. "Tsk," annoyed Julius goes to the man and turned him over then begin to poke him in several places all over his body.

"That cannot keep you alive, but you won't feel the pain anymore. Let me clean up and I will come talk to you, for a while… Otis, right?" Julius says flashing his signature golden boy smile. Otis couldn't even think or nod, he just looked at the boy. The young man stood under the moonlight smiling, the reflections from the moon and windows cast the appearance of a pair of wings coming from his back, billowing in the wind. The loss of blood and hysteria had Otis' mind playing tricks on him. Did he see an angel just now?

Julius looks away from the man and his eyes glowed brilliantly under the moonlight with an animalistic wildness. In the blink of an eye, he flies forward like a speeding bullet. He dashes through the crowd, hands moving faster than any normal person could perceive. Appearing in the middle of a group of them his hands darted in all directions then, he reappears in another group and so on until he appears back by the man. He squats down and grabs the man's hand, while he does so all walkers nearby begin falling down.

"Hey Otis, my name is Julius. I went to Hershel's today after finding a lost little girl. I had medicine so I tried to get to you guys, but I was late, I am sorry." Julius says looking directly at him, never breaking eye contact.

"Grr Gurg." The man begins to try and speak but his condition gets worse. Julius gives him a good look over and realizes he is missing organs, what was worse his body is falling apart at the hip line.

"Stop trying to talk. I will tell Patricia your last words were that you love her. Squeeze my hand if this is fine." Through sheer willpower he squeezed the lad's hand. "Good, that's good do you have anything you want to give her? I'll name things you squeeze to stop me. Any jewelry? Notes? Your clothes? A necklace? I don't know... oh your wallet?" This elicits the biggest response so far. "Okay, but once I turn you over again, that'll be it for you. I don't want to bring your body back for your wife to see you like this, might kill her… Is it okay if I stop by that funeral home I saw? Cremation fine?" This gets a light squeeze. Julius rolls him over on his side gently, but organs went everywhere, "GRRRRRR" He moans. Julius reaches in his back pocket and pulls out the wallet. As he is rolling him back over, he feels a hand squeeze and notices something protruding through his other pocket. It was a handkerchief, still spotless despite all the blood. As Julius grabs it, the hand falls from his grasp, Otis had left this world. Instantly Julius acts, a finger through his ear at sonic speeds to pierce his brain. He looks him over again with glowing eyes, and notices a bullet in what was left of his left ankle. Julius removes it before he lifts the man and vanishes.