Keeping Sanity

The trio pulled up to a white farmhouse with a disheveled Rick stood on the porch with Lori and a few unknown people. Shane was talking with the group and an older woman. The group was parked in the front lawn, waiting for something.
        Rick's eyes flew wide when he saw Daryl pulling up with Ren in his arms. He stepped off the porch and walked up to him, Lori attached at his side. "They said you went missing last night. What happened? Is she-"
        “She's alive, but not for much longer if ya keep yappin. Help me get her off." Daryl snapped. Glenn and Dale came up and helped Daryl get Ren off of him. That's when Carol gasped and screamed gibberish as she ran up to the bike.
        Sophia slid off the bike, finally letting go of Daryl and daring to stop hiding in his back. She ran to her mother and hugged her tight. Carol practically consumed her as she wrapped her arms tightly around the child, all but squeezing her.
        Dale and Glenn had hesitated, so Daryl irritably grabbed Ren into his arms, mumbling something about him doing it himself. He stepped up onto the first step of the porch. "She needs help. She's dyin.”
        The white haired man with suspenders and a white shirt, stepped up. He nodded and rolled up his sleeves. "Bring her in.” They stepped into the house. The man pointed Daryl into a spare room, Rick and Shane stepping in to question the hick, focused on the woman in front of him.
        Daryl lay Ren down gently, careful not to disturb the arrow sticking out of her side. He unclipped the second belt she had on, which held her quiver, a gun holster, and a knife. “Whatdda you want?" He turned to the two men, watching as the old man from before came into the room, followed by a younger woman with short brown hair who held equipment.
        “What happened? Where was Sophia?" Rick questioned.
         He sighed and took a step back as the old man began to work on Ren. He stepped out of the room as they started to cut open her shirt. Rick and Shane followed, awaiting his answer. With a sigh, Daryl sat down on a cushy chair and rubbed at his face. “Me and Andrea went for a walk. Check some of the surrounding areas for Sophia. Couldn't take the sniffling from Carol. We were headed back when Dale and I heard someone singin. I went to check it out. Bout five minutes off the road was Ren propped up on a tree, Sopiah asleep in her lap. She was singin to her to calm her down. Tried to get them up on the road, but Ren refused. Said Sopiah hadn't slept in days and we could wait till morning. It was too dark and I was on her left. I didn't see the arrow."
          Daryl huffed and went to stand. “Then I get her up on the road, she's passed out and bout half dead, come to find out the others left without even comin for me." He tisked and walked out of the house. He whistled, and Sophia peeled away from her mom with the duffle bag still drapped around her small shoulders. She handed it to Daryl as he stepped off of the stairs.
           Everyone was watching him now. The way Sophia had reacted to his whistle left them confused. Carol came up and grabbed Sophia's shoulder. “What was that?" She asked the young girl, "Honey what happened?”
         Sophia looked up at her mom with bright eyes. “Ren taught me. When she took me and ran off from the walkers, we found a pond. We hid under this little… ledge, but the walkers wouldn't go away. She grabbed me by the shoulders and… I was super scared but… she told me to name five things I could see. Then touch three. She pointed up to the sky and asked me if I could see the sun. I could. S-so she told me when I walk, it should be on my left.”
         The little girl fiddled with her shirt. "She handed me her knife and said if a walker comes, push it's hips to throw it off balance and run. Keep my hands at the level of my eyes and focus on things I can see and hear. I did, but when she started to lead the walkers away I got scared. I didn't want her to get hurt. I… I followed. She lost the walkers, and I thought I lost her. But then she was there. Like a shadow. She was angry I didn't listen. We ran as we heard more walkers coming. She… she got dizzy when we reached a bank. She fell and… and the arrow…" Tears developed in her eyes. “She'll live right?"
          Carol nodded, unsure of the real answer. “Honey, what else?"
          “She woke up and started singing to me. I don't… I don't think she knew who I was at first. Then she tried to get us back, but she… she grabbed my shoulders and we sat down. She lay down rules. She taught me that if we get lost, keep the sun over my left shoulder and always readjust if I have to run from a walker. She told me that if she whistled, I was to come to her side. Two meant hug her hip, one meant give her the bag. She told me if I got scared to name things like we had been or hum a song… She sang a lot. She sings real pretty mommy. I want her to be okay." She sniffled and wiped a tear away, but then she stopped and took a deep breath. “I see mom, the grass, a shiny rock… deer tracks."
          Carol seemed to not know what to think. She looked up at Lori, who seemed to have the same expression.
         Daryl chuckled, “Smart kid. You learned fast."
         Carol ushered Sophia off with her into the RV. Rick pulled Shane aside privately.
        
         Slowly opening her eyes, Ren was met with a man she didn't recognize. Panic hit her as she noticed she was without a shirt. Her skin was dewy with sweat. She was delirious with fever. The man tried talking to her, but she shoved his hand away and attempted to stand. She fell onto the floor, ripping out her IV and scrambled for the door. Her breathing escalated and she heard shouting, but still she pushed on. Then she ran into a firm form. Hands wrapped around her shoulders, holding her up as her legs shook from holding her weight.
         Ren looked up. She recognized this person. Daryl. He was trying to talk to her, but her ears were ringing. He looked behind her, seeming to be talking to someone there. He went to help her back towards the room she had just run from, but her legs wouldn't carry her. She took a nosedive towards the floor, and he caught her, bringing her back up and picking her up into his arms.  
         
         “Ren." Daryl snapped his fingers in front of her. He had carried her to the room and there he and the old man waited until she had calmed down, covering her in a blanket until then.
         Ren blinked. She swallowed hard and met his gaze. "Where… are we?”
         "His farm. Carl got shot. He saved him." He pointed towards the old man.
         “You gave my family quite a fright." The old man stated. He stepped closer to the bed. “My name is Hershel Greene. I take it you don't like strangers. You are stricken with fever. Dehydrated. I need to reinsert your IV. May I do that?"
        Ren nodded.
        Using a fresh needle, Hershel inserted the IV back into her hand. “I hear your name is Ren. Gotta last name?"
         Pausing, she looked up at him and nodded again. “Lennar."
         Hershel raised a brow. He adjusted the blankets so that he could check her side. "You wouldn't happen to be related to a Sam Lennar?”
         Ren's blood ran cold. "My sister.” She grabbed his hand. "What happened…to her? Is… is she here?”
         He looked down. “You need rest. I mean it. You lost too much blood and I could not give you a transfusion without knowing your blood type. You get out of this bed again and you can count yourself as good as dead."
        Ren went to move, but Daryl cleared his throat. “I'll find out. You listen to him. We ain't burying you. You're the only competent one round here."
        Daryl and Hershel walked out of the room, Hershel shutting the door behind them. Daryl turned towards him. "What about her sister?”
       "Missing.” Hershel bowed his head. "Our man Otis was out there looking for her. Yesterday was the first day he stopped and went hunting.”
        "How long?”
         "A day. She got spooked near the shed and took off running.”
         Daryl nodded. "You knew her?”
         He shook his head. "Her grandparents came here with her about a week ago. They are… no longer with us.”
        The two walked out to the small makeshift camp set up that Rick’s group had made a ways out from the farm. They walked up to Rick, Shane, and Andrea who were discussing something over the hood of a truck.
       
        "Where's Daryl?” Ren asked. A woman stood over her, older, but not as old as Hershel. She was patting her head with a cool rag.
        "You've been out for a few days. He has been out looking for your sister. They all have.” She pulled the rag off her head and dunked it into a small bowl. "He took a horse that spooks easily. He isn't back yet. Now I wasn't supposed to tell you that, so you stay put. Don't make me regret it."
         Stay put? She wondered what she was talking about. Has she try and run before? Her sister? “You… my sister?”
        The woman sighed. "Your fever broke, but the concussion may still be messing with your head. We've had this conversation before. Your sister was here. Your grandparents too. Hun I'm sorry, but they died. Your sister stayed with us, but she ran off when she got spooked by one of the sick. My… Otis was looking for her, but he died getting equipment for the boy, Carl.”
         Ren sat up slowly. The woman helped her and propped up the pillows. "Equipment for Carl? I-Im sorry… I don't…”
        "Don't be. Seems you've taken several blows to the head recently. Your wound was infected and your body exhausted. Dehydrated, fractured ankle… you're lucky. I figured you'd need me to explain everything again. This is the first time you've really said complete sentences. Hopefully it'll stick.” The woman smiled softly.
       
        Knocking came from the doorway. Ren had been sleeping. She hummed and slowly opened her eyes, meeting a blue gaze she had come to recognize. “What happened to you?" She looked over his bare torso. He was grimy. Blood and dirt covered him and he had a fresh bandage on his head and side.
        “Decided to take a walk in your shoes. Why didn't ya tell me it sucks this bad?" He grunted and came over to the chair pulled up against the bed. He sat down with a wince and held his head.
        “Horse buck you off? Or did you get the whole Ren experience of just bein that clumsy?" Ren laughed lightly.
         "I see that damn horse…” Daryl shook his head. "I uh… I found this." He pulled out a thin black jacket. It was worn and had tears along the elbows. Pins of different types and studs adorned it along with light blue stitches. He set it down on the bed. "Figured it was your sister's. In that picture I found in your bag you were wearin it.”
        Ren’s hand shook. She pulled it close. It was damp. Muddy. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but they refused to fall.
         Stop.
         "That thang you do.” Daryl pointed at her face. “When you're about to react like a human bein. You taught Sophia that."
         She looked him in the eyes. “Sort of… I… couldn't have her gettin herself or I killed. I taught her tricks to stave off panic attacks."
        “You learn it cause you were raped?"
        Ren was taken back by the question. Her body was calm and she set the jacket on the edge of the bed, playing with the pins. “Mhm."
       "That guy you told me bout in the woods?”
        "So I told you bout him…" Ren let out a long breath.
        “Mhm." He shifted in the chair. “Look, for what it's worth, I think he deserved it."
         She lay there in silence for a while. “Would your group think so?"
        “They don't need ta know. None of their business."
        “You alright?”
         Daryl narrowed his eyes. He nodded and stood. "Yeah.” He went to the door. "We're gonna find her.”
         "Daryl?”
          He turned back to look at her.
         "I'm off bed rest tomorrow. I’m taking over. Don't go out there anymore.”
          Daryl tisked and stormed out of the room, not wanting to argue with her.