NICOLETTE
"I've missed it, you know?" Sarah's voice pulled Nicki's gaze away from the landscape as the two sisters sat on the bed of the RV.
"What?" Nicki asked, turning to see a warm smile on Sarah's face.
"Seeing you with a bow," she said, her eyes sparkling with nostalgia. "It was like you were missing one of your limbs." Nicki smiled back, glancing at the bow and quiver set behind her on the mattress, a reminder of who she used to be.
"All thanks to Glenn," Nicki replied, prompting a chuckle from her sister.
"It's always thanks to Glenn."
Sarah was right. Glenn had saved them all—Rick, the group, and now Nicki with this unexpected gift. She felt a surge of gratitude but struggled to find a way to thank him properly.
"People always found it strange," Nicki said, her voice tinged with laughter, "how much holding a bow meant to me." She remembered the jokes at school, the way her classmates never understood her passion for archery. They couldn't grasp why a girl her age would rather practice alone than go to parties and 'socialize.' The thought of dressing up and talking about boys had never appealed to her.
"I bet they would love to be that good at shooting now," Sarah said, gently moving a strand of Nicki's hair behind her ear. Sarah had been there for her during those lonely times when Nicki couldn't understand why she struggled to make friends. Just knowing her sister was there had always made a difference.
"T-Dog can't stop talking about it," Nicki giggled at the memory of T-Dog's enthusiastic remarks.
"I'm glad I can help you now," Nicolette said, looking earnestly at Sarah, who frowned slightly. "I don't want you to worry about me or blame yourself for anything you didn't do."
"Nicki..."
"Mom and Dad would be proud of you and everything you're doing," Nicki insisted, cutting off her sister's words. "I want to make them proud too. I want to make you proud, and I'm sorry it took me so long to find the right words to say."
Sarah's eyes glistened with unshed tears before a sweet smile broke through her concern.
"Come here," she murmured, gesturing for Nicki to come closer. They embraced, holding each other tightly for several moments. They always tried to avoid discussing their parents, both afraid to break down and succumb to grief. But having each other had always provided comfort, and it would continue to do so.
"Oh, jeez," they both turned at the sound of Dale's voice. "Oh, no..."
Sarah stood up, quickly walking toward the man behind the wheel. "What's going on, Dale?" she asked as the RV slowly came to a stop. "Oh, no..."
Nicki followed suit, grabbing her bow and carefully maneuvering closer to her sister, trying not to stumble on the uneven floor. As she looked out the front window, a knot formed in her stomach. A wall of abandoned cars stretched out ahead, blocking the road. It felt eerily reminiscent of the day she, Sarah, and Glenn had first met Dale. Perhaps the same fate had befallen the owners of those vehicles—overrun by walkers, just like so many others.
After a few moments, Nicki spotted Daryl on his bike, making his way back. He must have gone to scout ahead.
"See a way through?" Dale asked as he approached. Daryl glanced between Dale and the blocked road before gesturing for him to follow.
"Maybe we should just go back," Glenn suggested, studying the map in his hands as they trailed behind Daryl.
"We can't spare the fuel," Dale replied, his voice firm. He was right; it was a small miracle they had managed to find more during their journey. They had to keep moving forward.
As they continued, the scene before them was something Nicki could hardly have imagined. Cars were overturned, a truck lay on its side, and in some vehicles, she could have sworn she saw bodies. The silence was oppressive, not peaceful, and her heart began to race uncomfortably. It felt like a ghost town, echoing the horrors that had unfolded.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the RV, followed by a column of smoke rising into the air.
"Oh, shit..." Sarah muttered, stepping back instinctively.
"What's going on?" Andrea asked, rising from her seat to look at Sarah, who knelt down to grab the toolbox.
Dale's expression was livid as he jumped down from the RV, muttering under his breath.
"Is it bad?" Glenn asked, his tone laced with concern as Sarah opened the RV door to get out.
"I'm not an expert," she replied, her brow furrowing. "But smoke isn't a good sign. Come on!"
"Where?" Glenn asked, already on his feet and following her.
"My hand hurts; I need someone to help me," Sarah said, showing her right hand. The stitches were visible and it looked painful.
As Sarah and Glenn stepped outside, Nicki heard Shane take a deep breath before joining them. The atmosphere was tense, and the urgency of the moment pressed heavily upon them all.
"We should go," T-Dog said, prompting Andrea to nod in agreement. As they descended the short stairs, Nicki followed closely behind.
They found themselves in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by abandoned cars and corpses. It felt like it would be a long journey before they reached Fort Benning.
"I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale exclaimed as he opened the engine panel, revealing smoke billowing out.
"You did," Sarah replied, tying her hair back as she leaned in for a closer look.
"Thousand times," Dale continued, frustration evident in his voice. Nicki noticed a shared glance between Sarah and Glenn. "Dead in the water."
"It could be worse," Sarah reassured him.
"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked, joining the growing group as Daryl approached.
"We need some spare parts," Sarah said, inspecting the engine closely.
"Yeah, good luck with that!" Dale threw his hands up dramatically. "Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of—" He abruptly halted, eyes wide as he surveyed the surrounding cars. "That was dumb." Sarah nodded, clearly having recognized their dire situation.
"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane began, but Daryl was already scavenging in an open car nearby.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl said, pulling out a tube of toothpaste.
"That could actually be useful," Nicki remarked, catching it as Daryl tossed it her way.
"Thanks," she said, shielding her eyes from the sun to get a better look at him as he resumed searching the car.
"I can siphon more fuel from these cars, for a start," T-Dog proposed, making Rick nod in agreement.
"Maybe some water?" Andrea suggested.
"Or food," Glenn added.
"This is a graveyard," Lori muttered as she began walking between the cars.
"I'll go take a look," Nicki said to her sister, who looked up from her work with a slight frown.
"I won't go far," Nicki assured her.
"Alright," Sarah replied, worry creeping into her voice. "Stay where everyone can see you."
"Okay," Nicki promised, adjusting the quiver on her back as she set off.
Her focus shifted to a red car not far from where she stood, its surface coated in dust. She wondered how long it had been abandoned like this. Cautiously, she approached the window, trying to make as little noise as possible. A breath of relief escaped her lips when she realized the car was empty. She opened the door and climbed inside. On the front seat lay a hat and a book. Reaching out, she turned it to see the title.
"Sarah will be happy," she murmured, recognizing one of her sister's favorite novels.
Sense and Sensibility.
A smile crossed her face as she slipped the book into her shoulder bag, where she had already stashed the toothpaste Daryl had given her.
"Found anything?"
"Jesus!" she gasped, pressing a hand over her racing heart. Turning around, she saw Carl grinning at her. "Stop sneaking up on me!"
He chuckled and opened the backseat door, sliding in. "Nicki, check it out—red licorice!"
She turned her head in surprise. "What, really?"
"Never seen you so excited before," he teased, holding the candies up for her to see. Nicki leaned her shoulder against the seat, a grin spreading across her face.
"It's my favorite candy."
"Thought you were more of a sour candy type." She shot him a glare, but her eyes widened when she heard him giggle.
"You little brat," she said, shaking her head before turning back to the glove compartment. Inside, she found a map and some napkins, which she took. There was also a GPS, but she set it aside; it wasn't like they could use it.
"Cool!" Carl exclaimed, holding up a comic book. Nicki glanced over, watching him flip through the pages with wide eyes.
"What's yours?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"My what?"
"Your favorite candy," she clarified, continuing her search for anything useful.
He paused, considering her question. "I like chocolate more. So maybe Reese's." She nodded. Good choice.
"If there are even Candy Bears, Sophia is going to love them," he said, looking around, making her turn. She didn't know that, not that she had ever asked Sophia or Carl anything.
"You know her pretty well," she remarked, glancing at him.
"She's my friend," he replied simply, then looked around again. "I can't find anything else."
Nodding, Nicki followed him as they climbed out of the car. She walked a few paces behind him, observing as Sophia ran up to him, excitedly sharing that she and her mother had found some new shirts.
"This piece could do?" she turned when she saw Sarah and Glenn peering under the hood of a nearby car.
"It could," Sarah replied, wincing as she grasped a screwdriver.
"Hey, let me take that," Glenn said, gently nudging her aside.
"Still hurting?" Shane asked, scanning the area as he walked past them.
"It's only been three days since Jenner stitched me up," Sarah replied, trying to flex her hand.
"It'll get better, don't worry," Shane reassured her, eyeing a truck a few feet away.
"Thanks," Sarah said, nodding at Glenn, who was already focused on the task.
Nicki watched them, intrigued by how easily they seemed to connect amidst the chaos, just like Carl and Sophia.
"Nicki!" Carl called, breaking her thoughts. "Here," he said, handing her the red licorice.
"No. You found it," Nicki said, shaking her head.
"You said you like it," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Find me some Reese's, so we are even," she observed him before taking the plastic bag.
"You've got yourself a deal," she replied, stowing the candies in her bag.
Suddenly, Rick's voice cut through the air. "Lori! Under the cars!" He turned sharply to the kids. "Carl, Nicolette, Sophia—get down now!" His whisper-yell was laced with urgency as he gestured for them to take cover.
Nicki glanced over Rick's shoulder and felt her stomach drop when she spotted a walker shuffling nearby. There wasn't much time.
"Come on!" she urged Carl and Sophia, leading the way as they slid under a pair of cars. Nicki made sure to protect her bow, tucking it carefully alongside her. Carl and Nicki went under the same pickup. On Nicki's side, under another car, there was Sophia, and on Carl's side, under a truck, there was Rick.
Nicki's heart raced as she worried about her sister, but she forced herself to stay calm and quiet.
As the first feet shuffled next to her, she held her breath, inadvertently colliding with Carl, who was doing the same. Growls echoed above them, and more feet shuffled by. The walkers were so close. If one of them had noticed them, it would have been over. They were too many to escape.
Sophia, just a few feet away, hugged her doll tightly, wide-eyed and glancing around nervously.
Nicki turned to Carl, who was taking deep, steady breaths, clearly trying to stay calm. She nodded, a silent reassurance that everything would be okay. He mirrored her gesture, and somehow, that made her feel a bit better.
Time stretched as they lay there, the sound of her own heartbeat drowning out the walkers' grunts. She found herself praying for the danger to pass.
Then, at last, silence. All of them remained still, straining to determine if the walkers had moved on. Nicki glanced to her right, trying to see past the undercarriage of the truck. She turned to Carl, who gestured for her to wait, then shifted his gaze toward his father. Nicki followed his line of sight, spotting Rick cautiously checking the area.
Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the quiet. Nicki's eyes widened as she saw a walker crouched down, reaching for Sophia, who was screaming in terror. The noise drew in another walker. Nicki's heart dropped as she watched Sophia scramble out from under the car, bolting toward the woods, the two walkers in hot pursuit.
"Shit," Nicki thought, adrenaline surging through her as she slid out from under the vehicle. She followed Rick's movements, sprinting toward the side of the road. Rick was desperately trying to catch up to Sophia, but another walker emerged, closing in on him.
With her heart pounding, Nicki took a deep breath, raised her bow, and nocked an arrow. She took aim, steadying her hands against the rising panic. After what felt like an eternity, she released the arrow, watching it fly straight. It struck the walker behind Rick right in the head, causing it to drop lifelessly to the ground. Rick didn't look back as he disappeared into the woods after Sophia.
"You hit it!" Carl exclaimed, breathless beside her. Nicki could only nod, still processing how she had managed to hit a moving target amid the chaos.
"Lori!" Carol's voice cut through the tension as she sprinted toward them. "Those two walkers are after my baby!" If Lori hadn't managed to grab her, Nicki was sure Carol would have charged into the woods.
Silence fell once more, punctuated only by heavy breaths and Carol's sobs.
Nicki turned to Carl, whose gaze remained fixed on the woods. She bit her lip, anxiety tightening in her chest.
"Your dad is going to bring her back," she said firmly, meeting Carl's worried eyes. "He will."