Aug. 25th - Searching
Title: Searching
Author: 3am_moonlight
Crossover: BtVS / The Walking Dead (TV)
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,455
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: Interim between S02 & S03.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and TWD belongs to someone with expensive lawyers.
Summary: Buffy, Tara, Andrea, and Michonne pack up and begin searching for Andrea's group.Author's Note: Written for Day 25 of the 2019 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Follows ' Another Day', ' Slay Count', ' Medical Run', ' Scavenging', ' Recharging', ' Back To High School', and ' Surprise'.
They decided it was worth the risk to make a small campfire so they could heat the deer Buffy had successfully shot with her new crossbow. None of them had any hunting experience before the world shambled itself into an apocalypse, but they were learning by trial and error. Buffy could hunt and track thanks to her years as a Slayer, but cooking was something that mostly eluded her. Skills or not, they needed fresh food and not just something from a tin can. Which meant Tara took care of the cooking part of the food preparation.
Michonne kept looking at Buffy and Tara with suspicion, and then she would survey the area in the vicinity for any danger. It wasn't really surprising, no one was friendly towards strangers anymore. Nor did they share whatever they found unless they were forced to, and yet, here were two women who were doing just that. Buffy could almost see the woman waiting for the other shoe to drop, most likely in the form of other people whom she expected to jump out from someone and attack.
"Relax, this isn't a trap. I invited you here because I had already met Andrea and her group. Tara and I already returned one little girl to that group, I'm sure with a little effort we can find them again." Sophia had been much friendlier though, and much less hostile. Andrea had given a strong indication back at the Greene Farm that she was of the confrontational type, and while Michonne hadn't said much so far, she was clearly not going to trust easily.
"Why didn't you join them when you had the chance?"
Tara replied before Buffy managed to do more than part her lips. "We found Sophia in the woods being chased by biters and Buffy rescued her. Sophia is a child and we couldn't leave her to find her own way back. She had no water, no food, and nothing to defend herself with. Eventually, we found where the group had been staying and the day after one of the men, Daryl, came there to look for her. They had moved to the Greene Farm after another child in the group was accidentally shot by one of their farmhands."
Michonne nodded when Tara got to the part about Carl but seemed unfamiliar with what had happened to the little girl. Sophia's disappearance wasn't relevant to why they had been staying on the farm or how Andrea got separated from the others, so it was understandable.
"Daryl made it clear their group weren't welcome at the Farm and were only allowed to stay because of the injured child. We asked if we could come back with them to see for ourselves that Sophia was reunited with her mother. We were permitted to stay the night, but left the next morning as we had promised."
"They stayed. Why didn't you?" The woman was persistent, Buffy would give her that.
"It wasn't safe," Buffy stated simply, before elaborating. "They had fresh food, water, and a very comfortable life there on the farm. But only a miracle allowed them the illusion of safety for so long. When we arrived there they told us that the biters were 'sick' and tried to stop us from permanently killing them."
She hoped if any of the Greene family survived they had learned differently by now, and that they were actively helping to kill the undead instead of attempting to save the unsavable. If Mr. Greene was still alive then he was without a doubt one of the most valuable members of the group, and all the reason they needed to join them if given a second chance.
From the look on Michonne's face, she had already heard about that part, probably more times than she wanted. However, she nodded her acceptance and went back to eating the deer.
"If you don't want to stay with us that's okay, but I meant it when I said we'll help Andrea find her group if she wants." It was the whole saving people shindig, it was still a thing and apparently, Sophia's group had a bad habit of losing their female members. Of course, if they really had a doctor, even if it was actually a vet, then it would be priceless. After all, it didn't matter how much medicine and medical equipment you had if you didn't know how to use it properly.
Andrea gave her a grateful smile. "I'll take the help. There are so few people left that keeping the ones we do have is so important."
The murmured conversation went on for some time, with everyone asking questions and trying to get a picture of who and what they were dealing with. Andrea also gave some general details about her group.
***
They left the hunting goods store five days later in the military vehicle. Each of the women was given one of the spare backpacks and then they were told what they contained, but not that they were magically expanded. A little spell on the actual packs would make sure they didn't question it.
All four of them also wore an expanded belt bag (fanny pack) with a small bottle of water, a mini first aid kit, power bars, maps, water purification tablets, a compass, and a couple of knives. They were more in case they had to dump the backpacks so they wouldn't be left without anything to fend for themselves. They also wore a mini compass on their wrist, with the actual bracelet being made out of a bungee cord.
Each of them also chose a new belt since the store carried ones that had a hidden knife in the buckle. It was a kind of a novelty as none of them had seen it before. The knife was invisible as it simply looked like part of the buckles unless you knew what it was beforehand. If they were captured and their things were stolen, they would still have a single weapon to defend themselves with.
The last things they did before they abandoned the store was to close the door and check that their fire pit was out and covered. Michonne took out her Katana and chopped half of the head of her two biter mules.
Both Michonne and Andrea also chose a few things for themselves before they all got into the car and just picked a direction. It was anyone's guess where the others might have gone, or if they had even had a plan. They hadn't discussed what they would do in case they were overrun again, which was stupid since according to Andrea it had already happened several times.
Three days later they passed through a small village which included a grocery store. It was mostly empty, but they managed to find two tin cans and a variety of seeds. Tara pocketed the latter while no one was watching. Sooner or later they would have to settle somewhere for the winter months and if they could find somewhere to plant the seeds it would help with the food shortage in the spring.
Afterward, they went from house to house, taking food and sealed water bottles if they found any. They also collected warm clothes, blankets, and duvets for when it would get cold. There wasn't much and they didn't stay long enough to search through every nook and cranny. Everything was stored in the back of the military vehicle.
They repeated the process in every small town they came across. If they saw a farm that looked abandoned they drove closer to check for fresh produce or farm animals they slaughtered and ate. Sometimes they found it and they carefully stocked anything that didn't need to be frozen and they had a small feast with what couldn't.
Most of the farm animals had either starved to death or been partially eaten by something or other, but on a few occasions, they found a pig or a chicken. At one point they even found a lonely cow. Still, getting on farms were getting dangerous as the animals made too much noise and attracted the undead.
Over the course of three weeks, they managed to find and catch two live chickens. They were caged and put in the back, while one of the backpacks was moved to the backseat between Andrea and Michonne. As they lay at most, one egg per day the four of them ate the eggs in turn.
There was still no signs of Sophia's group. According to Andrea, they would need at least three cars just for her group and probably another one for the Greene's. Which meant they would be visible from a distance.
Author: 3am_moonlight
Crossover: BtVS / The Walking Dead (TV)
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,455
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: Interim between S02 & S03.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and TWD belongs to someone with expensive lawyers.
Summary: Buffy, Tara, Andrea, and Michonne pack up and begin searching for Andrea's group.Author's Note: Written for Day 25 of the 2019 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Follows ' Another Day', ' Slay Count', ' Medical Run', ' Scavenging', ' Recharging', ' Back To High School', and ' Surprise'.
They decided it was worth the risk to make a small campfire so they could heat the deer Buffy had successfully shot with her new crossbow. None of them had any hunting experience before the world shambled itself into an apocalypse, but they were learning by trial and error. Buffy could hunt and track thanks to her years as a Slayer, but cooking was something that mostly eluded her. Skills or not, they needed fresh food and not just something from a tin can. Which meant Tara took care of the cooking part of the food preparation.
Michonne kept looking at Buffy and Tara with suspicion, and then she would survey the area in the vicinity for any danger. It wasn't really surprising, no one was friendly towards strangers anymore. Nor did they share whatever they found unless they were forced to, and yet, here were two women who were doing just that. Buffy could almost see the woman waiting for the other shoe to drop, most likely in the form of other people whom she expected to jump out from someone and attack.
"Relax, this isn't a trap. I invited you here because I had already met Andrea and her group. Tara and I already returned one little girl to that group, I'm sure with a little effort we can find them again." Sophia had been much friendlier though, and much less hostile. Andrea had given a strong indication back at the Greene Farm that she was of the confrontational type, and while Michonne hadn't said much so far, she was clearly not going to trust easily.
"Why didn't you join them when you had the chance?"
Tara replied before Buffy managed to do more than part her lips. "We found Sophia in the woods being chased by biters and Buffy rescued her. Sophia is a child and we couldn't leave her to find her own way back. She had no water, no food, and nothing to defend herself with. Eventually, we found where the group had been staying and the day after one of the men, Daryl, came there to look for her. They had moved to the Greene Farm after another child in the group was accidentally shot by one of their farmhands."
Michonne nodded when Tara got to the part about Carl but seemed unfamiliar with what had happened to the little girl. Sophia's disappearance wasn't relevant to why they had been staying on the farm or how Andrea got separated from the others, so it was understandable.
"Daryl made it clear their group weren't welcome at the Farm and were only allowed to stay because of the injured child. We asked if we could come back with them to see for ourselves that Sophia was reunited with her mother. We were permitted to stay the night, but left the next morning as we had promised."
"They stayed. Why didn't you?" The woman was persistent, Buffy would give her that.
"It wasn't safe," Buffy stated simply, before elaborating. "They had fresh food, water, and a very comfortable life there on the farm. But only a miracle allowed them the illusion of safety for so long. When we arrived there they told us that the biters were 'sick' and tried to stop us from permanently killing them."
She hoped if any of the Greene family survived they had learned differently by now, and that they were actively helping to kill the undead instead of attempting to save the unsavable. If Mr. Greene was still alive then he was without a doubt one of the most valuable members of the group, and all the reason they needed to join them if given a second chance.
From the look on Michonne's face, she had already heard about that part, probably more times than she wanted. However, she nodded her acceptance and went back to eating the deer.
"If you don't want to stay with us that's okay, but I meant it when I said we'll help Andrea find her group if she wants." It was the whole saving people shindig, it was still a thing and apparently, Sophia's group had a bad habit of losing their female members. Of course, if they really had a doctor, even if it was actually a vet, then it would be priceless. After all, it didn't matter how much medicine and medical equipment you had if you didn't know how to use it properly.
Andrea gave her a grateful smile. "I'll take the help. There are so few people left that keeping the ones we do have is so important."
The murmured conversation went on for some time, with everyone asking questions and trying to get a picture of who and what they were dealing with. Andrea also gave some general details about her group.
***
They left the hunting goods store five days later in the military vehicle. Each of the women was given one of the spare backpacks and then they were told what they contained, but not that they were magically expanded. A little spell on the actual packs would make sure they didn't question it.
All four of them also wore an expanded belt bag (fanny pack) with a small bottle of water, a mini first aid kit, power bars, maps, water purification tablets, a compass, and a couple of knives. They were more in case they had to dump the backpacks so they wouldn't be left without anything to fend for themselves. They also wore a mini compass on their wrist, with the actual bracelet being made out of a bungee cord.
Each of them also chose a new belt since the store carried ones that had a hidden knife in the buckle. It was a kind of a novelty as none of them had seen it before. The knife was invisible as it simply looked like part of the buckles unless you knew what it was beforehand. If they were captured and their things were stolen, they would still have a single weapon to defend themselves with.
The last things they did before they abandoned the store was to close the door and check that their fire pit was out and covered. Michonne took out her Katana and chopped half of the head of her two biter mules.
Both Michonne and Andrea also chose a few things for themselves before they all got into the car and just picked a direction. It was anyone's guess where the others might have gone, or if they had even had a plan. They hadn't discussed what they would do in case they were overrun again, which was stupid since according to Andrea it had already happened several times.
Three days later they passed through a small village which included a grocery store. It was mostly empty, but they managed to find two tin cans and a variety of seeds. Tara pocketed the latter while no one was watching. Sooner or later they would have to settle somewhere for the winter months and if they could find somewhere to plant the seeds it would help with the food shortage in the spring.
Afterward, they went from house to house, taking food and sealed water bottles if they found any. They also collected warm clothes, blankets, and duvets for when it would get cold. There wasn't much and they didn't stay long enough to search through every nook and cranny. Everything was stored in the back of the military vehicle.
They repeated the process in every small town they came across. If they saw a farm that looked abandoned they drove closer to check for fresh produce or farm animals they slaughtered and ate. Sometimes they found it and they carefully stocked anything that didn't need to be frozen and they had a small feast with what couldn't.
Most of the farm animals had either starved to death or been partially eaten by something or other, but on a few occasions, they found a pig or a chicken. At one point they even found a lonely cow. Still, getting on farms were getting dangerous as the animals made too much noise and attracted the undead.
Over the course of three weeks, they managed to find and catch two live chickens. They were caged and put in the back, while one of the backpacks was moved to the backseat between Andrea and Michonne. As they lay at most, one egg per day the four of them ate the eggs in turn.
There was still no signs of Sophia's group. According to Andrea, they would need at least three cars just for her group and probably another one for the Greene's. Which meant they would be visible from a distance.