A/N[Eight-fucking-thousand]
The caravan began to move slowly, a trail of metal and tired engines pushing forward into a waking world.
Dale sat behind the wheel of the RV, driving carefully. Jim rested in the back, pale and silent, with Jacqui keeping close, watching him with quiet concern. Glenn sat up front beside Dale, a map on his lap, watching the road ahead.
Rick led the group in a dusty sedan, Lori riding beside him, Carl curled up in the backseat with Sophia, her small head pressed against his chest. Carol sat beside them, trying not to cry as she watched the trees pass by.
Behind them came Shane's truck. Andrea and Amy sat in the back seat, their shoulders touching. Amy still looked pale, but her eyes were open now and alert.
Daryl followed in an old pickup, his crossbow in the seat beside him and his motorcycle strapped down in the bed of the truck. He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, one eye always watching the trail behind them.
***
The caravan rolled to a stop just outside the Atlanta city line, the road narrowing as modern ruins loomed ahead. Morning light filtered through the shattered windows of office buildings, casting fractured reflections on car windshields long since abandoned.
Trash blew through the empty streets like leaves, wrapped and cans and tattered clothing swirling at the whim of the breeze. Cars sat frozen at odd angles across intersections as if their drivers had just stopped.
Rick stood just outside his vehicle, squinting at the familiar skyline. It felt like standing at the edge of a cemetery.
"We're not taking the whole group in," he said flatly, glancing over his shoulder at the others. "Too risky."
He glanced over to Shane and Daryl. "We'll go and talk to them. The rest of you stay put."
Everyone nodded silently, tense and worn thin.
Rick turned to Glenn and spoke in a low voice. "If anything happens, and we're not back in an hour, take them to the C.D.C. No waiting."
Glenn frowned slightly, "Rick…"
"I need your word."
Glenn hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. "Okay."
Rick gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and turned toward the city. Daryl loaded his shotgun, the crossbow on his back. Shane chambered a round into his shotgun.
They moved quickly, staying low, weaving through alleyways and side streets to avoid drawing attention. The hum of distant groans floated on the wind but never came close.
Eventually, they reached it: the warehouse in front of the nursing home.
The sight stopped them cold.
A swarm of walkers clung to the chain-link fence, clawing through the gaps with bloodied hands, and some had even gotten inside.
Shane grimaced. "Tell me that isn't the place."
Rick didn't answer. His expression said enough.
"Jesus, man…" Shane muttered.
"What the hell happened?" Daryl whispered, narrowing his eyes. "That's not just a few walkers. That's a damn army"
Rick scanned the perimeter, eyes tracking the fence, the rooftops, the broken doors.
"I don't know. Maybe someone made noise. Drew them in."
Shane shook his head. "Who? The old folks? Or the guys you said were guarding them?"
Rick didn't respond. Why would they make noise, and that loud? Three of them wondered.
"They're dead. We can't help them. And the looks of it, they can't help us either." Shane took a step back. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Rick grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"What?"
"There are weapons inside. Medicine. We need them."
"Are you serious right now?" Shane hissed. "You want to play hero while we're surrounded by geeks?"
"We won't go through the front. We loop around. The nursing home's at the back, maybe that building's still secure."
"Maybe," Daryl cut in, his tone skeptical. "And what if it ain't? What if one of those old farts is still breathing? You gonna bring 'em on your back? Slow us down?" Daryl scoffed, "I know you don't have the guts to leave liabilities behind."
Rick didn't answer.
"We need the guns," he said quietly. "That's our edge. If we lose that…"
He didn't finish because all three of them knew, if they were to ride a hundred miles, they'd need a hell lot more of it.
They circled wide, moving along a back alley. Graffiti-covered dumpsters and broken pallets littered the way, but there were no walkers in sight. Eventually, they reached the loading dock stairs, climbing up the second-story side entrance. Rick tried the door, and it creaked open without a struggle.
Inside, the air was still and acrid.
The hallways beyond the door looked like a battlefield.
Blood coated the walls like something sprayed from a fire hose. Bullet holes riddle plaster and brick. Spent casings littered the floor, crunching under their boots as they crept forward.
They passed a shattered wheelchair overturned in the hallway. A walker lay against the wall with a crushed skull, dried blood across its face like paint.
They moved from room to room.
Bodies everywhere. Elderly residents slumped in wheelchairs. Vatos lay facedown in pools of blood, Rick had shared the guns with, now lying still with gunshot wounds to their heads. Some had multiple shots, fired from close range.
It wasn't a walker attack.
Daryl crouched near a body slumped against a wall, looking closely at the wound. "Back of the skull," he muttered. "Execution–style."
Shane stood by a broken vending machine, lips pressed tight. "They never had a chance."
"You think they killed their own? They were overrun. Save them from the pain?" Rick asked, but he wasn't convinced himself.
"No." Daryl stood. "This wasn't Walker's. They showed up after. This… this was people. They knew what they were doing."
Three of them stood silently in the hallway, surrounded by the dead.
Shane rubbed his jaw. "Jesus…"
"They took whatever they could, guns, food, medicine," Daryl said.
Shane looked down the corridor toward the nursing home's main lobby, where the last firefight had clearly ended. "We're leaving," he said. "If the people who did this are still in Atlanta… we're dead. They've got more weapons, more people."
Rick didn't argue.
Rick moved as Shane led them out, his eyes going to an old woman, Felipe's grandmother. Rick cursed under his breath. Daryl noticed it but said nothing.
They exited the way they came, slipping down the alley and back to the edge of the city without incident—but the tension hung thick between them.
***
Jim lay sprawled on the cot, the fever still rising behind his pale skin. His shirt clung to him, damp with heat. Jacqui lay beside him, one arm draped gently across his chest, her cheek resting on his shoulder. She could feel his heart. Too fast, too erratic.
He exhaled shakily.
"Why'd you kiss me?" he asked suddenly, his voice hoarse and fragile, cracking like dry wood.
Jacqui didn't answer right away. Her fingers traced a slow line over his ribs, and for a moment, it felt like they weren't in the middle of the end of the world.
"Because I like you," she said finally, softly.
Jim turned his head toward her, though his eyes didn't open. "Why?"
His tone wasn't suspicious—it was puzzled. Curious in the saddest kind of way.
"I'm too weak," he muttered, "Why would you like me?"
Jacqui pressed her forehead against his temple, sighing gently.
"I once heard my mother say…" she murmured, "that weak people, when they stay together, can shake the world."
She let the word hang for a moment, then chuckled quietly. "That sounded better in my head."
Jim didn't respond, but his hand shifted slowly, finger brushing hers.
Jacqui hesitated, then continued, voice even quieter now. "And the other reason…"
She paused.
"There's nothing else left," she said. "I want to live the few moments I have to the fullest,"
She smiled faintly, then leaned in closer, her lips grazing his ear. "So get better soon," she whispered, a touch of mischief in her voice. "Because when you do… I'd gonna ride you like crazy."
That earned a faint chuckle from Jim, but it was short-lived. His breath caught halfway, and his smile faltered.
"I… I'm sorr—" he tried to say, but the world slurred.
And then… he went still.
Jacqui sighed, snuggling up to him. "The reason," she muttered, but he couldn't hear her, "That day at the camp, you cried like I wanted to. Like I still want to, every damn day. That's when I knew it." she paused.
"So the next time you break, you won't be alone…" she pressed her lips against his cheek,
"Neither will I."
Outside
Dale paced from left and right, Glenn was admiring the bike Daryl was carrying on his truck, Lori stood next to Carol with Sophia and Carl.
Andrea was gulping down the last drop of water, and Amy ate the last chip left after the group got their share.
And then.. they returned in a hurry, dust kicking up behind them.
"Get in!" Rick shouted, voice sharp and urgent.
They didn't hesitate. Amy and Andrea climbed into the back of Shane's truck while Carol pulled the kids close and helped them into the sedan. Dale quickly started the RV, with Jim and Jacqui in the back.
Everyone saw the look on Rick's face, tight jaw, hollow eyes. No one asked more than once.
"I'll tell you on the road."
Engines roared to life. The caravan lurched forward, pulling from the city's edge and merging onto the crumbling pavement of Interstate 85. Trees lined both sides, green and quiet. The more they drove, the more the skyline disappeared in the rearview mirrors, swallowed by distance and memory.
The CB cracked.
Glenn's voice broke the silence. "What happened?"
A pause. Long and heavy.
"They're dead," Rick said finally, voice low and grave.
The static buzzed for a moment.
"What?" Glenn asked, voice creaking. "What do you mean? How?"
Another pause.
"They were raided," came Daryl's voice over the CB. Cold and blunt, uncaring for the most part. "Some group hit the place, maybe yesterday, or the night we had left. Killed everyone, even the old folks."
Silence fell.
Not even the static buzzed now. Just the faint hum of tires against asphalt, engines humming beneath trembling hands and sunburnt steering wheels.
In the RV, Jacqui covered her mouth, shaking her disbelief. A few inches away from her was Jim, sweating intensely. Glenn stared out the passenger window, jaw clenched, and Dale watched the road with horror in his eyes.
In the back of Shane's truck, Andrea placed a trembling hand on Amy, but she didn't react, just kept her eyes forward, her breath uneven.
Rick looked in the rearview mirror. Carl and Sophia sat still, small faces pale and uncertain, too young to understand fully but young enough to ignore the fear hanging in the air.
No one asked anything more.
As if naming the dead would summon more death.
They drove on through the early afternoon. The sky stretched above them wide and blue, the kind of day that would've been perfect—before. Now it just mocked them.
Eventually, Dale's voice broke the quiet over the CB. Even he sounded shaken.
"Any sign of who did it?"
"Animals," Rick replied, his jaw tight.
.
.
.
The caravan had come to a stop in a place that looked like the world had taken its last breath. A six-lane highway frozen in time—cars crumpled, doors ajar, belongings scattered, blood smeared across cracked windshields. Everything screamed of fight, panic, and death.
"Oh jeez, aw no. See a way through?" Dale muttered, slowing the RV behind Rick's sedan. He leaned toward Glenn, who was fumbling with a foldout map.
Glenn squinted at the lines. "Uh, maybe we should turn around. There's an interstate bypass—"
Dale cut him off. "We can't spare the fuel." His voice was already drained of hope.
They inched forward, the RV crawling into the graveyard of metal and shattered glass. Shane's voice came inform the CB radio. "Can we get through?"
Before anyone could answer, a loud hiss shot from under the RV, followed by a puff of white steam and a grinding cough from the engine. Dale thumped the steering wheel.
"I said it. Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water," he grumbled, climbing down from the driver's seat.
Shane came up beside the RV. "Problem, Dale?"
"Oh, just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of—" He stopped himself, "Okay. That was dumb."
"We can't find a radiator hose out here?" Shane said, looking around.
"There's plenty we can find," Daryl said, stepping out of his truck with a crowbar in hand.
"Maybe water?" Carols said, getting out of Rick's car.
"Or food," Glenn jumped out of the RV.
"We should start checking cars," Rick added, trying to sound focused. "Siphon fuel too."
Lori stepped up beside him, eyes scanning the surroundings' stillness. "This is a graveyard, Rick." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know how I feel about this…"
Rick took her hand gently, squeezing it.
The group split up, carefully moving among the cars. Flies buzzed around the dried corpse, and the air reeked of rot and gasoline.
Carol and Carl, holding Sophia's hand on both sides, passed a sedan where a dead woman lay slumped over the steering wheel, her seat belt on. Her skin was bloated, greenish. A family photo clung to the dashboard.
Carol averted the kids' eyes. "Don't look. Keep walking."
Meanwhile, Dale knelt by the RV's open hood while Glenn fetched tools from the back. "Which one?" Glenn asked, staring at the clamps.
"Where's Jim?" Dale asked. Jim could fix this in a minute.
"He's out; he got a high fever."
Dale nodded, a little concerned.
"Bring the flathead. Radiator hose clamp is always a flathead." Glenn nodded and brought it to him.
Dale scooted over to let him in, "Here—you do it. Learn something." He said, and climbed up the RV.
Next to the RV, Amy and Andrea still sat in Shane's truck. Andrea turned to Amy. "Want something to eat?"
Amy shook her head.
"Water?"
Amy hesitated, then gave a tiny nod. Andrea smiled faintly, kissed her sister's temple, and climbed out of the truck
Shane cracked open the shutter door on a box truck and found rows of sealed water containers. "Glenn!" he called. "Were we short on water?"
He unscrewed the lid and let the cold stream run down his head, laughing under his breath.
Glenn felt energized as a smile made its way onto his face, his feet began to go back and forth, laughing, "Save me some!"
Andrea jogged over, empty water bottle in hand, "Me, too!" she said, grinning briefly.
Then—
Rick's voice dropped into a tight whisper, sharp and urgent. "Lori. Under the cars. Now. Everyone down!"
"What?"
Glenn turned just in time to see the distant movement—dark shapes shambling toward them. Dozens. Maybe even more
A herd
Panic flared.
Daryl, who was at the front of everyone, quickly lay down on the ground, turning a dead walker on top of his chest.
Shane ducked beneath the water truck. Andrea crouched, moving back to Amy, and pounded on the window. "Amy, down! Don't move."
Amy stared in shock, sliding to the floor of the truck and curling up.
Andrea was too late to get inside. She pivoted and dashed toward the trees, disappearing into the underbush.
Breath shallow and hands shaking.
Lori brought Carl and Carol under another truck, Carol's grip loosened on Sophia's hand, separating them.
Sophia hid under another truck, as Lori stopped Carol from calling for her, putting her hand over her mouth. "Don't, don't, she's alright."
Sophia whimpered, her small body trembling. The moans of the herd grew louder. Feet scraped the pavement, and shadows passed just inches away.
In the RV, Jacqui stirred at the sudden silence outside. "Dale?" she murmured.
Dale crouched low at the roof hatch. "Walkers," he whispered back. "Stay down. Lock the door."
Jacqui nodded her hand, shaking, hurrying to the RV's door—but just as she reached it, a blur lunged from the cot behind her.
Meanwhile. Rick looked toward Sophia's horrified gaze; he knew she was about to scream. Rick shook his head, telling her not to do it.
A quick cry escaped her lips as she quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Two walkers bent down, their rotten, melting faces came into Sophia's view as she screamed, crawling away from the two walkers.
Rick got out quickly, running toward Sophia, he picked her up in one swift motion as she cried, the walkers began to chase after them, "Shoot them—"
Rick put a hand over her mouth, "No!" he hissed. "If I fire, they'll all come after us. We won't stand a chance."
We rushed toward the trees, ducking between trees, feet pounding dirt, lungs burning. Sophia clung to him, sobbing. Rick rounded a tree, dropped to his knees behind a thick bush.
"You stay here. Don't move unless I say. If I don't come back—"
"No! Don't leave me!" she cried, grabbing his arm.
Rick placed a hand on her shoulder. "They don't get tired, I do. I can only take them one at a time. This is how both of us survive. Trust me. If I don't come back, head straight to the road. Keep the sun on your left shoulder."
Sophia whimpered but nodded,
Rick rose, drew his knife, and stepped out of the bush, "Come on you ugly sons of a bitches!" Rick mocked the two walkers, leading them away from Sophia.
Back on the highway, chaos unraveled.
Jacqui's scream cut through the air as her body hit the asphalt outside the RV. She rolled over, gasping, hand going instinctively to her shoulder where Jim's teeth had sunk into flesh. Blood pulsed between her fingers. From the roof hatch, Dale's eyes went wide.
"No!" he bellowed, the sound guttural.
Inside the RV, Jim stood hunched, his skin pale gray, eyes glassy and vacant, yet still somehow filled with hunger. Foam and blood dripped from his lips, teeth crimson.
"Jim..." Jacqui muttered, her eyes locked onto him, her hand clamped her wound, stopping the bleeding, her gaze shifted, Glenn's scared face, he hid under the RV, and then moved to Shane and Lori.
"Jacqui!" Dale whispered from the roof, signaling her to get up and get out of there.
She looked up at him, eyes wide, and mouthed something. He couldn't hear. Maybe she didn't say anything at all, at least not to him.
Jim stumbled out of the RV, fully turned now. His limbs moved with an animal lurch, jaw snapping, blood still fresh on his lips. But Jacqui didn't scream again.
Instead, she stood.
Her knees shook as her shadow fell on Amy inside the truck behind her.
She took a step back, bumping into the truck. Amy flinched at the sound, her hands on her ears, her eyes clenched shut.
Jacqui turned to the sunset, watching as more walkers approached. She turned to the approaching corpse of Jim.
"Jim, stay with me, will you?" her voice cracked, tears running down her cheek.
He lunged at her, but she moved out of the way, barely escaping his grasp.
Jim's eyes, that hadn't gone blind yet, locked on Amy, his teeth clattering on the window, as Amy went into yet another seizure, the same dark place, the same groans coming from outside, her body froze again, as she began to murmur, her words loud enough to be heard from outside.
"Help! Help me! Annie!"
Andrea, hidden behind a thick oak at the tree line, peeked out and saw the walkers swarming the truck. Her hand rose to her mouth, trembling. "No..."
More walkers surrounded the truck, their heads banging on the door, saliva straining the windows.
Then—
"Jim!" Came the scream of Jacqui, attracting the horde. "Jacqui…" Lori whispered under her breath as Shane punched the asphalt, biting his lip.
Jacqui staggered backward, each footfall pulling the horde farther away from Amy, as she continued to mutter Jim's name, who was following at the front of the horde.
Her voice rose with each step, like a siren in the middle of the ocean. They followed her, hypnotized by her voice and the scent of blood that promised them flesh. Her eyes never left Jim's face. And as the sun dipped low behind the shadows of the shuffling dead, her sweat and tears shimmered gold.
Her figure grew smaller, framed by indigo sky, following the night. She led the horde toward the dark, while the rest of the group stayed hidden, breathless, clinging to silence as she walked into the dark maw of the coming night.
.
.
.
Rick stumbled up the embankment, his chest heaving, shirt clinging to him with a mixture of sweat and blood. The light was almost gone, the sun having dipped below the tree line, casting long shadows over the ruined highway.
Everyone was on their feet now. The stillness had been shattered by Sophia's absence. Andrea sat inside Shane's truck, holding Amy, who stared blankly ahead, lips parted, her head rocking back and forth, her hands shaking. Carol and Lori stood by the highway guardrail with Carl between them.
Shane paced near the rear of the vehicles, jaw clenched, arms crossed. Dale was in the RV, trying to wipe Jacqui's blood from the floor, Glenn helping him silently. Daryl stood focused and still, unhooking his motorcycle from the truck bed, every motion purposeful.
Rick's footsteps woke Lori. As she looked, seeing him climb up to the highway, she extended her hand, helping him up.
Carol's eyes snapped to him, hope flickered, but quickly died.
"Sophia?" Rick asked, chest still rising and falling.
The words hit Carol like a physical blow.
"No… No, no, no!" she cried, her knee buckling as she dropped to the ground. Lori rushed to hold her, and Carol clutched her, sobbing into her shoulder.
The others looked toward Rick in alarm.
Daryl's head tilted slightly toward the sunset. He cursed under his breath and said, "We've got maybe ten minutes before we're stumbling blind. Let's go. There ain't much time left."
Glenn, still in the RV, darted to the cabinet and ran to the group with a flashlight. "Here," he said quickly, extending it.
Daryl took it with a nod and broke into a jog toward the trees, following close behind Rick. Shane and Glenn fell in line behind Daryl without a word.
***
They arrived at the place in the middle of the forest. It was already dim beneath the canopy, filtered light running everything gray and indistinct. The flashlight cut narrow tunnels of vision through the dark.
"This is the place?" Daryl asked, eyeing the ground, the bush where branches were bent, and the soil was damp.
"I left her right here," Rick said, voice low. He pointed. "I drew the walkers off that way along the creek bed.
"She was gone by the time I got back. I figured she'd gone back." Rick exhaled, "I told her to head back to the highway, keep the sun on her left shoulder."
Daryl crouched low and swept the beam of light in a low arc. Glenn started toward a muddy patch.
"Hey, short round," Daryl said. "Pick a side, you're mucking up the trail."
Glenn recoiled, stepping to the side. "Sorry."
Shane stood near Rick, arms folded. "Assuming she knows her left from her right."
"She understood me."
Shane exhaled, his hand going through his hair, "Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck. "
Daryl's voice cut through the tension. "Got clear prints, she did what you said, and headed back…" He squinted. "Trail's messy. She might have looped herself. Maybe the sun dropped before they figured out the direction."
Suddenly, the flashlight flickered.
"Shit," Daryl muttered, tapping it.
"We got more batteries?" he turned to Glenn.
Glenn shook his head, "None. That's the last one."
Daryl exhaled sharply. "Then we need to head back. Ain't no way we're finding her in the dark, not without stepping on a geek ourselves."
Rick's jaw tightened. "Carol's gonna lose it."
"She already did," Shane said. "But we can't put everyone at risk. We've already lost Jacqui and Jim." His voice lowered but carried weight.
"What?" Rick asked, unaware of what had taken place on the highway.
"Jim was bitten at the camp, most likely, otherwise he wouldn't have turned all of a sudden. The fever. We should've paid attention." Shane muttered
***
They returned up the incline, grim and slow, the moon shone in the sky, offering little light. The group saw them approaching and gathered instantly.
Carol broke away from Lori and ran toward them, her face wet with tears.
"Where is she?" she cried, voice shaking.
Rick stepped forward, swallowing hard. "She's alive. But…"
"We don't know where she is," Shane cut in, voice firm. "And we can't look for her in the dark."
"You can't just leave my little girl out there alone!" Carol screamed, pushing past Rick.
Andrea and Lori moved to her, pulling her back gently as she collapsed against them, sobbing.
"Out in the dark's no good," Daryl said, removing his crossbow and wiping sweat from his brow. "We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost."
"She's twelve," Carol shocked. "She's just a child. She doesn't know how to survive alone out there."
Rick stepped closer, his voice soft but direct. "I know this is hard, but I'm asking you to trust me."
Daryl leaned back on the truck, "We found her trail. Just hers. No Walker tracks nearby."
"Daryl knows the woods better than any of us," Rick said, "He'll lead the search."
The crowd was quiet, only the rustling leaves and Carol's sobs filling the air.
Then Carol's face twisted into something more painful, accusatory.
"How could you leave her to begin with?" she asked, trembling, "How could you just… leave her out there like that?"
Rick looked away for a moment, then back at her. "There were two walkers on our trails. I had to draw them off. That was her best chance."
Shane placed a hand on Rick's shoulder. "He did what he had to."
A long silence followed, letting the group breathe.
Then Glenn stepped forward, hesitant. "We… we could turn the cars toward the trees. Use the headlights. If she sees them…"
"Geeks aren't drawn to light," he added. "Only movement… flickering. And even then, not always."
Everyone blinked, and a small grin formed on Dale's face. "That's not a bad idea," Daryl said from the side.
"Let's do it," Rick said.
Dale, Shane, Rick, Glenn, and Daryl moved fast, and the sound of rusted metal scraping and moving filled the silence. They moved long-abandoned cars out of the way.
They cleared enough space for Daryl's truck to back up and turn, aligning the headlights toward the tree line, beams flooding into the edge of the forest.
Daryl kept the engine idling low. No one said much.
Carol sat alone outside, a blanket over her shoulder, ignoring Dale's gentle pleading to get inside. She didn't flinch at the cold or the wind. Her eyes stayed locked on the trees, as if willing her daughter to emerge from the shadows.
From the roof, Dale kept watch with binoculars. Everyone else had turned in. No one slept.
Inside Shane's truck, it was warmer than the outside, but just barely. In the back, Amy curled against the door, arms around her knees. Andrea sat beside her, a blanket draped over their shoulders. The silence between them had stretched long, as if they were both afraid to break it.
Amy's voice came suddenly, barely above a whisper.
"S-She died because of me." Her voice was low and cracking.
Andrea turned slowly, not quite ready to share the weighing on her sister, but knowing it was for the better.
"Amy..."
"If-If I hadn't screamed... If I just kept my mouth shut... Jacqui wouldn't have had to—"
She stopped herself, the words choking in her throat. Her small hands trembled, gripping the blanket tighter.
Andrea turned her body toward her fully, resting her arm across the headrest. Her voice was calm.
"You're not the reason she's gone." Andrea reached across and gently took her sister's hand.
"She saw a chance to save someone, to draw them away, and she took it. If it weren't for you, it would've only delayed the inevitable, or cost more than one life."
Amy looked down. Her hands were trembling again.
"You're still alive. That's all that matters to me. That's all Jacqui cared about, too; she saved all of us."
Amy closed her eyes, her voice breaking.
"It's just like the camp all over again... If I hadn't panicked—If I had just let them in sooner—they'd still be alive—"
Andrea wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer.
"You don't need to decide who lives and who doesn't. And you sure as hell can't carry all that burden on your back."
Amy didn't respond. Her face pressed into Andrea's shoulder. The blanket shifted as she cried quietly.
Outside, in Daryl's truck parked a few feet away, Shane and Daryl took turns keeping watch on the treeline,
Next Day:
Rick stood, leaning against a broken car, its red paint dulled over time. He held the walkie in his hand; the sun hadn't yet let its rays hit the canopy, and the air was still cold.
"I guess I'm losing hope that you can hear me. But there's always that chance, isn't there? That slim chance. It's all about slip chances now." Rick exhaled.
"I try to do everything right, keep people safe," he ran his fingers through his hair, "I tried, Morgan. I tried. Our group is smaller now, we lost two the day before. I couldn't save them, I should've paid attention."
"We... We couldn't go to the CDC. There are others, they aren't human, nor dead: They are animals. I needed the group to stay alive, I couldn't risk it." He breathed.
"We're going to Fort Benning. I just need to fix a little hiccup. I'll meet you there."
Rick looked ahead as Dale woke up, banging against the RV to wake Glenn, "Son, let's saddle up."
"It's the only chance we got," Rick said before releasing the red button
****
Greene's Farm
The air was crisp with early morning chill. A thin layer of fog clung to the fields as the sun peeked over the tree line. Roosters crowed. Horses shuffled inside the stable. It felt like peace, but only on the surface.
Maggie tightened the straps on her saddle as Shawn adjusted the reins on his horse with one good hand. His left sleeve hung empty and neatly pinned at the cuff.
Hershel stood a few paces away, arms crossed.
"You sure you wanna do this, son?" Hershel asked, his tone gentle but edged with worry.
Shawn didn't meet his eyes. "We can't just rely on him forever. It's just a deer. Nothing big."
"Don't worry, Dad, I'm going with him," Maggie added as she slung a rifle over her shoulder.
"That's very reassuring," came Beth's dry voice from the porch. She was leaning against the railing, arms crossed, sarcasm plain on her face.
Shawn snorted. Maggie shot Beth a glare and jogged after her. "Get back here, brat," she hissed.
Beth shrieked and took off running around the field. Maggie caught her near the pasture fence, tackling her in a fit of laughter and teasing until Beth squealed and collapsed onto the grass, breathless with giggles.
Hershel watched them with a weary but warm smile.
.
.
"Be careful out there," he said as Maggie and Shawn mounted their horses.
Maggie looked back at the farm one more time before leaving.
They rode out a few miles toward the edge of the forest in silence. The path was familiar to Shawn; he used to come here often with Otis to hunt.
They dismounted where the trees grew thick, tying the reins loosely. The forest stretched wide and damp before them, birds calling from above.
"You sure you can handle that thing with one hand?" Maggie asked as they started walking.
Shawn smirked. "I can't."
Maggie blinked. "Then why did you—"
"I brought it for you," Shawn said casually, nodding to the rifle.
Maggie froze. "Me?"
"Yup."
"No way. We're gonna waste time. And ammo," she folded her arms. "We should head back before—"
Shawn stepped in front of her. "Mags. Look. This is the only place you can practice without Dad losing it. On the farm, he won't even let you touch it without getting all preachy."
Maggie hesitated, "he's just being careful. What if I shoot myself in the foot? And we shouldn't use guns on the farm, it will just attract geeks." She moved past him.
Shawn turned to her and sighed. "You want me to tell Dad you slept with Wesker?"
Maggie's face drained of color. She turned sharply to him, "Y-You're just gonna lie?" She said with a smug face, her cracked voice failing her act.
Shawn lifted an eyebrow. "Beth told me."
Maggie's eyes went wide. "That little shit—!" Shawn laughed.
How did she find out? Maggie wondered.
"Come on, I'll teach you, and you won't have to see Dad with a pissy for the whole month."
Maggie growled and grabbed the rifle from his shoulder roughly.
"Fine. Let's get this over with."
They continued deeper into the woods in silence, as Maggie cursed Beth and her brother inaudibly
"By the way," Shawn said, glancing over his shoulder. "Why didn't you want to learn? Isn't that gonna help you?"
Maggie bit her lip, looking to the side, "Wesker said… he'd teach me."
Shawn stopped and turned, smirking. "How romantic."
Her face flushed. "Shut up."
Shanw laughed hard, the sound echoing faintly through the trees. Maggie flushed deeper and then jabbed his arm with her fist.
"Keep it down," she said. "You'll attract walkers."
"Yeah, yeah," Shawn muttered, still grinning.
The trees closed in around them, the laughter fading into the hush of the forest somewhere.
—Highway
Rick laid out the assortment of melee weapons—crowbars, a hammer, a rusted hatchet, and several knives—on the hood of his car. The group had gathered, sun warming their backs, the weight of decision heavy on all of them.
"Everybody takes a weapon," Rick said, firm but calm.
Andrea crossed her arms. "Those aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about guns?"
Shane spoke before Rick could, stepping forward. "We've been over that. Rick, Daryl, and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles. And I suggest you don't take yours either."
Andrea scowled, "It's not the trees I'm worried about."
Shane's voice sharpened. "Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, and a herd happens to be passing by—then it's game over. Not just for you. For all of us."
She didn't respond, but the look in her eyes said she wanted to argue more. Instead, she turned away, jaw clenched.
Daryl stepped forward, unfolding the map across the truck's hood. His fingers traced the terrain. "The idea's simple. We follow the creek five miles out, then loop around, and come down the other side. Chances are, she might be thirsty, won't go too far from water."
Rick nodded. "Stay quiet, stay sharp. Keep space between each other, but always stay within sight."
Shane looked around. "Everybody, grab your pack and gear. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
Then he turned to Dale. "Keep working on the RV. We need it ready to move the second we get back."
Dale gave a single nod, "We won't stay here a minute longer than we have to. Good luck. Bring Sophia back."
Rick turned to Carl, who stood with a small pack strapped to his back, lips pressed together in determination.
"I'm going with you," Carl said. "I'm gonna bring Sophia back,"
Rick opened his mouth, paused, and looked at Lori, uncertain.
Shane crouched next to Carl, ruffled his hair, until Lori's eyes met his. He quickly backed away, and the half-smile on his face disappeared.
Lori looked back at Rick, her arms crossed. "Your call," she said to him, "I can't always be the bad guy."
Rick sighed, nodding slowly. "Alright. But always within sight. No wandering around."
Carl's eyes lit up with determination and pride, and he adjusted the strap on his back.
As the search group began to move toward the treeline, the atmosphere shifted. Weapons in hand, boots crunching dry grass, they disappeared one by one into the green canopy.
An hour later
—Highway
The noise of the forest hunt faded, replaced by an uneasy stillness. Only the hum of cicadas and distant rustling filled the space.
Amy finally stepped out of Shane's truck, arms crossed. She scanned the nearly empty highway with caution, her hand trembling at her sides, her throat dry, the scene from yesterday still vivid in her mind.
Her eyes finally fell on Dale, reclining in a folding chair, eyes closed, soaking in the sun like it was any lazy afternoon, but he was awake, more than others.
She walked over, voice low. "Aren't you gonna fix the RV?"
Dale cracked one eye open.
Amy continued. "What if they come back with Sophia, and Rick wants to move right away?"
"I fixed it yesterday," Dale said flatly.
Amy blinked, confused. "Then why were you sanding the panel? The same one for like, an hour?"
Dale sat, chuckling that she noticed, he stretched with a groan. "Pantomime."
She frowned. "Pantomime?"
Dale gave her a look. "You act like something's broken long enough, people stop asking if it's ready."
Amy tilted her head, frowning deeper. "Yoy don't think they're gonna find her? Is that it?"
Dale exhaled, the weight behind it heavy, "I'm guarding against the worst. If they don't find Sophia, people will start doing math. I want to hold off the needs-of-the-many-versus-the-needs-of-the-few arguments as long as I can."
Amy's expression softened as understanding dawned. "You're buying her more time."
"I'm buying all of us more time," Dale said gently.
Amy nodded slowly, saying nothing else. She walked inside the RV, her face distant. As she stepped inside to get a drink.
Dale leaned back again in his chair, silently watching the treeline.
3 hours later
—Forest
"Shane, look!" Carl whispered, tugging on Shane's side excitedly. In his hands, he held a sheathed hatchet, its leather wrap slightly worn but well-kept.
Shane glanced down, then scowled, his voice sharper. "Keep it down. We're looking for Sophia. You need to focus on the task."
His tone hit harder, intended, and disappointment flashed in Carl's face instantly.
Andrea, trailing a few paces behind, caught the tone. It was weird, he's never talked to Carl that way, her eyes narrowed slightly, silently watching Shane, then Carl.
Carl fell back beside Lori, his head low. "You okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder gently, her eye glaring at Shane's back.
"I think Shane's mad at me… Did I do something wrong?" His voice was small.
"No, no, honey," Lori reassured him, leaning down and brushing some leaves from his hair. "He's just… worried. About Sophia. That's all."
Carl didn't reply, but he held her hand tighter.
"I'm worried about her, too," he muttered to himself
Suddenly—
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG
The sound of distant bells rang out through the woods, soft at first, then growing clearer. Everyone froze, heads snapping in different directions as the sound bounced off trees, echoing.
Shane turned to Rick. "What direction?"
Rick scanned the trees, squinting, trying to remember, "I think this way. I'm pretty sure." Rick began to jog.
"Damn, it's hard to tell out her," Shane muttered, already falling into step behind him.
"If we heard them..." Carol panted, her hope rising like a gasp. "Maybe Sophia did too."
"Someone could be ringing them," Glenn added, his pace quickening. "Maybe calling for help."
"Or signaling they found her," Andrea offered from the back.
"She could be ringing them herself," Rick said, quickening his pace. "Let's go."
They ran for a few minutes, and soon the trees parted to reveal a small church nestled in the clearing. White paint. Peeled from its clapboard siding, other than that, it stood untouched.
"That can't be it," Shane said, panting slightly, pointing. "Got no steeple. No bell. Rick."
Rick didn't answer. He moved toward the gate, eyes fixed forward. Daryl flanked right, and Rick took the left at the entrance, weapons drawn.
Rick pushed the door open with one hand.
Groans echoed immediately.
Five walkers turned from their seats, rising as they heard the gate open. A woman in a wedding dress with a veil hiding her rotting face, and four men in suits.
Without hesitation, Rick holstered his gun and pulled out the machete, moving forward carefully. Daryl, Glenn, and Shane followed behind, surrounding the benches
Rick used the machete to take down, big one. Glenn used the hammer to break the jaw of the bride.
Shane grabbed one, stabbing it in the eye, scrambling its brain.
Daryl took out the last two with his knife.
And silence followed as the four caught their breath, their eyes falling on the wooden cross in the center,
Then—
"Sophia!" Rick shouted in the church, "Sophia!"
There was no reply.
Daryl stood before the cross at the altar. Jesus loomed in silence, arms wide, a streak of blood trailing his eyebrow.
"Yo, J.C.," Daryl muttered. "You takin' requests?"
Shane wiped the blood from his cheek, walking toward Rick. "Told you, it's the wrong church. It has no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple—"
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG
They all turned—the bells rang again, close.
Glenn bolted out the door, with Daryl, Shane, and Rick following behind.
They all looked at the roof, finding nothing as they followed the sound.
Behind the church wall, a small portable speaker sat tucked into a metal box, rigged to a timer.
Glenn quickly opened it, flipping the timer switch off. The bells stopped.
"A timer. It's on a timer," Daryl muttered.
The hope that had bloomed just moments ago, the frantic sprint, the breathless anticipation, deflated all at once. It seeped out, as they exhaled, air leaving their body as exhaustion grew.
Carol's voice broke the stillness, quiet but resolute. "I'm going back in. I… I just need a minute."
No one stopped her. No one had the heart to. She turned and stepped back through the wooden doors.
Andrea, silent since the fight with the walkers, leaned against the wall that held the speaker, her shoulder hitting the wood with a soft thud. Slowly, she sank into the grass, folding her arms over her knees, exhausted from the run.
Rick, Glenn, and Daryl paced the perimeter with Carl, scanning the forest edge, eyes catching on bent branches, footprints, the smallest twitch of movement. But the woods had gone still again.
Lori stood with arms folded in front of the church, watching Rick as he looked around the treeline. Then she turned to Shane, who hadn't moved.
"What the hell was that?" she asked under her breath, her voice sharp but quiet, almost like a hiss.
"What the hell was what?" Shane snapped back.
"You. Snapping at Carl. He was just trying to show you something."
Shane turned his whole body to face her, frustrated. "What do you want me to do? Lori? Huh? Be his buddy? Or distance myself, like you told me at the quarry? Every time I'm next to him, you look at me like I'm some creep."
"Don't drag Carl between us," Lori's voice lowered, but her anger sharpened.
Shane laughed bitterly, "Ha… is that how it is? I'm dragging him into it? Me? I'm doing what's best for all of us, isn't that what you want? Isn't that what's best for all of us?"
Lori's eyes narrowed. "I think it's what's best. For all of us."
Shane looked away for a moment, jaw working. The wind blew gently through the cemetery in front of them, leaves rattling.
"I'm leaving."
Lori stopped mid-step, half-turned toward the door. "What? We have to find Sophia, the sun is still up, there's still light—"
"I'm leaving the group," Shane said without blinking. "Gone for good."
"You're insane," she said, voice rising slightly. "You're just gonna disappear, without even telling Rick?"
"He'll try to stop me. So I won't," Shane muttered and turned to her, "No, that's on you, you tell him what you want, or tell him nothing. You're his wife."
"What about Carl?" Lori said.
Shane scoffed,, "Ha… And I was dragging him into this, huh?" Lori frowned but said nothing.
"Look… this ain't easy for any of us. Least of all me. I'm the one who loses you."
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. Lori's face was unreadable. Shane's crumbling, bit by bit.
She didn't answer. She turned and went inside the church.
Shane stood there, watching her disappear. Then clicked his tongue and looked away. His gaze fell on Andrea, standing next to the church. She was looking at him, stupefied.
Their eyes met for an uncomfortable second.
—Inside the Church
The light from the open doors filtered in, falling in long slants across the wooden floor. Dust danced in the beams.
Carol sat near the altar, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were white. Lori was beside her, quiet, watching. Carl sat quietly in the back pew, watching silently, wearing his father's hat.
Glenn sat across from him, shoulders hunched, elbows on knees. Rick leaned against the back wall near the entrance, arms crossed.
Daryl stood quietly off to the side, beside a dusty hymn board with no numbers on it.
Carol's voice trembled as it broke the silence.
"Father… forgive me. I don't deserve your mercy," she said, her voice thick, tears already welling. "I prayed for safe passage from Atlanta, and you provided."
"I prayed for Ed to be punished for laying hands on me. For… looking at Sophia with whatever sickness was growing in his soul."
Daryl's eyes shrank, as if someone had just struck him. His face twisted with something like shame, and he looked away
"I prayed You'd put a stop to it, to give me a chance to raise her right, help her not make any mistakes." Her voice broke.
"She's so scared all the time. She's still just a little girl, Lord. She hasn't had her chance."
She got up from her seat slowly, walking toward the cross, her steps unsteady.
She stood at a hand's length from the cross, her hands reached forward with a folded cloth in hand, wiping the walker's blood splattered on Christ's brow.
"Praying for Ed's death was a sin. Please. Don't let this be my punishment. Don't make me lose her. Please. Let her be safe, let her be safe and alive."
Her voice cracked completely, and she fell to her knees at the altar.
"Punish me, however you want. Just… not her."
The church fell into silence again, heavy and thick with unspoken thoughts. Lori reached out and pulled Carol into an embrace, holding her as she cried.
Rick stood at the back, swallowing hard.
Daryl stood perfectly still, jaw tight, and sighed before exiting the church without a word.
Carl looked down, his face hidden behind his hat, as a single tear trailed down his cheek.
A/N[The last 3 chapters in total had more than 19k words(12 chapters), and I thought I could finish Rick's group arc in 8k, Lol. And this is still not done. Jesus, you still taking requests?]
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Read +3 or +7 chapters ahead on my Pat*eon
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