Rainelle or as she goes by Rae stood watch with Dale on top of the RV. You wouldn't believe that it was only a month ago before the deadly outbreak. Life was normal, she had a best friend who she could count on, amazing parents and two younger siblings and most importantly she had a daughter who she loved with all her heart. No one special but life as it was, was enough for her.
A month that was enough to drag her into the darkness that surrounded her now. Her parents and two siblings became infected and died, leaving her alone with her daughter who was the only thing that kept her alive and in the light. A best friend who was declared dead not by infection but by a gunshot wound. Maybe it was best, he wouldn't have to live in such a cruel world only that he left a wife and his son.
"Rae!" Carl yelled out waving at her as Lori cut his hair giving a smile in her direction. Rae barely smiled anymore yet she faked one in their direction, no one was ever able to tell if she gave a real one, only her daughter could tell the truth from her eyes.
"Dale, you see that?" Rae said seeing the fast-moving sport car with its alarm blasting through the forest.
"Talk to me, Dale!" Shane yelled walking forward. He declared himself the 'leader' of the group but Rae knew better. If those walkers came to the camp, he'd be the first to just protect Lori and Carl.
Rae jumped down from the RV, "Turn that damn thing off!" Rae yelled at Glenn as he pulled in greeting everyone showing off the car.
"I don't know how." Glenn stuttered. Rae even wondered how he manage to steal the car.
"Pop the hood." Rae ordered ignoring the fuss of Amy who was worried for her sister. Rae pulled the battery turning off the alarm. "How the hell did you even steal the car if you didn't know?"
"Yes! Yes! She's fine. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much. We met someone. He helped saved us." Glenn explained the situation.
"Are you crazy, driving this wailing Bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane yelled resting his arm on the popped hood.
"I think we're okay." Dale said looking around for any walker that might have followed the noise.
"You call being stupid okay?"
"The alarm was echoing all over these hills. It would be hard to pinpoint the source." Rae said defended Dale and Glenn.
"Just think things more through a little more carefully next time, okay?" Dale said making his point to Glenn. Rae walked away shaking her head.
"Sorry. Got a cool car." Glenna said gesturing towards it but no one cared, not anymore. They stop paying attention to him after a big truck pulled in from behind. Andrea heads towards a worrying Amy, as do Morales who heads toward his wife kissing her and his kids. Carl watches the reunions a little bit jealous knowing that he would never see his dad again. His eyes waters and Lori pulls him away from the scene.
"Rick?" Rae said coming behind Lori and Carl seeing the familiar man walk out from the truck. He had died, she thought. Her gaze immediately turning towards Shane who had been the one to tell her. She felt happy yet horrified at the same time.
Carl turned his head to look at Rae who said his father's name and followed her gaze toward a man in his sheriff uniform walking away from the truck to them. He paused in his step to take a breath like he couldn't believe his eyes. He had found them, his wife and son. They were alive.
"Dad…DAD!" Carl said running towards him emotionally. Rick pulled him into the tightest hug he could muster making sure it wasn't a dream that he was alive and holding his son in his arms. It was a happy reunion. Rae and Lori looked at each other knowing that it wouldn't be hidden when they came back, it couldn't be unless Rick was that stupid to not know.
Lori kept her gaze toward Rae, the women who saved hers and Carl life, who has been protecting them putting herself in dangerous constantly to protect them. She accepted it, it was the end of the world and Lori knew that Rae would never do anything to hurt them. She could trust her but when Rick finds out, he's not going to be happy. Could they hide it? She wondered.
Rick walks up to his wife and pull her into an embrace interrupting her train of thought and all she thought about was the guilt of moving on. She was happy, overjoyed yet she felt ashamed of herself. Rick brought her into a passionate kiss whispering 'you're alive.' As he kissed her again sandwiching their son together letting him feel the warm of his two parents of his father once again.
Rae darts away to her tent panicking about the situation. What she should do? Rick is her best friend and when he finds out, things are going to get ugly. But what if he doesn't realize it, what if he's not able to tell? One could only hope.
Rae didn't leave her tent, she even had Glenn bring her food to her. She couldn't face Rick, their 20 years of friendship was everything to her but after Lori, after Alex it may just build a wall between them.
Rae woke up the next morning before anyone checking their surroundings of any walkers before she started to wash up by the lake not wanting to wake Dale up. She took watch until Dale was up and they started to take apart the sports car that Glenn brought up. Rae did everything in her power to avoid meeting with Rick, she couldn't face him yet and he hasn't noticed her yet so, so far, so good.
She walked over to the forest picking at berries until she heard Carl screaming for Lori. She quickly jumped up and ran toward the sound with Rick and the other following behind her but she was ahead of the group. Jacqui was there helping the kids get to safety.
"Carl!" Rae yelled, her weapon up and aiming at any possible threat as Carl ran toward her side trusting her after all the times she's saved him and his mother. "You okay?" She asked not taking her eyes off the direction he came from as he clung onto her body.
"Carl!" He doesn't let go until his father comes into view along with his mother. Once he does, Rae moves farther into the forest to find the threat. She moves into a clearing where a walker is devouring a deer with crossbow bolts sticking out of it. The rest of the group follows her and Rae let the five men beat the walker until Dale arrives and decapitates it cutting off its head.
"Alex! Alex!" Rae yells out knowing the crossbow arrows from anywhere. Her and Daryl were both close by, she knew it and with the walker near camp, Rae was anxious. The bushes rustle and the entire group raises their weapons protectively. Daryl in a sleeveless t-shirt steps out with a young teen following behind him.
Rae signs bringing her daughter into a tight hug. "Son of a bitch." Daryl swears seeing the deer they've been hunting for miles wasted.
"Daryl!" Rae snaps not liking his use of language around her 15-year-old.
Daryl backs away going the other way around to check the deer. Rae scared him and he wasn't going to challenge her. Cowering from her death glare, he pretended that she didn't say anything.
"That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this…filthy, disease-bearing, motherless-" Daryl started to kick the dead walker taking his anger out on it.
Seeing the warning glare come from Rae he quickly switches to a politer version of what he was going to say or tried too, he just finished his sentence with the word 'walker.'
"Mom, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm 15 years old. You should have heard Uncle Daryl when we were hunting…" Alex started ignoring Daryl's gesturing to cut it out yet the mischievous look in her eyes told him she wasn't going to stop soon.
"Really?" Rae said in a deadly voice and Alex nodding speaking words that she shouldn't even be speaking yet. "Daryl."
"Look, Rae, Rae, Rae uh-" He stuttered to come up with an excuse and took off to his tent without looking back. Once he was gone from the clearing, Alex and Rae all but burst out into giggles.
Suddenly the decapitated head of the walker started moving again snapping its teeth, "Oh, god." Amy said not able to look anymore. Rae quickly shot it with a smaller crossbow that could be used with one hand killing it instantly.
"You might want to let him know about his brother, Shane." Rae all but ignored Rick hoping he wouldn't realize anything.
Rick wasn't stupid, he knew. One look at the 15-year-old gave him all he needed to know. But now wasn't the time, he needed to deal with the Dixon brother. He gave one last look to his best friend who was obviously avoiding contact and eye contact with him.
"What happened to Uncle Merle?" Alex asks as Rae leads her back to their tent to rest. They've been gone for a whole day and night.
"He caused some problem for the last run. Now he's handcuffed to a roof. Best not worry about it and get some rest sweetie." Rae waited until she was fully asleep before leaving the tent finding everyone gathered near the RV guessing they were going to get Merle Dixon off that roof.
Rick and Shane talks about the recuse mission letting the gun know about the bag of guns he dropped when he entered Atlanta. Glenn was involuntarily going and T-Dog volunteer to go because of the guilt he felt for dropping the key. He wouldn't be able to live with what he did.
Rae watches as Shane argues about Rick putting them at 'Rick' as he so puts it. The true is that Shane's scared of losing his position as the leader of the group. Shane was never a leader, he wanted to be one but true was he ain't one. Rick was the true leader and with him back, it threatens Shane's position and he knows it too.
Lori intervene frustrated that he's leaving when he only just got back to them. Asking, begging him not to go or at least explains until she understand. Rae kept her eyes on her tent making sure that there were no threats nearby her tent and half listening to the conversation she probably missed half already. When she turned her attention back to the group she found Rick coming her way and if she turned around to walk away it would be obvious she was avoiding him but she needed to do that only he caught her.
"We need to talk when I get back, Rainelle." Rick said using her full name to let her know he was serious and angry with her. Rae stare back at him with cold eyes nodding before shaking off his hold on her arm to walk back to her tent where Alex was coming out of. It seems like she couldn't get much sleep but at least she got some rest.
"Come on, let's find you something to eat and then help the women with the laundry." Rae said brushing back her daughter's hair.
Everyone was gathered together surrounding the fire camp enjoying the fried fish that Carol had cook for them as they waited for the others to get back. Rae and Alex had offered to take watch even though it was too dark to really see anything, they wanted to help keep everyone safe and Rae felt more relaxed that Alex was up there.
Rae nods toward Amy who was coming to the RV to get use the bathroom yet she came back out complaining, "We're out of toilet paper."
Rae moved her way to the group to grab a blanket for Alex and return the dishes. It was getting cold out and she needed the extra blanket. The dishes were dropped when Amy let out a petrified scream as a walker bite into her arm.
Rae jumped out of the way when Shane raised his gun and took his shot not even caring that she was in the way. "Alex, you stay up there!" Rae yelled at her daughter before moving towards everyone who couldn't protect themselves as walkers filled the camp.
"Move! Get to the RV!" Rae ordered shooting her arm crossbow at walker's heads. A knife in the other hand. When she ran out of arrows, Rae pulled her handgun out and started firing, hitting walkers one after the other square in the forehead.
Survivors moved towards the RV, Shane had Lori behind her but no Carl. "Carl!" Rae shouted looking for the young boy and focusing her shooting.
"Rae!" Carl cried scooting away from a walker who made a grab for him.
"Shit." Rae said quietly. She throws her knife hitting the walker in the back of the brain
Rae pulls her knife out of the dead walker and pulls Carl to his feet and stabs another walker in their direction. The boy wraps his arm around her stomach tightly, Rae continued shooting moving them forward to get to the RV.
Soon enough she was going to run out of ammo. There were too many of them. "Mom!" Alex cried from the top of the RV worried for her mother as walkers surrounded her and Carl.
"You don't let go, Carl!" She could feel him nod against her stomach as she held him and started to use her knife having to get closer to them. Rae spun a whole 360 with her knife pointing out slicing the walkers around her giving her more room. Thankfully Rick and the others had returned running towards them all sporting weapons and firing at the remaining walkers.
"Hold on, Carl!" Rae said as she held him tighter and made a run for the RV avoiding the grabbing hands of walkers. They made is safely but Carl wouldn't let go and she needed him to. "Carl, you need to let go." He only shook his head not wanting to let go. "Lori." Rae ordered as Lori pulled Carl off her. Rae swung her knife out killing the walkers getting near them instantly. She killed three more who came too close to the group before the rest of the walkers fell.
Rae would have been able to help kill more without wasting ammo but she could feel the hand that grabbed the back of her t-shirt. Carl had let her go but he kept her close within his clutches.
"Hey, you're safe now." Rae said turning to face the young boy since he wouldn't release his grip on her. "When have I never kept you safe?" Rae tried reassuring him like every other time she had too after protecting him. "See, your dad's back."
Rae put her around her daughter who came down while she was speaking with Carl. "Come on, I bet he wants to hug you again." Alex said teasingly making Carl finally smile up at them. Lori smiles at them thankfully with tears running down her face. Carl runs up to his dad as Rick screams out their names.
"I'm so glad you were up there." Rae whispers pulling her daughter into a hug. That night everyone settled into the RV sleeping in that tight confined area. Not wanting to risk anymore walkers out there. Daryl set outside but on top of the RV taking watch at the same time not wanting to sleep in a confined space.
Rae waited for the talk to come from Rick but maybe with everything that happened he had forgotten but one look from him made it clear that he didn't forget only that it wasn't the right time to have that discussion. There probably will never be a right time to discuss.