Deadman Wonderland
Ch. 2

Bye-bye Big Blue

I sat up with a groan. Sleeping in cars had never been my favorite. I hopped out of Big Blue and stretched, walking towards T-Dog. "Mornin'. What do I gotta do around here?"
He looked up from the corpse he was dragging. "You actually slept?"
I shrugged and grabbed the feet, helping him along. "This happened a lot with my old group."
T-Dog raised his eyebrows. "A lot? You know why?"
I shrugged again. "It might've had to do with the fact we played music at night. Loud singing, guitar, drums… The works."
He shook his head. "Y'all crazy."
I grinned and tossed the body onto a small pile. "Maybe. But it's good practice, ya know. Are we just cleanin' up?"

T-Dog nodded, wiping sweat off his brow. I gave him a thumb up and got my pickaxe out of my car. I walked off a bit, towards a stack of bodies. I knelt to drag one, and was almost immediately grabbed by the braid. A live zed had gotten trapped under dead ones, and tangled its bony fingers in my hair. I smashed the pickaxe through its head and yanked its fingers out, not caring that I'd gotten splattered with rancid blood. I pulled my hunting knife from its holster, the sharp blade gleaming, and pulled my hair back to slide the blade across the base of the braid. I straightened a few seconds later, looking at the dark hair in my hand. I felt a twinge of regret, but not much more. This group seemed rough and inexperienced. I'd be better off without four miles of hair just waiting to be grabbed. I put my knife back and tossed the braid to the side, grabbing hold of the corpse and dragging it back to the others with a huff. "No more of that hair-pullin' bullshit."

I tossed the corpse onto the growing pile and wiped my hands on my jeans. Not that they were any cleaner. I turned to see Daryl walk up, a half body over his shoulder. He tossed it on top of mine and narrowed his eyes at me. "What'd you do to your hair?"
I shrugged and walked towards another corpse. "Cut it. Easier to keep clean."
He followed, walking next to me. "And walkers can't grab it."
I knelt down to grab the stiff's arms. "Yeah. And walkers can't grab it..."
Daryl smirked grabbed its legs, thankfully ignoring my tone. "You should've told me. It wouldn't look so fuckin' stupid if I'd done it."

"Tell you what. Since you're so damn confident, you're gonna fix it." I replied, narrowing my eyes at him. He snorted and gave me an amused look. "Whatever you say, Princess."
We tossed the body, and I scowled at the other archer. "Don't call me Princess. I know where you sleep."
He smirked again and walked off. "Whatever. I know where you sleep too, Princess."

We dragged body after body, some of them going in a separate area. I'd been introduced to the survivors, or at least told who was what, but not the dead. I walked over to another guy, who was bent over a severely chewed-up corpse. "Hey."
He looked up, frowning. "Who the hell are you?"
I tipped my imaginary hat, giving a lopsided half-smile. "Deliah. I'm the new girl. T-Dog named all you folks when things calmed down. I'd shake hands, but they ain't exactly clean."
He nodded in response. "Alright. I'm Morales. Can ya help me for a sec?"

We moved the body to the separated area, groaning at the various substances oozing onto us. I wiped my hands on the ground and looked at the man through my hair. "So, what are these doing over here?"
He sighed, wiping sweat off his brow. "They… were our people. The one we just carried was Carol's husband. Not a nice guy, but…"
I shook my head. "No one deserves this."

He nodded, looking at the growing pile of "to burn" corpses. I patted his shoulder and walked past him. "Well, at least it isn't you. I'm gonna head back to work."

More people had come out of their tents, tired of feigning sleep. The blonde, Andrea, was still stroking her deceased sister's face by the RV. Rick's wife, Lori, walked up to her and said something, getting no reaction from the girl. She walked back to the dead campfire, where Carol, Dale, and Shane were already sitting. Daryl walked right in my field of vision, smashed a corpse's brains in with his pickaxe, and walked away. Glenn & T-Dog picked it up and dragged it to the fire. I walked past the group, heading for another pile. "I hope you weren't countin' on eatin' breakfast."

I grabbed a body and started walking backwards, dragging it along. I watched Rick walk up to Andrea, the blonde pull out her gun, and the ex-cop back away in surrender. I sighed and handed the corpse over to T-Dog, then walked to a little group gathering. Carol, Dale, Daryl, Lori, Rick, and Shane were standing in a small circle, the archer gesturing towards Andrea. "Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb."
Rick turned his attention away from the girls. "What do you suggest?"
Daryl walked up to him, speaking in hushed tones for once. "Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."
Lori spoke up from behind him. "No. For god's sake, let her be."

She sat down, the rest of the group agreeing uneasily. Daryl scoffed and walked away, tapping me on the shoulder as he passed. "C'mon."
We walked past a dazed Jim, heading for the fire. "Wake up, Jimbo. We've got some work to do."

He tapped Morales on the back and helped him drag a body toward the fire. Apparently, it was one of the group, since Glenn intervened. "What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there."
Daryl grunted, still moving towards the burning pile. "What's the difference? They're all infected."
Glenn pointed to another body site, his voice getting choked up. "Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand?"

Daryl and Morales had straightened halfway through his speech, and bent back down to change direction. Glenn pointed at the other site again. "Our people go in that row over there."
I held a hand up. "We got it."
Daryl shouted at us over his shoulder. "You reap what you sow."

Morales said something back to him, and must not have pleased the archer. Daryl dropped the body and walked off, yelling at the people around him. "Y'all left my brother for dead. You had this coming."

I sighed and dragged a ripe corpse to the fire, scrunching my nose at the substances oozing from it. Just when I thought I might be able to finish cleaning up in peace, some woman, Jacqui I think, started shouting. She was pointing at Jim, borderline panicking. "A walker got him. A walker bit Jim."
We all circled around him, his quiet words getting drowned out. "I'm okay, I'm okay."
Daryl stepped forward, the pickaxe back on his shoulder. "Show it to us. Show it to us!"

Jim started panicking, backing away and grabbing a shovel. People started shouting, moving towards him. T-Dog grabbed him from behind, and Daryl pulled his shirt up. A large red bite was brought to light, making both men suddenly let go of him. Jim started swaying, repeating his one sentence. "I'm okay."

He started breathing heavily, like he was about to cry. I scoffed and walked towards him, glaring at the men and women surrounding us. He started backing up again, his breathing increasing. I slowed down and held my hands up, palms open and facing him. "It's alright Jim. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's alright."
He nodded and let me come closer, whispering. "I'm okay…."
I smiled softly and gently pushed him towards the RV. "Yes you are. Come on. We'll seat you right here."
I got him to sit on a crate next to the back of the RV, and backed away a few steps. "Just stay here, okay? I'm gonna talk to the others and come back."

He nodded, so I walked back to the group. They had re-formed not too far away, speaking in hushed tones. "What are we gonna do about him?"
Daryl was shifting from foot to foot, spinning his weapon. "I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it."
Shane looked up, his hat back on his head. "Is that what you'd want if it were you?"
Daryl nodded and narrowed his eyes, still swaying. "Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it."
Dale looked around our circle, shaking his head. "I hate to say it- I never thought I would- but maybe Daryl's right."
I growled and crossed my arms. "No way. Even if I'd want to be killed, we're not doing that to Jim. Not until he turns. I mean, did you see how scared he was of you morons? Circling him like he was some kind of… beast."
Rick shook his head, staring at the ground. "Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog."
Dale looked at Rick, trying to explain. "I'm not suggesting-"
Rick cut him off. "He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?"
Daryl spoke up again. "The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers. Or them to be."
Our would-be leader looked at him, jamming his hands in his pockets. "What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure."
Shane took off his hat again. "I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."
Rick started shifting from foot to foot. "What if the CDC is still up and running?"
Shane shook his head. "Man, that is a stretch right there."

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection- " Rick replied, gesturing off into the distance. Daryl shifted impatiently beside me, as Shane interrupted him again. "Okay, Rick, you want those things all right? I do too, okay? Now, if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."
Lori piped up. "That's a 100 miles in the opposite direction."
He nodded. "That's right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."
I watched Daryl fidget out of the corner of my eyes, Rick continuing on. "The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance."
Daryl looked back at said man, spinning his pickaxe. "You go lookin' for aspirin, do what you need to do." He backed up and rushed Jim, weapon raised. "Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"

I sprinted past him and got in front of Jim, bracing for impact. Rick followed, pointing a gun at Daryl's head. "Hey hey hey! We don't kill the living."

I opened my eyes to find the archer staring at me, a mix of emotions swirling in his blue eyes. His grip on the pickax faltered, but it was quickly covered up as he turned to the ex-sheriff. "That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."
Shane nodded from besides me, his hat back again. "We may disagree on some things, but not on this. You put it down. Go on."

Daryl stabbed his pickaxe into the ground with a grunt and walked away. I moved aside to let Rick grab Jim. "Come with me."
Jim stood up, visibly shaken. "Where are you taking me?"
Rick started walking, leading Jim along. "Somewhere safe."

I nodded at Jim, giving him my okay. Rick led him inside the RV, and the rest of the group scattered. I noticed Dale walk up to Andrea, actually getting her to talk. I let the corner of my lip twitch up, snorting a chuckle. I grabbed my pickaxe and went back to work gathering the dead. I dragged one of the raid victims over to the separate area, getting a confirmation from Glenn. Daryl was putting his own pickaxe through their skulls, probably working out some frustration. I dropped the corpse and straightened, wiping sweat from my forehead. "I already smashed that one in."
He pulled out his blade with a grunt. "Whatever."

I pursed my lips and walked away, shaking my head. Carol walked past me, giving me a mixed look as she went. She said something to Daryl, who handed her his pickaxe, and began sobbing as she smashed her husband's skull in. I shook my head again and walked over to Glenn, who was presiding over the body bonfire. "Any corpsecicles left?"

He shook his head, staring into the flames. He was startled out of his trance by a lone gunshot, the sound echoing in the hills.

"I guess Blondie's sister finally woke up."

I sighed, taking in the absolute filth covering every inch of me. Definitely time for a bath. I walked back to the RV, hollering up at Dale. "Hey! Dale! I'm gonna go wash up at the lake. Be a lookout, would ya?"
He tipped his hat at me. "No problem. The soap's in the bathroom cupboard."
I clucked my tongue and walked away. "Gotcha."

I jogged over to Big Blue, digging a duffel bag out of the backseat. Dale gave me a wave as I passed him, sitting on his chair. I returned it, sprinting down the trail. The effort felt nice, adrenaline without fear. I looked at the peaceful water, humming a familiar song. "I'm waiting to follow you."
I found a boulder to sit on, dropping my duffel bag on the flat surface. "I'm breathing inside of you."
I unlaced my combat boots and peeled off my bloody clothes, leaving my high-backed tanktop on. "It's time to..."
I sprinted off the beach and dove into the water, one last line leaving my lips. "Try again."

I looked at the fish through the dark red water swirling around me.

"Bloody water. Close my eyes."

And so I did, letting myself rise to the surface.

"I float away."

I re-opened my eyes as my face broke the surface, taking a deep breath. "Passing places I know I can't stay. Dress me up and paint my cheeks. Stand in line pretending you love me."

I started scrubbing and scratching my skin, kicking my feet to stay afloat. I mumbled the lyrics, humming lightly. "Tomorrow is on now. Is someone here?"

A stone landed in front of me with a dull splash.

"Huh. Will you look at that. I guess someone is."

I looked to my left, my eyes meeting with Daryl's. "Oh, great. The hell do you want?"
He shrugged, leaning on his pickaxe. "Dale told me you were down here. We need help wrappin' the bodies."

I rolled my eyes. "And it didn't occur to you I might be bathin'?" I looked him over, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, I take that back. Don't look like you've taken one yourself since the world went to shit."
He narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah?"
I crossed my arms and smirked. "Yeah. I say that with love, ya know, but you really do smell. Should probably take my place when I'm done."

He growled, his hand clenching into a fist. I tapped my lip with a finger, pretending to consider something. "But then again… Do you know how to swim? Not like there's all that many pools in backwoods redneck Georgia."

I dove down before he could respond, continuing the song in my head.

"Bloody water. Close my eyes, I float away. Passing places I know I can't stay."

I reached the bottom of the lake, scooping up a rock worn smooth by the tides. It was a brilliant green, only slightly muted by the mud swirling around me. Maybe Sophia would like it. I'd only briefly met the young girl, but her timid attitude and sweet smile had immediately stuck with me. Something broke the water above me, creating a tornado of bubbles.

"Close my eyes. I floa-HOLY SHIT"

I kicked away and stuck my head out of the water, gasping for air. Daryl came up a second later, his hair plastered to his face. "Get back here!"
I kicked away, laughing at his appearance. "No way in hell. But hey, at least you're clean now!"

He roared and lurched forward. "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"

I dove down, evading him.

"Okay. He's pissed. Might've pushed him a bit too far."

I got out of the water, half-running to my bag. I had just picked it up when I got tackled back into the lake. I resurfaced, coughing and gagging. "What the hell did you do that for?!"
Daryl surfaced a few seconds later, mad as all hell. "Don't fuckin' mock me! You don't know shit!"

He then pushed me back under. I took a mouthful of water, breathing some in. I knew what to do, but my body refused to respond. My lungs kept trying to inhale, taking in more water, and I began choking. My brain started getting fuzzy, the edges of my vision darkening.

"Would you look at that. I'm drowning."

I felt myself get dragged, and cool air hit my skin. Still, no breath passed my lips. I was sat up and my ribs pressed against to expel the water. My eyes flew open and I bent forward to cough out the liquid, my nose and throat burning. I wiped my mouth and stood up shakily. "Jesus, you could've just told me I went too far."
I reached over and pulled a towel from my bag before calling out to Daryl's retreating back. "Sorry for teasin' ya, by the way."
He turned around, his belt and shirt in hand. "Why the hell are you sorry?! I'm the one who almost fuckin' killed you!"

I pulled out another towel and picked up the dirtied clothes before slinging the bag over my shoulder. I dropped the extra towel on Daryl's head as I walked past him. "But you didn't. Alright? My fault for poking the bear. That was a low blow and I probably shouldn't have done it." I flashed him a small smile. "Leave the towel on my car when you're dry, 'kay?"
I walked back to camp and headed for the RV. I stopped at the door, shouting up at Dale. "Hey, weren't you supposed to watch my back?"
He looked down, eyes wide. "I was!"
I nodded, cocking my hips to the side. "Mhm. And that's why Daryl almost drowned me."
He took off his hat, rubbing his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but what was I supposed to do? There was no stopping him, and I couldn't exactly shoot him."
I rolled my eyes and stepped inside all the while muttering under my breath. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Goddamn backwoods archer."

I shut the bathroom door behind me and peeled off my bathing suit, wrapping the towel around me. I dropped the soaked and dirty cloth in the sink and fished out another set. I put it on, adjusting the straps, and dug out more clothes. A dark grey tank top, open blue plaid button-down, grey jeans, and my trusty combat boots. Standard apocalypse attire.
I pulled the hunting knife off of my old jeans and strapped it to my belt, then bundled up the clothes and stuffed them in a plastic bag at the bottom of my duffel. We couldn't really afford to throw away clothing anymore, even if it was completely covered in muck. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. Wide green eyes stared back at me, the bright spark of survival covering up anything that might've been lurking beneath. I scoffed and turned away, walking out of the RV and heading for my truck. A familiar towel was folded on the hood, a small green thing resting on it. I picked up the stone, turning it over in my hand.

"Is that…"

I searched around camp for Daryl, finding him cleaning his arrows by the dead campfire. He looked up briefly, turning away as soon as his eyes met mine. I frowned and put the towel away, dropping the whole duffel on Big Blue's backseat.

"Why did he… Ugh! He's a dick one minute and somewhat likeable then next. Pick a mood and stick to it, would ya?!"

I turned just as Morales walked over to Daryl, jutting a thumb over his shoulder. Daryl shrugged and got up, walking straight for me. "C'mon. We're movin' the bodies."

We walked to his truck in silence, and drove the short distance to the now-wrapped bodies. We hopped out and loaded them onto the truck bed, piling them up carefully. Daryl clapped me on the back when the last on was loaded, and hopped back into his truck. "You sit back there and make sure we don't lose any on the way."

I gave him a thumb up and seated myself, an arm over the side with one leg hanging off the edge. He checked in his mirror before starting the truck and driving up the bumpy road to our makeshift graveyard. It came to a screeching halt when we reached it, Daryl jumping out first. I stayed where I was, starting to pull a body off the pile. He walked over to Rick, looking at the holes. "I still think it's a mistake not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?"

Shane looked up briefly, as the rest of the group was beginning to arrive. "At first."
Daryl shifted, looking between the two men. "The chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along? These people need to know who the hell's in charge here. What the rules are."
Rick looked up, his shirt drenched with sweat. "There are no rules."
Lori piped up, giving me a brief look. "Well that's a problem. We haven't had one minute to hold on to anything of our old selves."

I closed my eyes, digging my nails into the cloth-covered flesh.

"Sometimes, it's better to forget our old selves. To forget the past."

Lori continued shaking her head. "We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do."
I reopened my eyes and whispered quietly. "Some of us aren't people anymore. And I'm not talking about the zeds."

I pulled the first corpse off the truck, turning my body so it lay on my back. I slowly made my way to the first grave and walked in, letting go of the body progressively. I walked back out and headed for the truck, where Daryl was already getting another one. I grabbed the feet and we dropped it in a second grave, on and on until only Andrea's sister remained. I made a move to grab her, but Andrea stopped me. "I-I wanna do it. She's my sister."

I pulled the body off and gave it to her bridal style. She staggered to the last grave, Dale following. She put her sister's feet down first, just outside of the hole, and lowered herself in with the head. Dale moved to help, but Andrea shook her head. "I can do it. I can do it."

Dale helped with the feet anyway, watching her sadly. She adjusted her sister in her grave, and took Dale's hand up. Lori let out a whimper, setting her head on her husband's shoulder. People began leaving, Shane and Morales staying behind to fill up the holes. Daryl went to do something with his truck, so I jogged after Carol's little girl, Sophia. "Hey, Sophia!"

Carol turned, startled, and put a possessive hand on her daughter. I knelt down in front of her and pulled the stone from my pocket. "I found this in the lake. I think it's pretty, what about you?"

She nodded, clutching her mother's shirt. I grinned, holding it out to her. "Do you want it? I'm not going to do anything with it."

The stone rolled around in my palm, shining and shimmering in the sun. Its color had dulled once dried, but it was still a vivid green. She nodded and hesitantly took it from me. I straightened and smiled down at her. "A pretty rock for a pretty girl. Take good care of it, okay?"

She nodded happily and smiled back. I nodded at her mother and they continued down the hill. I walked back to camp and to a large bucket of semi-clean water we'd used for cooking. I scrubbed my hands and rubbed some on my face and neck, watching the droplets roll off my nose back into the bucket. I slicked my hair back and plopped down on a log, stretching my legs out in front of me. Rick, Lori, Shane and Dale were talking outside the RV, probably discussing our next destination. They separated soon enough, Lori staying behind. The other three went to the woods to scout out zeds and potential meals, dragging Daryl along. I got up and grabbed "my" shotgun out of Big Blue and some shells, then went to lie down in the sun on top of the RV.

The men came back a bit later, when nearly everyone was around the campfire. They joined in, so I climbed down and did the same. Shane spoke first, sitting in the open half of the circle. "I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no- there are no guarantees either way, I'll be the first to admit that. I've known this man for a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"
I saluted like the little soldier I was and walked off. "Aye aye, captain..."

Everyone started packing, Lori and Carol setting up lunch. I gave Rick and Glenn their bags back and went to help empty out the… recently vacated tents, sorting the supplies into piles. We pulled down some of the tents and piled up the torn or bloody ones to the side. There was some bold talk about re-shaping them into tarps, but none of us had the time or supplies to do so. Instead, I grabbed Glenn and my new friend Morales, and roped them into combing the ground for stray items. I found the handgun I had tossed the previous night and stuck it in the back of my jeans. I also found a pot and three bean cans under a bush, and gave those to our improvised lunch ladies. Glenn came back with a pair of scissors and a backpack, and Morales found an arm.

We tossed the limb into the coals of the bone bonfire, and went to grab some lunch. We each got a small plate of beans and leftover fish, then went on our way. Dale grabbed me as I passed him, his head in the RV's motor. "Deliah, I, uh, seem to have left one of my wrenches on the roof. Could you go get it? I have to keep my hands on this, or I'd go get it myself."
I shrugged and walked to the ladder. "Sure."

I climbed up and picked up the requested wrench. Something in the lake caught my eye as I straightened. I picked up the binoculars and smirked. Sure enough, there was Daryl. Hunched over and soaking wet, wiping off the dirt and sweat from his stroll in the woods. I jumped down, not bothering to use the ladder, and handed Dale his tool. "Here. Now if you don't mind, I have a revenge to take."

He looked at me questioningly, but didn't object. I grabbed a towel hanging from a laundry line, and headed for the lake. Years of hunting kicked in, footsteps near silent. I made it to his stuff undetected, and dropped the towel on top of it. His back was to me, long purple bruises marring the pale skin and coloring the flesh under his tattoo. Several scars ran across his back as well, angry raised marks, and all thoughts of revenge went out the window. "Where the hell'd you get those bruises? I know fresh injuries when I see 'em."
He whirled around, eyes wide. "What the fuck- Oh. It's you. What the hell'd you want?"

There were a few more scars on the upper part of his chest, the worse being below his right collarbone, and several other bruises. I put a hand on my hip, raising an eyebrow. "Well, honestly, I planned to get you back for earlier. But seriously, where'd you get those bruises?"
He paused, running a hand through his dripping hair. "When those assholes took Glenn… One of 'em had a metal bat."
Both my eyebrows went up in disbelief. "Metal bat? Shit… I've used some of those before. Did ya check for busted ribs?"
He got his shirt out of the water and wrung some of it out. "No, and they ain't. I'd feel it."
I shrugged and turned to walk back to camp. "Not always, I know from experience. I'm gonna go see if Dale needs anythin'. Don't poke a lung while I'm gone."
He called out, making me pause mid-step. "Tell anyone, you're dead!"
I looked over my shoulder, a knowing half-smile on my face. "Tell 'em what? I didn't see anythin'."

He nodded, and I headed back to camp. The men were crowded around Big Blue, discussing something amongst themselves. I ran up to them, yelling angrily. "Hey, hey, HEY! What the hell you doin' to my truck?!"
Dale pointed at me. "Why don't you ask her?"
Shane removed his hat and rubbed his head. "Yeah… Uh… Deliah, we need gas and oil for the other trucks."
I crossed my arms and glared at him. "So you were just gonna take it? I should kick your ass and keep my shit."

I pushed past them and grabbed a gasoline jug and funnel before slipping under my truck. I peeled the duct-tape from the gas tank and unscrewed the cap underneath, holding the funnel-equipped jug underneath. Yellowish liquid started flowing out, filling the air with its recognizable smell. I waited until the dripping stopped and recapped it, folding the tape back over it. I stood up and closed the jug, slamming it into Shane's chest. "Here. Take it."

I grabbed a smaller, filled jug hand-labeled "Oil/Aceite" in a messy scrawl and passed it to Rick. "That's all you're gettin'. My spare tire wouldn't fit any of your cars, and I ain't got anythin' else to give. Now get out of here."

They did, Rick thanking me and Dale muttering "I told you so" in Shane's direction. I sighed and pulled out a rolled tarp, spreading it over the entire truck. I hooked it at the back, tying the straps underneath until the passenger door. I walked to the front after that and folded it back to leave the cabin exposed. The guys had already taken care of the other cars, so all we had left to do was wait. I lent a hand with dinner, going a few minutes into the woods to scout for squirrels. I came back with a couple, scrawny young things with barely any meat. Probably more hungry than I was. Daryl stopped me as soon as I set foot in camp, glaring at my kills. "You were out maybe an hour. Took me days to get half a dozen. What's your tick?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Tick? I don't have a tick. But I did learn a simple little trick from this ex-ranger. Maybe I'll even show it to ya. But not now, we got things to stew."

Squirrels stewed, mushroom roasted, jokes flew, and we all went to bed a little happier that night. I slipped into my truck, and squeezed into the backseat from the front. My legs were too long for me to stretch out, but it was better than nothing. I let out a long sigh and let my hand slip down. My fingertips brushed against something. A stiff object covered in cloth. I frowned and picked it up. In the moonlight, I recognized the bloodstained blue bandana wrapped around Merle's hand.

"Must've fallen out of Glenn's pack…"

I stared at it a while, and got out of my car. I grabbed a shovel from a bag behind the RV and headed for the makeshift cemetery. The graves now all had stones, and sometimes even items, at the head. I dug a small hole near the others, and placed the hand inside. "I didn't like you, and have a feeling few people do. But your brother does, and you deserve a proper burial. Well… As proper as a coffin-less burial of a limb on non-sacred ground can get. If you died, I wish your soul the best of luck. If you didn't… I hope you'll meet up with us someday. For his sake."

I covered it back up and placed a small stone on the mound. The thought to make one for my partner crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. Grieving was not my plan for tonight, and I'd so far been able to keep it at bay. Not like I had anything of hers to bury anyway. I gave Merle Dixon's grave a parting nod and walked back to camp, putting the shovel back in place. I hopped back into my truck and closed the door. I heard footsteps outside; but their pace was regular, without the telltale shuffling. I cocked my handgun, setting it on the floor besides me, and threw an arm over my eyes. I was out within seconds.

Tents unzipping and hushed conversations woke me up the next day, followed by the bright Atlanta sunrise. I picked up my gun, clicked back the hammer, and put it in the back of my jeans. A quick change of shirts from blue to yellow later, and I climbed out of Big Blue. I grabbed a short breakfast from Lori, and got both of my bags out to the RV. Dale greeted me, stuffing an impressive bed-head under his hat. "'Morning. What can I do for you?"
I swallowed a mouthful of canned peaches before answering. "Bags. Can you keep 'em 'til we get to the CDC?"
He nodded and motioned towards the door, walking towards the promise of breakfast. "Put them wherever. I'll take care of the rest."

I gave him a thumb up, sticking my head in just long enough to toss my bags under the table and set my bow on top. I went back to Big Blue after that, sighing. "Okay. Let's do this."

I undid the metal key from its ring, leaving the electronic one on. I locked the car, dropped the whole ring on the driver seat, and closed the door. I folded the rest of the tarp down and secured it before leaving. The key I'd removed ended up on a chain around my neck. Everyone else had already collapsed their tents, gathering around the cars. Shane snapped his fingers, hollering to get our attention. "Hey, listen up!"
Rick stood next to him, looking at the group. "Alright, we have to set up some kind of order. We can't all be in the same car. The RV will be first, then everyone else just follows however they are. I'll take a car with my wife and son, as well as Carol and her little girl. Dale will drive the RV with Glenn and Jacqui to tend to Jim; T-Dog, you're with Andrea, Morales you're with your family, Daryl with Deliah, and the rest of you go in the church bus."
Shane adjusted his hat, nodding. "I'll take my jeep. Any questions?"
I scowled, muttering under my breath. "Yeah, why am I stuck with the redneck?"
Daryl snorted besides me. "'Cause you're the only one who doesn't piss me off to the point where I wanna toss you out the window."
I shrugged, grinning. "Eh, most of the time. You'll know better soon enough."
Shane clapped his hands once, getting our attention again. "Alright, everyone pick a vehicle and move your bags. We ain't got all day!"

Everyone started moving, bags and supplies disappearing into cars. Daryl went to haul a bike onto his truck. I followed, seeing as my stuff was already taken care of. He got in the truck bed and pulled while I pushed from the ground. "Pretty sweet bike you got there."
He nodded, pulling it over the edge with a grunt. "My brother's. He'd kill me if anything happened to it."
I straightened, wiping my hands on my pants. "Ever though about ridin' it? Less gas, more maneuvering."
He hopped down and secured the gate. "Not 'till my truck runs out."

The group had started reemerging by the time we secured it. Shane walked back to us, Rick in tow. "Everybody listen up. Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"
Morales shifted uneasily. "We're, uh… We're- we're not going."
We all stared at them in silence, until his wife spoke. "We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people."
Shane stepped forward, looking as uneasy as Morales. "You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back."
Morales shook his head, looking at his wife, then back at Shane. "We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family."
Rick raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Morales and his wife nodded. "We talked about it. We're sure."
Rick and Shane whispered for a second, and handed Morales a gun and a box of ammo. "The box is half full."

Daryl scoffed and did a frustrated 360 turn. Lori walked up to Morales' wife and hugged her, all of the women and children crying. "Thank you all… For everything."

I rolled my eyes, kicking at the dirt in boredom.

"Damn women and their emotions. Wait… Ugh, I'm one of them, ain't I? Fuckin' estrogen, I swear."

Shane started hollering, getting in his jeep. "Come on! Let's go. Let's move out."
Everyone got in their assigned cars, Daryl grabbing me by the collar. "You're comin' with me."

I scowled and let myself get dragged. He tossed me into the passenger seat, getting in a second later. The RV went out first like ordered, followed by Rick and Carol's yellow car, then the church bus, Shane's jeep, our truck , then T-Dog and Andrea's. We followed the other cars out of the quarry and onto the highway, Morales' branching off. Daryl turned to me, sticking a hand out the window. "I wanted to ask ya… Why'd you defend Jim? You were ready to take the hit for 'im."
I sighed, resting my head against the glass. "Watch where you're drivin'… And because we all need someone to stick up for us when no one else will."

I turned Big Blue's key over in my hand, staring out the window. Daryl spoke up again, keeping his eyes somewhat on the road this time. "Why'd you keep that thing? It's just a car."
I answered quietly. "It's the last thing I have of them. My family…"

He hit the steering wheel, swearing under his breath. I sat up with another sigh, rubbing my face. "We need music in here."
Daryl snorted. "Stations've been down for a while. Don't ya sing?"
I raised an eyebrow, turning towards him. "Yeah, entertained the gang and kept the kids quiet. But I never told you."
He smirked and shrugged. "I ain't deaf. You were singin' by the lake."
I raised an eyebrow, my lips quirking up into a smirk. "You mean, before you almost drowned me?"
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Yeah."
I leaned back and held up my hands in appeasement. "Sorry, sorry, touchy subject. So, I'm your radio now?"
He cracked a grin, shrugging. "Depends. What's on the channel?"
I huffed, crossing my legs. "Well… We are driving…"
I cleared my throat, my foot moving to an imaginary beat. "Doin' alright. A little jivin' on a Saturday night. And come what may, gonna dance the day away."

Unknown to me, Daryl switched on the C.B., smirking lightly. I rolled down my window, setting my arm on the edge. "Jenny was sweet. She always smiled for the people she'd meet. On trouble and strife, she had another way of looking at life. The news is blue; had it's own way to get to you. What can I do? When I remember my time with you." I frowned, certain I had heard an echo on some of those lines. "Pick up your feet; got to move to the trick of the beat. There is no elite, just take your place in the driver's seat. Driver's seat, driver's seat."

I grinned. At least three voices had completed my last line. "Doing alright. A little jiving on a Saturday night. And come what may, gonna dance the day away. Driver's seat, driver's seat. Jenny was sweet. There is no elite. Pick up your feet. Pick up, pick up. Pick up your feet, gonna dance the day away. Driver's seat, driver's seat."

I let the others finish, grinning happily. Daryl looked over and grinned back. I let out a half laugh, pointing at him. "Ah! You did that on purpose!"
His grin grew, looking very self-satisfied. "Cheered you up, didn't it?"
I crossed my arms, scoffing. "You are such a softie."
His grin disappeared. "Am not!"
I was about to retort when Shane came over the C.B. "Not to interrupt your lovers' quarrel, but keep it off the channel. We gotta keep the chatter down."
We both snapped at him. "We're not lovers!"

I flicked the switch off, glaring out the window. A few minutes later, a thick cloud of white smoke erupted from the RV, all cars coming to a halt. I hopped out, walking to the small gathering by the smoking motor. Rick bent forward, fanning the vapor with his hat. Dale shook his head, adjusting his own cap. "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van."
Rick straightened and put his hat back on. "Can you jury-rig it?"
Dale shrugged, looking at his engine. "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct-tape than hose. And I'm out of duct-tape."
Shane called out from the other side of the RV. "I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky."
Jacqui jumped out of the RV, her face creased in worry. "Y'all, Jim- it's bad. I don't think he can take any more."
She went back inside, Shane speaking after a few seconds. "Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead and see what I can bring back."
T-Dog nodded. "Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up."
Shane gave the okay, putting his hat on. "Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back."

We disbanded, Rick going into the RV, Shane and T-Dog climbing in the Jeep and driving away. I hopped in the RV long enough to get four rolls of tape and my bow out, and walked back to Dale. "Hey. Red, blue, camo, or classic?"
He looked at me, confusion practically radiating from him. "What are you talking about?"
I gave a half-smile. "Duct-tape. Which color suits your esthetical needs?"
He chuckled and gave me a wide smile. "Classic will do. Glad to know that's one thing I won't have to worry about."

I watched Dale patch up the hose, filing all of the information away for later use. Shane came back, shaking his head, and Rick came out of the RV. We all gathered again, waiting for the verdict. Rick ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "He wants us to leave him here. The road's killing him."
Carol crossed her arms uneasily. "Leave him? As in… On the side of the road? Right here?"
He looked down. "It's what he says he wants."
She frowned up at him. "And he's lucid?"
Rick fiddled with his hat and rubbed his face. "He seems to be. I would say yes."
Dale spoke up quietly when Rick finished. "Back in the camp I said Daryl might be right and you shot me down. You misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."
Shane spoke quietly to Rick, but not quiet enough for us not to hear. "We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."
Lori took a deep breath besides Carol. "Not your call, either one of you."

Rick nodded and went inside, Shane following reluctantly. They came back out carrying a groaning Jim, looking pale beneath his sunburns. They laid him down against a tree directly up the hill from the RV. Jim looked up at the foliage, smiling a bit. "Hey, another damn tree."
Shane bent down, hesitant to just leave. "Hey man- I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this."
Jim shook his head. "No. It's good. The breeze feels nice."

Shane sighed and finally backed away, to be replaced by Jacqui. She knelt down and smiled sadly. "Just close your eyes sweetie. Don't fight."

She kissed his cheek and walked away, fighting back tears. Rick took her place, holding out a small handgun. "Jim, do you want this?"
He shook his head at the ex-sheriff. "No. You'll need it. I'm okay. I'm okay."
Dale came up next, smiling and crouching at his feet. "Oh, hey. Thanks for, uh, for fighting for us."
Jim nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Okay."

Everyone left, giving Jim a last look. Daryl and I were the last, Jim smiling faintly at us. Daryl walked up a bit and gave a parting nod, then left. I climbed the small hill and sat next to him. "So, you're yellow plaid-brothers with Daryl and I today, huh?"

He chuckled, coughed, then groaned. I gave him a sad smile. "You know, we used to have a guy like you in our gang. Nice and quiet, you didn't notice him until he was gone. Most of us barely knew him, yet everyone was sad when he left."
Jim nodded, his breathing labored. "Yeah… Thanks for- for protecting me. You sympathized. I know- it's none of my business, but… You should talk to someone."
I let out a heavy sigh. "I know… I don't know how you know, but I know."
Jim gently pushed my shoulder. "Go. Get to the CDC for me. Okay?"
I smiled faintly and got up. "Okay. I wish I'd had more time with you, you're a pretty cool guy. Say hi to your family for me."
He nodded and smiled back, getting comfortable against the trunk. "I will."

I waved and slid down the hill, nearly jumping in Daryl's truck. He looked over questioningly as I slammed the door closed. I sighed and slid down in my seat. "Just drive."

He shrugged and dropped his crossbow on my stomach, starting the truck. The half-hour drive to the CDC was silent, Jim's death hanging in the air. After all, we all knew what would happen to him. We reached the large building and parked next to the sidewalk leading up to it.

"What good citizens we are, parking in allowed spaces."

I hopped out, bow at the ready. A shot in a city like this would bring nothing but trouble. The first things I noticed were bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. They littered the streets, flies buzzing as the flesh decomposed in the hot sun. And the smell… People started coughing as it burned its way down their throats, Shane leading them through the less… crowded path. "All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go."

I scrunched my nose and walked around a "military checkpoint" sign, looking at the camouflage-clad bodies. I eyed one in particular, lying not too far from where we were, with a bullet hole to the forehead. He looked good for a dead guy, much cleaner than his companions. Accidental friendly fire, probably.

"Even the army couldn't do anythin'. But hey, that's a nice uniform. Looks about my size too… We're already in hell, I don't think looting dead bodies will matter."

People started gagging and scurrying, chatter picking up. "Okay, keep moving. Stay together. Keep moving. C'mon. Shh. Carol! Shh. Oh, god."

I rolled my eyes and jumped over a corpse. We reached the gates pretty quickly, Shane and Rick rattling the metal blinds. T-Dog spoke first. "There's nobody here."
Rick turned, starting to get agitated. "Then why are these shutters down?"
Daryl yelled over him. "Walkers!"

People started whimpering, Daryl turning on Rick once he shot the walker in the face. "You led us into a graveyard!"
Someone spoke back. "He made a call."
"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled back, still advancing.

Shane pushed him back, jabbing his chest and pointing in his face. "Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" He turned to his friend next. "Rick, this is a dead end. Do you hear me?"

I walked over to the re-dead corpse and pulled out Daryl's arrow, putting it with mine.

"Yeah. A dead end with more dead than end."

Carol sobbed besides Lori. "Where are we gonna go?"
Shane walked to Rick, borderline panicking. "Do you hear me? No blame."
Lori shook her head, a tight grip on Carl. "She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark."
Shane started pacing. "Fort Benning, Rick- Still an option."
Lori spoke again, shooting him down. "On what? No food, no fuel. That's a 100 miles."
Glenn added in, his voice trembling slightly. "125. I checked the map."
Lori ignored him, in full-blown panic. "Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now."
Rick held up a hand, trying to keep himself calm. "We'll think of something."

Everyone started moving back in the direction of the cars, except for Rick and I. All of a sudden, the small security camera above the door moved with a soft whirr. Rick called out to the others, staring at the small sign of life. "The camera- it moved."
Someone scoffed. "You imagined it."
I shook my head and stepped forward. "No…"
Rick followed, transfixed. "It moved. It moved…"
Shane stepped up behind him. "It's dead, man. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on."
I pointed up at the camera, talking rapidly. "It's not. I know the model; it's a remote-controlled device for the security team inside. I've slipped past enough to know it won't move unless somethin' tells it to!"
Shane began pulling Rick away, T-Dog walking towards me. "It's winding down! Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick!"
I shouted above the rest, evading T-Dog. "It looked right at us! There's someone in there! They're alive!"

Everyone started shouting over each other, Rick banging on the metal blinds. He pleaded at the man behind the camera, even when the others left and Lori began pushing him back. Shane finally grabbed Rick and dragged him away, still yelling at the camera. I stared at the camera's eye and clenched my fist tightly, practically screaming. "Please! They can't lose any more people!"

The door screeched open, blinding light spilling out. I sighed in relief, closing my eyes. "Thank you."

How's that for a speedy update?

I'll try to finish editing Ch.3 by next weekend, but Ch.4 hasn't been written yet soooo... That'll be in a while.

By the way, this will have more and more free-written scenes as time goes on. I'm just kind of forced to follow plot at this point.