Thank you to everyone who has followed, added Swim to their favorites, and reviewed this! Unfortunately this is the last chapter I had prewritten and chapter four is not nearly halfway done so the next update may not be for a few weeks. Please stick with me, though, and I promise to make it worth your while.

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Disclaimer: I do not own any piece of The Walking Dead franchise. If I did, I would be eating sandwiches with Norman Reedus, not writing fan fiction. The character of Emma Louise Prescott is one hundred percent mine, as she was created by me after watching too many episodes of The Walking Dead.

September

I wake up to the sun shining brightly in my eyes and don't know whether I am alone or not. It can't be any later than nine in the morning. I stand from my bed and stretch my arms above my head. My stomach growls but I ignore it. No eating until noon, that's the rule. I look down at myself and decide not to change, yet, as I want to shower before putting on clean clothes. The flannel shorts and tank top I'm wearing will have to be decent enough for now.

When I open my door, the doors that surround me are all closed. Either the group is still asleep or they closed them before running out before I was awake. There is nobody downstairs and for my own piece of mind, I go down into the basement to see if any food is missing. There isn't.

Hmm.

From the kitchen, I glance into the backyard and see that one of the barn doors is slightly open. Shit, I think to myself. A walker must have gotten in. I slip on a pair of flip flops I left by the back door and grab the shovel I keep on the outside of the house, near the door. I walk quickly to the barn but quietly open the door, expecting to see an undead eating an animal. Instead, I see Shane on a stool milking Betsy, Mama's favorite cow.

"Jesus Christ," I breathe out, letting the shovel fall to the ground. "You scared me," I tell him with a hand over my heart. He looks over to me and smiles, still milking Betsy. "What?" I ask. The smile on his face doesn't go away, but he shakes his head.

"You think I was a walker?" I nod. "And you were gonna kill me with that?" I look down at the shovel only to find that I had accidentally grabbed a wide-toothed broom used to sweep the porch. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks and Shane laughs at me, shaking his head. He finishes with Betsy, stands up, and wipes his hands on his pants. "So tell me, Emma. Is there anything you're hiding from us?"

My mind goes back to the conversation I heard last night, to when Maggie accused me of having a plan to kill them and Andrea bringing up Benning. I decide not to let Shane know I heard his group talking about me, and instead answer his question as truthfully as I can.

"Shane, I don't know how much more open I can be. I told you about my mother, about my life before the world went to shit. Hell, when I ran into you in town I offered you bags of supplies and told you how to get to the gas station. I opened my home, my safe zone, up to you and your group. What have I done to betray your trust?"

"Don't take it personal, Emma," Shane replies as he moves closer. His stance is one of authority, like he's speaking for the group when he speaks to me. "It's just, we all find it hard to believe that a girl your age could survive out here all by herself, 'specially since you try to kill walkers with brooms." He stops for a moment to chuckle again and I stomp my foot, ready to protest. He stops me by holding his hand up. "But the thing is, Emma, I believe you. See, I was a cop before all this and I know a liar when I see one. You ain't a liar, but I don't think you're telling the whole truth. We all got secrets, but there ain't no more room for secrets in this world. Those people in there―the ones you opened your home to―they're the only people I got left. I may not show it, but I care about them a lot, and I will not stop myself from hurting anyone who tries to hurt them. Whatever secrets you're hiding, know that if they could possibly harm them, well, I won't be held accountable for my actions." He's as close to me as he can be without touching me, and he looks down into my eyes and I notice they are stern and serious, yet inquisitive at the same time. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," I tell him without the stammer he was more than likely expecting. Being an RA, I'm used to dealing with men―boyfriends of the girls in the dorm―in my face for some reason or another. Add to it that Daddy always told me to stand my ground and, well, I'm not afraid of a little confrontation. "And if you ever speak to me like I'm a child again, I will kick you and your group off my land without a second thought." I step forward so we are nose to chin, then look up to meet his gaze. "Do I make myself clear?"

Shane's eyes look to the side and then back at me. I've made him uncomfortable. Good.

"Do I make myself clear?" I repeat, not backing down.

"I'll take care of the group," is all he says before taking a step back and heading out of the barn.

-x-

The first to come downstairs is Glenn. He takes a seat at the kitchen table and watches me move. I've showered and changed clothes―into jean shorts and a simple black t-shirt―since my encounter in the barn with Shane and am currently working on lunch for everyone. It's nice having something to do, being able to help someone. Just the thought of human companionship used to make me anxious during the months I was alone, and now that it's here I am the complete opposite. It almost feels normal, like I didn't meet these people during the apocalypse and they're guests of Daddy or Mama that I'm trying to make feel at home. I open the bag of frozen strawberries that I grabbed from downstairs and throw some in a bowl with frozen blueberries. Glenn is still watching me, and I can't figure out if it's because he's just as shocked as I am that someone else is alive or if it's because he's been told to by Shane.

When I came in the house after taking care of the milk from Betsy, Shane had already retreated back upstairs. I heard doors opening and footsteps from above my head as I sat at the table and waited. I wanted to give them their privacy and let them talk about me freely, without overhearing this time. I gave them twenty minutes before I went upstairs to shower and change. They were crowded into the small guest bedroom next to Mama and Daddy's room when I went upstairs, and by the time I was done they had gone back to their separate rooms. I guessed that Shane was sleeping in the small guest room based on its proximity to the stairs―if there needed to be a quick exit, he would be the one to handle it first. I knew Glenn and Maggie were sharing a room and assumed they would be in the slightly larger guest room, off in the back of the house. That left the room next to mine for Andrea, the room that was originally supposed to be for the sibling that my parents never got around to creating. Their rooms weren't important to me, but I wanted to know, and still want to know, if they're going to be staying.

"Would you like some fruit?" I ask Glenn as I take a seat across from him at the table, pushing the bowl toward him.

"Thank you," he says, grabbing a handful of berries. I nod.

There isn't much to say, and the silence between us becomes awkward quickly. Maggie joins us just as Glenn goes for another handful, probably making the situation worse. The last thing I need is for her to think I'm trying to steal her boyfriend. I already have a boyfriend, I just don't know where he is.

"Want some?" I ask her to be polite.

She shakes her head. "No thank you. I'm allergic." With a quick look down, she sighs heavily and looks at me. "Emma, I'm sorry for the way I treated you yesterday. I wasn't being fair to you. I didn't know you had to kill your Mama, I had no business judging your means of survival."

"I accept your apology," I tell her because there's nothing else I can say. Even if I didn't accept it, I would say that I did. It's how Mama raised me. "And I'm sorry for mentioning how thin you look. It wasn't very friendly of me."

Maggie nods in response and the conversation ends. Glenn is still eating from my bowl of fruit when Andrea and Shane walk in, Andrea with a face of stone and Shane smirking at me like he's been doing since I met him. It seems that every time I look at him he's smirking―I think it's a tactic to make me uncomfortable but it doesn't work.

"Emma," Shane begins, "I would like to thank you for taking us in for the night. It was very kind of you, but I'm afraid we won't be staying any longer."

I am not the only one in the room who is shocked; the look on the faces of Glenn and Maggie proves this to me. Glenn stands, as if to protest, but Shane stops him by lifting his hand: the universal symbol that says hang on.

"While we appreciate the meal you made for us and the warm beds you provided, we must continue on to our original destination."

"Which is?" I ask, interrupting him.

Shane smirks at me again. "The plan is to head North, near Washington. Figure they would have done everything possible to protect the big money and even bigger egos." I nod. I respect his decision, even if I would rather have them stay here with me, if not for their safety but my sanity. "Glenn, pack everything into the truck. Andrea, Maggie, make sure the guns are still loaded and locked." Wordlessly, the group follows his orders. They leave together and head in different directions, the quietest I've ever heard them be. Shane looks at me again with that dumb smirk. "Good luck on your own, Emma," he says dryly before following in the footsteps of his group.

-x-

I hand Andrea a bag full of canned goods that she places in the back of the truck, next to the two cases of bottled water and cooler filled to its brim with meat. Sure, Shane and I didn't get along, but my conscience wouldn't be able to handle sending them off with nothing. When her hand brushes mine, I look into her eyes and find that they're pooling with tears. Andrea and I haven't had much time to talk and I'm not sure if I'm reading her correctly.

"Are you okay?" Daddy's words rang in my head: The only way to ever know if you're right is to ask questions. Never be afraid of asking questions, Emma.

She looks surprised that I spoke to her and I regret not doing so when I had the chance to yesterday. "I'm fine," she says, but water still lines the bottom of her eyes. "It's just...I feel like he's making an irrational decision, here. Winter is coming. Frost was on the grass this morning. We've gone for months without stability and now that we finally found it he wants to leave. I just...I'm sorry," she looks at the ground. "I'm complaining when I shouldn't be. I should be thankful that I even have a group."

"You don't have to go with him, you know," I say softly. "He's not your keeper."

Leaving her to her thoughts, I head back into my house to find Glenn and Maggie standing in the living room hugging tightly. I don't say a word, only head upstairs with one goal in mind: find Shane. When I find him, he's in the small guest bedroom, just as I predicted he would be, packing clean clothes into his duffel bag. I guess he found the washer and dryer. I want to walk in without a care, but since I'm in Mama's house and Mama taught me to mind my manners, I knock twice before entering.

"Are you out of your damn fool mind?" Mama also taught me to speak with respect, but she lost the ability to tell me what to do when she tried to eat me. "Glenn, Maggie, Andrea―they don't want to leave. One look at them and you would see it; the tears brimming their eyes and the fear on their faces. I know you've got some sorta distaste for me and sure, that's fine because I actually think you're kinda an asshole, but don't do this to them just because you can't stand me. Don't risk their lives because you're selfish enough to leave."

"You think I'm being selfish?" he laughs, zipping the duffel. "Oh, Emma. That's a real gem. We ain't leaving because I think you're a spoiled, ungrateful little bitch. We're leaving because I know there's something out there, something that you know about but aren't talkin' about, and dammit I'm gonna be the one to find it."

"You have so much to prove that you're willing to risk the lives of three other people just to do it?"

Shane slings the duffle over his shoulder and huffs a laugh. "You wouldn't survive twenty minutes out there, Emma." His face gets closer to mine than it did in the barn. I can feel his breath on my nose as he looks down at me. "Don't pretend that you know anything about what this world is like." He slips past me, into the hall and down the stairs.

I try to stop my hands from shaking.

-x-

Hugs and a million "thank you"s are the final interaction I have with Glenn, Maggie, and Andrea before they pile into the Expedition. Shane makes sure all the doors are closed before smirking at me and crossing his arms over his chest.

"You could solve this, right now," is what he tells me. "Tell me what you know, why your eyes lit up when I mentioned Benning, and we'll stay. Their lives will be in less danger."

"Don't try to put this on me!" I all but shout. Three gazes are watching my every move, trying to figure out what's going on. "I told you that I know nothing. All I know is my Daddy got a hunch and got prepared. I'm sorry that your intuition isn't as good as his was...is. Don't do this to them, Shane. They're good people. They don't deserve it."

"I took care of them for the last five months, I think I know what they do and don't deserve."

"You are the biggest asshole on the planet," I tell him with a glare. "I hope that one day, if this ever ends, you meet someone and grow old with them. Have yourself a few kids. And then I hope they're taken from you like my Mama and Daddy have been taken from me. It's what you deserve for doing this to them."

Shane uncrosses his arms and loses the smirk. "Good luck on your own, Emma," he says before walking to the driver's side, getting in, and slamming the door shut.

I watch the Expedition drive away as I sit on the front porch, knees to chest, and stay there for awhile even after the hum of its engine is gone. I start to think about when I was a young girl sitting on this very porch, listening to Daddy tell me about what he had done at work that day. It went in one ear and out the other; I was too focused on performing reenactments of scenes I'd seen in Mama's movies to care about molecular biology. Daddy was trying to teach me things, I now know. Trying to prepare me for the madness he knew was out there. It is my responsibility as his daughter to find those lessons now, before it becomes too late to save the three people who don't deserve to die.

-x-

I start in Daddy's office, the room next to the attached garage. We have two garages: one is a standalone in the backyard and houses the two cars and "go bags," and one is attached to the house and contains extra survival supplies along with a backup generator system. I dig through piles of unorganized paperwork, birth certificates, and social security cards before coming across a photo of the three of us: Daddy, Mama, and me. I'm standing between them, one arm draped over Mama's shoulder and the other wrapped around Daddy's back. I'm grinning and Mama has tears in her eyes; I had just graduated high school. Daddy has a happy expression on his face, but he's not smiling―he's looking into the camera like a puppy looks at a leaf blowing in the wind, inquisitive and enthralled with the idea of new things. But he was happy, and that's what matters. Deciding not to get caught up in memories of the past, I push the photo to the side and continue digging for research clues.

I finally find what I'm looking for about halfway through the second desk drawer. There is no label on the 4x6 green notebook, only a scratched out manufacturer's logo that has left a spot of white, fuzzy cardboard on the cover. Its contents are what I'd been expecting: vague and hard to decipher unless you'd known Daddy. His uppercase chicken scratch reads biochemical mass followed by pools of before ending with Iraq. Carefully I put everything back in its place, except the notebook, and head into the family room to continue trying to figure out the end of the world.

-x-

March 2, 1990

Came across an unknown substance in the lab today. Sent from Washington, warns it could be substantial enough to make an impact on future substances. Won't know for sure until tested. Working on it.

April 5, 1990

Test results are back from first three exams. Nothing to worry about, just a few minor precautionary measures to be taken when dealing with Bacteria X.

March 2, 1994

Bacteria X has evolved into something much more harmful. Will test soon.

June 19, 1994

Washington has demanded access to BX and in return we will be compensated with new tech equipment. There's talk it could go to the CDC for further testing but I doubt the probability―they haven't been good for much of anything as of late.

April 7, 1997

CDC says BX is nothing more than sister to Ebola. It's been "taken care of". Heard it may be used in warfare at later time.

November 11, 1999

Found BX growth in a test tube. Checked the dates―was used for original BX testing. Harper wants to inform Washington. We'll see about that.

September 12, 2001

BX has been stolen from the lab. No leads on where it could have gone to. Will inform proper authorities tomorrow.

October 1, 2001

Still no sign of BX. Lab is under watch due to "inability to inform" CDC and other sources of its emergence in test tube. Nothing known on war, though with recent happenings it's likely that BX will be involved somehow.

May 8, 2006

Got word from CNN that Iraq is working on new biological weapon. Mentioned something about evolution and danger correlation. Could this be BX?

December 24, 2008

Trying to find BX repellant. Bad feeling in stomach pits about future biochemical mass.

February 17, 2009

Still no repellant. Working on it.

August 23, 2009

BX has been found in airport bathrooms. Big cities: Chicago, LA, New York. No fix yet, fear running out of time. From previous research, BX seems to grow while submerged.

March 30, 2010

No major outbreaks yet, though testing has confirmed BX is now widespread. No clue on how long it will take before other water contamination occurs. Warnings to keep kids out of pools of water for upcoming Summer should be prepared soon.

January 10, 2011

BX is in all water. So far not harmful to human life.

April 4, 2011

BX has been consumed by all Americans, testing concludes. Will eventually cause mass paranoia and hysteria. Things will not go back to normal after this. Population decreasing is expected, large-scale.

April 5, 2011

First death has been recorded in Columbus. Gary Reign, age 89. Died of old age. Came back due to BX exposure while alive. Will check status of reagent in lab tomorrow.

-x-

Daddy's notes ended that day. There are drawings between entries, random circles with X's covering a majority of the pages. He was driving himself crazy, Daddy was. If he's out there right now, on his way home, I know he's worse. He's blaming himself, wondering if he could have stopped it. He couldn't have, I know that, he knows that. But Daddy, like me, won't ever let someone else take the blame.

I guess we both carry a lot of guilt.

The sun is to the North when I finally head out on to the gravel road in search of Shane and the others. I don't know if it's the idea of human companionship that has me looking for them or the need to prove myself to Shane. Though he's a jerk, I want him to know what's going on. I want to help make an impact on the changed world, even if that's not what Daddy's research was originally intended to do. I want, I need, to prove that I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know what was going on. And now that I know the truth, or as much of the truth as I'm going to know until Daddy comes home, the lives of three people will be saved. Shane's I'm not so sure about. I might kill him before the dead do.

I follow their tracks until three miles out of town when I see the Expedition in the middle of the road. From what I can tell, there are no walkers around. They must have run out of gas.

Dammit. I hope they listened yesterday when I told them not to go looking for gas stations. I should have sent them out with gas cans, not food. Stupid, stupid decisions, Emma.

The Kole barn is off to the right, about a football field's distance away from where the Expedition is parked. As I approach it, I notice footprints in the dirt leading to the wide double doors. The hitch has been lifted off and as I reach to pull a door to enter, the barrel of a gun lines itself with my forehead. Before I have a chance to react, it's gone.

"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here," Shane greets with that stupid smirk on his face. "Did ya miss me that much?"

"Funny," I scoff. The other three turn at the sound of my voice. "What are you doing here? This barn has been empty for years."

"Well how were we supposed to know that, sweetheart? We ain't ever been here before," replies Shane.

"God, Shane, come off it!" Andrea says loudly. "We're all tired and hungry and didn't want to leave Emma's land in the first place, so if you could shut the hell up and apologize to her for being a dick we'd all greatly appreciate it!"

Shane looks at her with an expression I haven't seen from him before. It's sort of like the look Daddy would give Mama when she said something so ridiculous that it could almost be true. Unlike Daddy's look, though, Shane's doesn't have an ounce of pure happiness. His eyes are still as cold and black as the first time I looked into them.

Taking the opportunity, I look at Shane with a triumphant grin. "Well?" I ask comically. Glenn and Maggie move to stand beside him, Andrea follows.

"I ain't apologizing for nothing," he spits angrily. "And if you ask me, Andrea, you should apologize for being such a hypocritical bitch. You, too, Glenn, Maggie."

He's talking about last night. He has to be. While I was unsure of who said what last night, apart from Maggie thinking I had people waiting in the woods to attack them, it's obvious by the looks on their faces that they carry guilt for doubting me. But they don't know that I know the words they spoke of, and, deciding to be the bigger person like Daddy taught me to be, I let their words go with the wind that comes from outside the barn doors.

"Do you think I don't know about your conversation last night?" I ask the four of them. "The vents in my house are like speakers. I heard every word you said, and I forgive you for them. You were simply looking out for yourselves." With a sigh, I continue. "Glenn, Maggie, Andrea―You are more than welcome to come back to my house with me. I would like nothing more than to help you. Shane," I say in a lower register, "you are also welcome. As much as I'd like to punch you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I leave you here alone."

"I'm going," Maggie says first, followed by Glenn and Andrea. They move to stand next to me and Shane doesn't say a word. It's like the classic old Western movies and the inevitable scene with the gun face off, except in this movie only one of us carries a gun and the other fights with wit and charm.

"If you think I'm about to play by your rules, you're crazy," is what Shane finally says to me. "I've given up too much―gone through too much―to be pushed around by some...some bitch who don't know nothin' about this world."

With a nod, I smile at him sweetly. "Good luck on your own, Shane," I tell him before turning to walk back to my car, my three new companions following closely behind.

-x-

It's dusk when I hear the gravel cracking from my spot in the kitchen. I'm cleaning up from after dinner―grilled cheese with bacon and tomatoes―and everyone else is either upstairs or exploring the land on their own. I have no reason not to trust them, for they have trusted me and I've come to terms with the consequences of my decision to let them stay here. Turning off the sink, I open the door that leads to the back porch and wipe my wet hands on my shorts as I walk around to the front of the house.

It's the Expedition. I don't wait for Shane to exit the vehicle before I move towards it, and by the time I reach the hood he's opened the door, slammed it, and is leaning against the warm metal.

"You came back," I state the obvious. He doesn't say anything, simply looks at the ground and kicks the dirt with his feet. Laughing slightly, I repeat myself. "You came back."

"Listen, I...this isn't a power thing, okay?" His voice is strained and his exhaustion is evident. I notice new stains on his shirt but choose not to mention them. "I'm sorry for the way I acted around you and the way I treated you. I've been through too much to fall into a trap now, when I've come so far to finding answers. The last thing I want is for those people in there to hate me and for you to think I'm some sorta high 'n mighty dickwad when you've done nothin' but be welcoming to me. My Mama raised me better than that." When he speaks of his mother, he finally lets his eyes meet mine. "And I'm sure your Mama is the reason you been so kind to me when I don't deserve it."

I give him one nod. One. Any more than that and I may start crying.

"Your room is the way you left it," I say. "Go make yourself something to eat, take a shower. Get some rest. The things I have for you can wait until the morning." As I'm walking back up the steps to the porch, he calls for me. "Yeah?" I ask him, sort of uncomfortable with the situation.

"I'm sorry."

Nodding again, I leave him to gather his things.