With this chapter, I want to say rest in peace David Bowie. During my senior year of high school, I was obsessed with him. My condolences go out to the Bowie family. We really lost a legend.


Chapter Seven

The sign was found by midday.

Instantly, Rick took out a pad of paper and jotted down the map. Daryl wanted to turn around and head back once the last line was drawn, but Rick slipped the paper in his pack and motioned for them to huddle together.

"It says 'Sanctuary for All'," he recited from the top of the sign. "There's no way we know that for sure. The plan is to have some of you follow the directions and check the place out."

"You want us to split up?" Daryl asked.

"I know the plan isn't solid, but I don't want us to walk into a trap. The two that scout the place out can find a place to hole up somewhere as they scout Terminus. The rest of the group should be up there within a week."

"And what if the place is a trap?" Andrea stepped forward to ask.

"Then, we'll have a meet up place. We will meet there with them and go on to Terminus, if it is safe. And if it's not, we'll still meet there and move on to something else," Rick answered. "I realize there are plenty of things that can go wrong with this, so we need two people who are quick on their feet and work well together."

Everyone turned at once to look at Glenn and Maggie.


Waiting for the group to come back was the worst kind of torture. Hershel and Carl took turns looking out the window, hoping that somehow Lori and Beth would materialize on the street alive and well.

"Twelve more hours and we'll be on the road to Atlanta, missy." Merle took the empty seat next to Carol at the table. From where she sat, she had a clear view of everyone in the living room. Randall was dozing off on one end of the couch and Sophia was reading a book by candlelight on the other end.

"I know," Carol sighed. The words she had said without thinking were coming back to haunt her, but she couldn't back down now. She had told Hershel she'd look for Beth and Lori. "Daryl is going to kill me," she mumbled and placed her head in his hands.

"Not if he comes before we leave. Then, he and I can go look for that girl and Officer Friendly's wife."

"Uh. I don't think so."

"And why not?" He asked, trying to appear innocent and failing. Carol knew that even if Merle were ever innocent of something, he'd still look guilty.

"You leave and you won't come back. I'm not stupid."

"Aw. Do you have so little faith in Daryl that he wouldn't come back to you?" Merle was baiting her.

"Of course not. But I do have faith that you would do something to him that would make him leave with you." She tried hard to keep her voice down so that no one else in the room could hear their conversation.

"Oh!" Merle clutched his chest. "You wound me!"

"Shut up." Carol stood up, done with the conversation and walked over to where her daughter was sitting. "Time for bed, sweetie." She ran a hand through Sophia's blond hair. "Carl, are you coming to?" The boy stood from the floor where he had been sitting by Sophia's feet and silently nodded before following them to the room.

"The bed is big enough for the three of us," Carol said as she tucked the two in. "I'll come back in a little while and I'll be sleeping between the two of you." Carol tapped Sophia's nose with a finger, who rolled her eyes.

"Mom," she sighed. However, it did get a tiny smile from Carl, so Carol considered it a win.

"Sleep tight, baby." She kissed Sophia on the cheek and did the same for Carl, knowing that it was something Lori did, as well.

"Night, mom."

Carol blew out the candle on the nightstand and slowly walked out of the room. When she closed the door, she made sure to open it just a crack in case one of them called out. As she left the room, she hoped this wouldn't be the last time she tucked her daughter in.


Lori tried to put on a brave face as the car they were in drove into the streets of Atlanta. Beth clung to her side and every once in awhile let out a sob. It was all so traumatizing for the girl. Being taken away from her father and being forced into a car by strange men. If Lori had been alone, she would have been crying, too. But she had to be strong. For Beth and for the baby growing in her stomach.

The car stopped and the two men climbed out. One opened the door and grabbed Beth, who let out an alerted scream before being silenced with a hand over her mouth. "Quiet," the man hissed. "You want to alert every walker in Atlanta to where we are?"

"And where are we?" Lori asked when the other man pulled her out. They stood in front of a very large structure, one that looked familiar, but it was too dark to make out what it was.

"Grady Memorial Hospital."

"A hospital?" Lori's free hand ghosted over the slight bulge in her stomach.

"We'll show you to a room and then, we'll introduce you to Dawn." The man holding Beth spoke. They were making their way to a door. Other men dressed as police officers met him there.

"Dawn?" Lori asked, trying to find out as much as she could about this place, though, she didn't know how much help that would be. Rick was still out there somewhere and there was no way Carol and the group back at town knew where they were.

At least, my baby will be born in a hospital, Lori thought as they were led into the building.


They stopped for the night, even though Daryl wanted to keep walking straight through. The heavy feeling in his gut hadn't gone away since it had appeared that morning. "You feeling off, too?" Rick joined him on watch while everyone settled into the tents.

"Been feelin' this way for a while," he answered.

"I started feeling it when we said goodbye to Glenn and Maggie." He took a seat on the large rock Daryl was leaning against and placed his head in his hands.

"Do you think it has something to do with Glenn and Maggie or something back home?"

"Don't know. I know Glenn and Maggie are capable of being out there on their own, but we left Lori and Carol with Hershel and Merle."

"Carol is capable of keepin' everyone safe," Daryl defended.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Carol's changed a lot from the quarry and I'm positive it has a lot to do with you, doesn't it?"

"She's always had the strength in her; she just needed the chance to let it show."

"It didn't take too long for you two to get together."

"We knew each other when we were younger. A lot younger," he said. No one else knew the story of how they met and became friends. Not even Merle. "She was my best friend the summer I was nine." She had been his only friend. "I had a crush on her back then and when we met, again, it grew into something more." The words felt odd coming from his mouth, but he couldn't take them back, now.

"That sounds like something from a movie," Rick sad with a small. Daryl couldn't help but chuckle and agree.

"Fate wanted you two together, it seems," Rick continued. "Wish Lori and I had a story like that to tell." They fell into an awkward silence after that. Daryl didn't know what to say to Rick after he mentioned Lori. He knew that they were having marital problems, especially after Lori found out that Rick had killed Shane. He didn't want to get involved. No one did.

"If we leave first thing in the morning, we should be back by the afternoon. Then, we can start on towards Terminus." Rick pulled out the pad, though the only light they had was from the moon. "We can head there in our cars and here, where the road crosses the tracks, is where we'll meet Glenn and Maggie. We might have to go on foot from there."

"Sounds good," Daryl said absentmindedly. His mind was far off. If it were possible to head back during the dark, he would have done it. The feeling in his gut seemed to be getting worse.


The sun was barely peeking through the slit in the curtain when someone started to bang on the door. The three of the occupants shot up in the bed and the only adult there, reached for her gun and leapt from the bed thinking there was trouble.

When she opened the door, she nearly emptied the clip into the culprit. Merle Dixon stood there with a large, smug smile on his face. "Time to go, missy. We're already wastin' daylight."

"I should kill you for scaring me and the children like that."

Merle instantly covered his throat with a forearm and took a step back away from the angry woman. "Hey, you were the one who wanted to leave as early as possible."

"I never said that," she argued. Truthfully, she wished to wait a few more hours just in case Daryl returned.

"Fine, you didn't say that. But if you want to make it to Atlanta before dark, we need to leave soon."

Carol sighed, knowing he was right. "All right. Just give me a few minutes to get some things ready." She turned and shut the door in his face. Carl and Sophia were looking at her with wide eyes.

"You're leaving, mama?" Sophia crawled from the bed and threw herself into Carol's arms. "You can't go. Daryl isn't here, yet."

"I have to, honey. I promised Hershel I would. Don't you want Beth and Lori back?"

"I do, but can't you wait until Daryl goes back so he can go with?"

"That could be days, Sophia. The more we wait the more trouble they can be in. We need to get them out of there." Sophia took a step back, reluctantly, and nodded in agreement. Carol reached for her back and stuffed some clothes inside.

"I'll be back before you start to miss me." She hugged Sophia and kissed the top of her hand. "You must behave and listen to Hershel while I'm gone and remember, don't go anywhere without a weapon. That goes for you too, Carl." The boy nodded, still sleepy.

Carol reached back and opened the door. "Get some more sleep, Sophia. I'll be back soon." With another kiss, Carol slipped out of the room and went to join Merle in the living room. Hershel was already up and putting things in another bag for Merle.

"You two must be careful out there," he said. "I don't want you to end up like my daughter and if things get too bad, don't hesitate to come back." The older man reached for Carol and engulfed her in a hug,

"Daryl isn't going to be happy with you when he gets back," he whispered in her ear.

"I know, but he'll understand why I had to do this." She stepped back and smiled at the older man who returned one.

"Come on!" Merle called from the doorway. "Still wastin' daylight over here."

"I got to go." She squeezed Hershel's shoulder and followed Merle out of the building.

They walked to one of the vehicles. Merle hopped into he driver's side and Carol slid into shotgun. "I hope you know where we're going, Merle."

"Don't worry, lady. I do." He started he car and stepped on the gas, sending them screeching down the road. Carol briefly wondered if this was a good idea.


It was mid-afternoon by the time the familiar street of the town they were holding up in came into view. They had been delayed a few hours when a large herd had crossed the train tracks in front of them. Luckily, they had all been able to climb a tree before they could be spotted.

Daryl's steps quickened, along with Rick's, as the building came into view. The feeling in his gut worsened as he stormed up the stairs to the apartments. Hershel's head peeked out of one of the rooms and below his head, so did Sophia's.

"You're back!" She cried and ran to give him a hug. Carl ran past them to do the same with Rick.

"Yeah, I'm back." He ruffled Sophia's hair when she stepped away from him. The hug had shocked him, but he hadn't minded it. "Now, where's your mom?"

"Son, I think you'll want to sit down," Hershel spoke and then, looked to Rick. "You, too."

"Where's Lori?" Rick stepped forward, a look of panic on his face.

"She was taken by two men, along with Beth," the older man said sadly.

"And what does that have to do with Carol? She didn't get taken, too, did she?" Daryl felt like he was going to vomit.

"Like I said, son." Hershel ushered him inside the apartment. "You'll want to sit down."


Thanks for reading!