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"Do you ever shut up?" Carol asked.

"Seven months and you haven't learned a thing," Lilly teased.

Bobby blushed a bit. "Sorry. I—got excited and I tend to babble."

"I was kidding." She reached for another card and paused as their people began to gather, she and Lilly exchanged looks then they joined the others. Another leader had fallen—Pete. Carol knew it wasn't a supply run gone south. It was him. She knew it was him after Shumpert and Martinez mysteriously wound up in the pits. She had no doubts about this, and she was going to confront him. She wouldn't let him get away with this. They were good men, Martinez and Pete. She wouldn't let them die because of his bastard's master plan that would no doubt involve the prison. She had to warn Daryl, and they had to be prepared.

"You okay?" She eyed Bobby as he paled.

"I—I need to be alone."

"You sure?" She set a hand on his arm comfortingly. Bobby and Pete were like brothers. They were best friends from childhood, though Bobby was younger. She didn't want to imagine what he was going through, but she was there if he needed her.

"Yeah." He walked off toward his tent.

"Meredith." Phillip was beside her now.

"Brian." She turned on her heel and walked off.

"That's not very ladylike." He caught up to her and cut her off. "We need to talk."

"Talk?" She crossed her arms. "Okay, let's talk. How'd you do it? Got them drunk? Killed one and let it devour the other? You wanna talk, let's talk."

He laughed humorlessly. "You and I are goin' on a run tomorrow. We need medicine for the boy. You're with him, and you're the only one with medical experience."

"Lilly."

"I need her here. I can trust her to be here. We'll go at tomorrow day break, so I suggest you get your sleep." He walked off.

"Who died and made him leader?" Bobby asked, looking up from where he sat on the ground, half in his tent, half out.

"Don't think about that too much."

He wiped his nose. "Caesar was a good guy. He didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody deserves to die like that. Pete was the best guy, always looked out for us." He ran his fingers through his hair and rocked himself.

She held her hand down to him. "Come with me."

He looked up at her and took her hand, standing. She led him out of the camp, Alicia gave her a nod as they left, and they walked toward the river where Carol and Daryl had done a hell of a lot more than talk, and they sat down by the water as Bobby talked about all that Pete and Caesar had done for him. Carol held his hand for support, watching him try to work out what had happened, and she wanted to tell him about the Governor, but she didn't want to put him in harm's way. He meant a lot to her.

"I just wish that—Hell, I don't even know. It wasn't right."

"It never is." She gazed out at the water. "It's hard to be in this world and have anything be right."

"Ain't that the truth." He released her hand and leaned back, closing his eyes as his back touched the ground. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure."

"Where you been all this week?" He dropped his hand over his eyes to make shade. "You keep watch, eat and bail for hours. Where you goin'? Lookin' for someplace to go to?"

"I'm not going anymore." She turned her head and found him watching her, like always. "What? Don't believe me?"

"Goin' where no more? You always come back so late. I never noticed, but with Mitch keepin' watch lately, I noticed you ain't hardly in your tent in the morning."

"I—Being so exposed in the woods isn't safe. I'm trying to find somewhere for us to go." It wasn't a lie. So many times she and Daryl had talked about finding a place just in case her camp got overrun, just in case the prison fell. Nothing lasts forever, and weather will break any amount of steel, and they don't have the equipment to keep it sturdy. Too many times had their camp fallen, and they had to run. They were remedying that.

"Us?" He sat up. "Or—" He bit back. No. It wouldn't be right. He couldn't let her know. He couldn't. "Meghan and Lilly and them?"

"And you." She knocked her shoulder with his. "I won't leave you behind."

"I know." He reached over and gripped her hand. "You ever gonna tell me 'bout this?"

She looked at the rose on her wrist. She'd let it slip a while ago that her name wasn't Meredith. She didn't mean to, but a few wine coolers will do that to anyone. She'd told them Meredith was her middle name, and they only ones who knew were Tara and Lilly and Bobby, probably Meghan and Alicia too since they live together. They all called her Carol, because she insisted they call her Meredith. It was to annoy her more than anything. And as the days went by and she saw Daryl, her persona was fading. She was losing track of the line where Carol stopped and Meredith started. She wasn't sure how long until it all was revealed and she had to leave.

"Sorry, didn't mean to stress you out."

"You didn't." She smiled a bit. "I'm just thinking."

"It's prettier."

"Hmm?"

"Carol. Meredith seems a bit harsh, and it didn't ever suit you." He was blushing, embarrassed by the look she gave him. "Carol's nice."

"I guess." She stood up and turned away from him, wiping the grass off her pants. "Can't stay out here all day."

"Wish we could. It's nice." He hopped up. "You goin' again tonight?"

"Yes, I am."

"I can join you if you needa hand. I'm good with trackin' and findin' shelter. I ain't gotta keep watch neither, so I can come."

"No, but thank you."

"You don't gotta shut me out, Carol."

"Bobby, I appreciate you trying to help, but I'd rather do this on my own. It's important."

"I know. That's why I wanna help. Carol, please—"

"Please, just stop calling me Carol!" she snapped. "If I wanted you to call me Carol, I would say call me Carol, but I didn't. I would rather be addressed by my middle name. Is that so hard to understand, Bobby? I don't call you Robert or Bob or Robby, so, please do not call me Carol! It's Meredith."

He grasped the back of her neck and kissed her, causing Carol to tense up all over. What the hell?

– – –

It was going so smoothly. It was Beth's first run, Maggie and Glenn and Michonne were away, busy with a run of their own, and Beth was sent with Tommy, Caleb B. Molly—a little kid who had snuck out after her sister Kim—and Kim to find any food supplies in the remains of the Big Spot! Daryl was off hunting for food, Michonne and Rick manned the prison, and it was important that find something. All of the walkers were drawn out by the music that continued to play. Some car batteries.

It wasn't until Beth, Molly and Kim were taking the last of the batteries that it went south. Caleb shot three times, but by the time Beth and Kim reached him, he was being picked alive by a group of walkers. They wouldn't have been noticed if she hadn't whimpered and caught their attention. Beth pushed her to run, to find Tommy, and when they did, it only got harder to escape. The bullets had brought even more walkers inside, they were cutting them off at every turn, and when Beth ran ahead toward the floral department to see if that exit was reachable more just pooled out. She ran into Tommy and they fell over.

"Get up." She stood up. "Tommy, get up! Kim? Molly?"

"Here." They rounded the corner. "We gotta go."

They got Tommy to his feet, Beth rushed ahead with two of their bags over her shoulders and a backpack. She would ache in the morning, but they would have supplies. That was all that mattered. She spotted an exit, dropped the bags just outside and went back to get them, and the walkers were pushing against the doors.

"Come on!" She took off running, and they followed, but Tommy had injured his ankle, and fell over.

"Tom!" Kim dropped to her knees.

"Go, just go." He pushed on her shoulders. "I'm slowing you down, and I don't want that. I'll slow them down instead. Go."

Kim shook her head, starting to cry.

"We don't got time for this!" Beth informed them. "Tom, get up! The exit is right—"

A walker broke through the roof and splattered all over the floor beside Tom, Kim screamed, and the remaining roof began to shake. Beth grabbed Molly to help her out when walkers fell in front hole in the roof, and they were coming in from down the hall.

Everything happened in slow motion and white noise rang in her eyes. Kim screamed at Beth to get Molly out of there, Beth thought she was, thought she had a grip on the little girl, but it happened like a car accident. First the brakes squeal—Kim's screaming—then the car jolts—Molly got Kim's gun and shot poorly at the walkers that came in from the other room and from the roof, nearly shooting Beth in the forearm—and there's the collision—the walkers devoured Molly's face, dragging her to the floor. Kim went ballistic and lunged at them, trying to kill them with her knife, but there were too many, and they swarmed over her and Tommy likes ants. Flesh ripped as easily as wet tissue paper, blood filled the air, and the screams were amplified—booming into Beth's ears.

Get out of there. It was her father's voice. Bethy, get out of there! Now!

Her body reacted as the walkers stumbled over each other to fest, to try to get Beth as dessert. She grabbed the bags and ran, the wind whipped at her ears, but the white noise filled her brain. She just kept running.

But once the noise had stopped, Beth stopped. She dropped the bags in the middle of the road, it was vacant, but she heard screaming.

BETH! It sounded like it was stretched out. BEEEEEETTTTTHHHH!

She saw the bodies being torn into, white flesh gone red, happy smiles replaced with bloody smiles, laughter turned to screams. It sounded like a mop, a big wet thud. That's what it sounded like when the walkers ripped apart Molly's chest, ripping the clothes or eating them, she wasn't sure. But that sound just echoed all around her, and she heard Patricia screaming in pain as they dragged her out of Beth's arms.

No... She covered her ears. No! She tried to shake it off, but the blood was everywhere. She'd never seen so many people being torn into at once. It was like a buffet for the homeless or when Jimmy and Shawn would come in from playing ball and just tear into the food Ma made. Chewy yet tough flesh, hardened fingernails scrapping along their mouths, clumps of hair tangling in their teeth, and warm juices rushing down their throat into their decomposing bodies.

She fell to her knees and threw up, her name echoing in her ears. Stop it. Please, stop it. She shook her head.

She saw Shawn and Ma, having that same eternal hungry, and she curled into a ball. That could have happened to Patricia, to Otis. They might not have eaten them completely up. They might of turned. Patricia would be missing chucks of neck and pieces of her arms and legs. She might not even have legs. She might be crawling around like the walker Rick killed before he headed off to find his wife and son. She could be just a head. As long as the brain was intact, they would come back.

Suddenly that didn't matter anymore. She saw the farm, the sun shining down on it, flowers blooming, her parents on the porch, Shawn and Maggie playing a game of cards, and Jimmy waving her over. She could smell the flowers, feel the heat of the sun, hear Ma's laughter, Daddy's deep chuckle. She walked slowly, at first, not sure her eyes were right, but they were.

Beth?

The image jerked, and she saw darkness spreading across the farm and storm clouds formed in the sky. No, please, don't! A thunderbolt shot down from the sky and her family—her home—was...gone, as if it never existed.

Beth?

She pulled her gun out and aimed at the sky.

"Beth!" Daryl grabbed the young girl, the gun fell to the ground, and she passed out. "Beth?" He eased her down to the ground and grabbed a bottle of water, lightly sprinkling it on her face. Her eyelids fluttered, and she shivered. "You all right?"

"Daryl?" She was scared to open her eyes.

"What're you doin'?"

"Daryl." She began to sob and buried her face in his chest. "Please, be real, be here."

"I am real." He pushed her back and held her at arms length. "Beth, open your eyes."

"No. I don't want to see."

"Ty." Daryl gestured to the bags behind him and picked her up, placing her in the backseat of the car. He helped Ty with the bags, stopping as he saw Beth rocking herself, crying into her knees, squeezing her eyes shut. He could hear her murmuring, "It's not real... It's not real... It's all not real."