Andrea paced back and forth in her room. She didn't know what to do. She needed to talk to Carol…to finish the conversation. Her thoughts raced as she played her words over and over again. A part of her still didn't believe it, but her gut told her that it was real. That Carol…and Michonne, had been right.
She went over to the cabinet and took out her gun. Checking it to make sure it was still loaded, she shoved it in her waistband, under her shirt.
She jumped when she heard the door slam, and waited, reaching for her gun and shoving it under the sofa.
Phillip came walking in with a smile on his face.
"Hello sweetheart." He crooned, looking her up and down. Normally, that would make Andrea smile, but this time, it made her skin crawl.
She forced herself to smile anyways and walked over to give him a kiss.
"How was your picnic?" He asked casually.
Yeah, you bastard, I'll bet you wanna know, you lying sack of shit! She thought in her head.
"It was…okay." She said, not wanting to appear too excited or upset.
"Just okay?" He asked, curious.
"Well, it's nice having her here, but I feel bad for her. She's been through a lot." Andrea started making it up as she went. Unlike Carol, she, was a good liar.
"What d'you mean?" Phillip asked, going to pour himself a drink.
Andrea's eyes narrowed at his back.
"Well, her daughter died…after months and months of searching and when the herd came, she got separated. She's not exactly the survivor type. She said she was too scared to leave and hid back in the farmhouse and blocking all the doors and windows. She said the herd was there for a couple of weeks before it finally moved on. She stayed locked in that house for months. Finally, the food ran out and she knew she had to go." Andrea said offhandedly.
Phillip took a drink of his bourbon and sat down on the sofa.
"Eventually, she found a road and started following it. Slept in cars that were abandoned. Lived off of stuff she found along the road. Some more farmhouses…stuff like that. She got in trouble a couple miles away from here, she said, and ran, but there were a lot of walkers in the area…poor thing. Must have been scared shitless." She finished, raising her eyebrows as if she was thinking about what she suffered and sympathized with her.
"Carol's a good woman. She had a jackass for a husband and didn't deserve what happened to her. I'm glad she's here." Andrea said before sliding into the seat next to him, and wrapping her arms around his waist.
Phillip took another drink, looking down at Andrea's head which rested on his chest coldly. Something in his gut told him something was up, he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"If you're glad, I'm glad." He said, putting his drink down so he could wrap it around her.
Andrea smiled up at him, but the smile never quite reached her eyes.
###########################################################################
"How're we getting this message to Carol?" Daryl asked, while sitting around the "dinner table".
Rick paused, putting the spoon down, to think.
"We're gonna have to sneak up close enough for someone to leave it in the designated spot." Katelyn offered.
"Yeah, well it ain't gonna be you." Daryl retorted, casting her a glance that said, "I ain't arguing with you about this either."
"I'll do it." Michonne offered.
"You do kinda blend." Daryl joked, earning a glare from Michonne which only made him chuckle harder.
Katelyn kicked him under the table.
"I can get in and out and no one will see me." Michonne said.
"I agree. We'll be in the woodline offering sniper cover if something goes wrong." Rick added, looking at the others who nodded their heads.
"We'll use a few of you to cover us from behind so no walkers sneak up as well." Rick continued.
Daryl nodded, draining the rest of his cup of coffee.
"Aight." He said.
"We'll head out before dark and make our way through the woods, then wait for nighttime." Rick said,
Everyone nodded, praying this worked.
########################################################################
The door to Carol's room opened quickly, catching Carol offguard, as Andrea snuck in and closed it behind her.
"You scared me." Carol said quietly, her hand going to her chest.
"Sorry. I don't have much time." Andrea whispered, "It'll be easier for me to get that flashdrive than you. He either keeps it in his desk or Milton's got it.
"No, Andrea. It's too dangerous." Carol stated, worried that her friend would get hurt.
"Well its dangerous for either of us, but less so for me. I have access to both of them." Andrea reasoned with her.
Carol reached for Andrea to give her a hug.
"Thank you." Carol said, her eyes shone with gratitude. She wasn't sure how she was going to pull this off and Andrea being here was an answer to her prayers.
"I've gotta go, but just be ready." Andrea said, as she peeked out into the hallway, before ducking out and closing the door behind her.
Carol was worried.
She had figured out how she was going to get to the spot where Rick said he'd leave a message and she knew it had to be tonight. She needed to let them know that Andrea was inside as well but she now had to figure out how to get a message to them.
Chewing on her lip, Carol began to brainstorm.
################################################################################
Daryl was loading up gear into the truck when Rick and others came out. Katelyn stood by watching, still angry that he wouldn't let her go, but she had a plan.
"Let's get rollin'!" Daryl yelled to the others, "We don't got all day!"
He looked over at Katelyn. He could tell she was worried and upset that he wouldn't let her come, but he felt much better knowing she was here. Walking over to her, he motioned for her to give him a hug. For a minute, he thought she was going to be stubborn about it, but then she acquiesced and put her arms around him.
"I know yer mad, but I love you." Daryl said. "I can't be thinking about you while I'm worried about keeping them alive. You distract me." He winked at her and she couldn't help but smile.
"Please be careful." She whispered, putting her head on his shoulder.
Daryl smiled.
"I will. I'm too ornery to die." He told her, earning his a playful smack on the arm.
Pulling away, he kissed her quickly, then turned to get behind the wheel of the truck. Sticking his head out the window, he yelled back at her; "See ya tonight!", but he didn't see her there.
Shaking his head, he started up the engine and followed the others out of the prison.
