ML54: Well, it's coming to the end of the season, but don't worry. I obviously will have a season three too.

Shane: I think the evil hat went a bit too far with this chapter.

ML54: So did I, but I think it'll be a good chapter regardless. Rick!

Rick: ML54 doesn't own the Walking Dead in any format.

Family

"...how?" Rick had finally asked the two kids, getting over the shock that two of his friends are now dead.

"We...w-we were driving u-up to Savannah to try a-and find more pe-people..." Louis started, before putting his face in his hands, starting to sob. Eliza put an arm around her brother and continued, the rest of the group giving them their full attention.

"We hit one of the monsters and the car crashed...Me, Louis and Daddy were okay...B-but mommy was dragged out b-by another monster...I-it was too late when daddy woke up..." Kenny let out a sigh. That man had to witness his wife be killed in front of him, just like he had to see his wife's remains himself.

"...When we were running through the woods...these bad people came up and shot daddy in the legs...he told us to run...then they shot him and chased us...that's when we found you..." Eliza was now hugging her brother, tears slipping out of her own eyes. "A monster almost got Louis too...but he managed to slip by..."

"Good." Rick said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Don't worry...we're going to a safe place. California. We've got two more kids you can play with too. Duck and Clementine over there." The two Hispanic children looked up and saw the two with Kenny, Lee and Lily.

"Yeah. Don't worry. We're all here for you." Carl added, supporting his father. Plus, he had taken role of the leader of the kids, it's his job to make sure they're safe.

"I don't feel so good..." Louis said, coughing a little into his hand. Eliza smiled a little to her brother.

"You're just tired...have a nap..."

"Wait. Before you do, may I take a look at you two?" Doc inquired causing the two to look up at him. "I need to make sure you're okay physically."

"You can trust him." Duck mentioned, walking over to ease them of their worry. "He saved my life when I got bit. It's just to make sure you're okay." The two then noticed his bladed arm and went wide eyed.

"W-Where's you're arm?" Louis asked, fearful of what might happen. Doc sighed, deciding to try to put them at ease.

"I had to remove the bite, which was on his arm. That won't happen to you because you didn't get bitten, did you?" The two shook their heads and went to the back with Doc, Charlotte following to help.

"Well, now we go' two orphans wit' us?" Daryl sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Who's gonna look after them?"

"I gu..."

"I will." Shane announced, waking up from his brief coma, causing the others to look up at him in shock. "I know I don't have any kids of my own, but that's also a bonus, I'd have more time to take care of those two and no other kids to over shadow them."

"And dad, he took great care of me when you were in a coma. He'll be good for them." Rick couldn't argue with that logic. Shane had taken care of Carl like he did himself. He knew Shane was capable. But...

"I'll help him." Lily offered, causing the looks to turn to her. "I used to babysit for a few people in my teens and know how to keep them in line and how to care for them." Rick smiled at the two people. He knew he could count on someone to help them.

"Thanks guys. That's great." Just then, Charlotte came back, fear written on her face. This worried Rick greatly. "Charlotte? What's wrong?"

She looked as if she was going to burst into tears in a moments notice. "L-Louis has a n-nasty looking scratch... That walker he slipped buy might not have bitten him..." The group didn't need to hear anything else as Doc came back with the two kids, Eliza clinging to her brother like nothing else matters. That's when they noticed the four, jagged red lines ripped into his torso.

"...It scratched him..."


It was now later in the evening, around six as the train ran it's course through the tracks. It's been about three hours on the road and Louis looked a lot more pale, but appeared to be asleep. Eliza was hugging him, tears continuing to pour from her eyes.

Shane and Lily had explained to the two that they were going to be their guardians and the two looked a little happier at the time. They saw how much fun Carl and Shane had had, so they were looking forward to spending time with the man.

But Eliza would happily give that and everything here up if Louis were to get better. He had to.

"Eliza..." Carl said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "...I'm so..." She violently pulled away from his hand, clenching her eyes shut.

"Don't say it! He's not dying! He's going to be okay! Duck was, right!" Carl looked at the ground, sighing in pity of the nine year old girl who had lost her parents the same day she was losing her brother.

"Doc had removed the bite...But he can't remove those scratches...They're on his torso..." He tried to comfort her again, but she pulled out of his reach again.

"Just go! Leave me alone!" She screamed, angrily at him. Carl nodded, heading back over to the other three kids who looked at him in pity. It must be hard. He was losing one of the group he was in charge of, that he had claimed responsibility for.

"Sorry Carl..." Sophia said, putting an arm around him in comfort. Carl put his head on her shoulder and sighed. Duck and Clementine putting him on his shoulder as well.

"Were you guys close to them?" Duck had asked, wanting to know a little more about the other kids relationship with Carl and Sophia. Clementine wanted to know two, but was too nervous to ask.

"Me and Louis were good friends...We used to play a few pranks on Eliza and Sophia, but was all in good fun." Sophia smiled, fondly.

"Yeah. But maybe if you guys had spent a little more time with the books, you'd be smarter than us." Carl laughed softly, before coughing out a sob.

"They shouldn't have left our group...They would all be alive if they didn't."

"You don't know that..." Clementine offered, off-handedly. "We don't know what could have happened. Only what did. I always wondered if my parents would be alive if they hadn't gone on that business trip. But then I'd never have met Lee or you guys."

"Yeah Carl." Sophia agreed, squeezing him a bit more against her. "As in the Bible. Everything happens for a reason."


Louis stirred a bit in Eliza's arms, causing the girl to wake up from nodding off. "Louis..." She heard a small hissing noise as the others were sleeping, only Shane being awake. With no response, she asked again.

"Lou..."

Suddenly, Louis ripped out of her gripped and revealed a pair of milky white eyes and shot his arms out at her, a strong hiss erupting from his wide open jaw. Eliza screamed, holding him back as Shane sprung up to help.

Louis had turned.

Shane grabbed both the walker and Eliza's shoulders, ripping them apart, causing Louis to turn his attention to Shane, pinning him to the floor. Eliza just watching as Shane struggled with her dead brother...

...dead brother.

She fainted at the thought.

Shane grunted, holding the boy's head back as much as her could. This walker sure was strong for a little kid.

The commotion had awoken a bunch of people, cursing themselves for falling asleep at such an early hour of about eight o clock, and ran to get a weapon.

Duck had went straight in to help though, having a weapon handy. "Hold his head back Mr. Shane!" Shane nodded, pushing the kids head up, struggling to keep it up. Duck pulled his arm back.

Just as the blade was about to strike, Louis's head managed to push Shane's arms down and Duck missed. But his blade then threw into the wooden wall next to them and got wedged in there. "Ah shit!"

Shane could feel his arms weakening from holding him away too long. Just as he was about to give in, Lily came up and shot the walker in the head, putting him down for good.

Shane let go, feeling relief on his arms as the dead kid fell on him, limp. The others surrounded him, some like Carl and Sophia breaking down at the sight. Shane picked Louis up and laid him down gently, going to check on Eliza.

Checking her over, he saw that she was fine. Rick came up to Louis and sighed, turning to Rally. "Stop the train...We can't just throw him out. We need to bury him." Rally nodded, head up front while Lee walked up to Rick, holding a shovel. "We bury our own."

"Those fuckers!" Shane shouted loudly, punching the ground in fustration. "Why?! Why the kids?! God why?!" Rick sighed, putting the shovel down next to Shane.

"I'm sorry Shane...But we need to bury him quickly before walkers catch up to the train." He explained as the train halted. Shane picked up the shovel and Louis, then jumped out the train. Lee and Rick following, Lily picked up Eliza and followed. She may be unconscious, but she'd want to be here.


The whole group was deathly quiet as the train continued on route. They had decided put up some extra grave stones for Morales and his wife next to Louis, since the two of them would want to be near their son in spirit, if not in body.

Suddenly Eliza opened her eyes slowly to see her being cradled by Shane, who smiled sadly to her. "You okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. First time I slept in a while." She smiled back, causing confusion to spread through the group. Shane decided to get straight to the point.

"I meant about you're brother turning and attacking you." She then said something that shocked everyone one.

"I don't have a brother, dad." Eliza had said in confusion. She then glanced at Lily, who was next to Shane at the time. "What's he talking about, mom?"

"E-Eliza...Why don't you go play with the other kids for a while?" She smiled, sweetly at Shane and kissed his cheek.

"Okay dad." She said, walking over to the kids. Rick then approached to them and sighed.

"I didn't think that really happens." He stated to himself, before whispering to the others. "She's been put under SO much stress that she's completely forgotten about her old family and now thinks that you're her biological parents."

"And it might be better for her to keep thinking that." Doc added, causing the others to look to him. "We don't want her to be under stress again. She may just try kill herself." Shane nodded and turned to face the women next to him.

"I think I could do that. What do you think, mom?" Lily shoved him, playfully and smiled fondly.

"I always wanted a daughter. I needed someone to live for. I can do it, dad." Shane smiled and let out a sigh. He had a family now. Sure it was under a very strange circumstance, but it still counted. He could now look at Carl and Lori and not want to take them from Rick, he had Eliza now. Maybe even Lily.

Just what he needed.


Shane: I have a family now?

ML54: I liked you and tried to bring in a factor that meant you wouldn't go crazy and try to kill Rick. I think this is a good solution.

Lori: I quite like this plot twist, though killing off a child. I thought you were against that.

ML54: I wanted something upsetting and really bad to happen. I thought this would qualify. I didn't enjoy doing it, but I guess I had to kill a kid to show the reality of the world they live in soon anyway.

Eliza: Please review, but don't flame.