Rose rubbed her tired eyes as she follows behind Rick, noticing him start to slow up some before he honked his horn, and pulled over to the side Rose following after him. She sat in the car as Carol climbed out, and everyone started to gather around the front of the car that used to be Shane's.
Rose looked over at Jamie who had fallen asleep, the little girl told her that she'd shot at a walker, and got it in the neck. Rose hated that thought, that her sweet and innocent little girl fired a gun at something that used to be living, but she did it to protect herself, and to protect the group. Rose reaches over and unbuckles Jamie's seat belt, and pulls her to her, the girl waking up a little as Rose climbs out of the car and heads over to the group, standing near Glenn, Daryl only a few steps in front of her.
She came just in time to hear Rick say they'd go get gas in the morning, and stay the night here and set up camp. Rose wasn't for it, but there was really no other choice.
"We'd need to set up a watch, just in case any of them walkers show up." Rose says, setting Jamie down now as Rick nods.
"We can't just stay here though." Carol says looking over at her, "It's not safe we need to keep moving."
"I'm freezing," Rose looks over at Carl, Jamie nodding in agreement as she shivers beside her mother and Rose shrugs of her leather jacket, leaving her in only her flimsy dirty sweater as she wraps the jacket around her daughter.
"We'll build a fire," Lori says looking over at Carol who still seemed to be against staying.
"If you go looking for firewood stay close," Daryl says glancing back at Rose who nods.
"Before the farm was taken over Jamie and I were able to get most of our stuff out, we have blankets we could use for the night." She says, Rick glancing over at her.
"I've only got so many arrows, how you doing on ammo?" Daryl asks Rick saying that we didn't have much, and they were short on food and water.
Rose closes her eyes, trying to think of a plan as Rick starts laying out some ground rules, no one was allowed to go anywhere alone, we'd stay here for the night, camp over by the water. He gave one of his speeches, that always got the group to listen to him, and he started going on about finding a place for them to set up a home, a place to be safe but Rose didn't believe that, there was no being safe here anymore, not ever. Then the conversation turned to Randall, and how he turned into a walker without being bit, making Rose look back up at Rick as he mentions the CDC. Rose wasn't there, but Daryl had told her enough for her to understand what he was talking about.
"We're all infected," Rose looks at him confused, not understanding what he meant but Rick went on, "At the CDC, Jenner told me…Whatever it is, we all carry it."
Rose shook her head, turning away from him as he went on, the group starting to argue about how he kept it from them, Rose got why he did, they would have given up, just start thinking there'd be no hope. There was no hope. Rose knew that. She looked down at Jamie, trying not to think about what were to happen if she ever died…that she'd turn into one of those things. Rose shook her head and started to walk away, back towards her car ripping her arm away from Daryl as he grabbed her.
"Keep an eye on Jamie," She muttered without looking at him, and wipes her eyes, storming away from him, from the group as they continued to argue.
Rose leaned against the SUV, trying to think of a place safe, any place at all where she could go and take Jamie, to keep her from dying, to keep her from turning into one of those things. But it was inevitable, she would die, everyone dies. Dale died, Jimmy died, Patricia died, eventually Rose would die and Jamie would be all alone if she were still alive. There was no getting out of this hell, they were the walking dead. She turned and slowly sat down on the ground, leaning her head back against the SUV as she tries to calm herself down, she needed to be strong to keep Jamie strong, she couldn't let Jamie lose hope.
xXxXxXx
Hours had passed now, they had their camp set up, tensions were high and barely anyone spoke to each other. Rose sat with Jamie near the wall, a quilt blanket wrapped around them as Jamie shivered in her arms. She could hear Carol whispering to Daryl from where they were, trying to convince him to leave the group, leave with her. Rose didn't have a problem with Carol, she'd lost her child, she had been abused, but the thought of Daryl leaving was something she didn't like, nor would she let Carol convince him leave.
Before Rose could interject the conversation a sound in the woods startled everyone, Daryl, Rick, and Glenn all rising to their feet, starting for the noise as Daryl explained that it could have been anything.
Rose stayed quiet, listening as Rick began to argue with everyone, listening as he revealed that he had killed Shane, something that honestly surprised her. She knew Shane was losing it but she never thought Rick would have been capable of killing him. She shushed Jamie as she started to cry, stroking her daughter's hair as Daryl looked over at her, frowning at the sight of Jamie's tears, the group growing silent as Rick said they could leave if they wanted, not a single person moving.
"I'm staying by your side Rick," Rose spoke up everyone turning to look at her, "You've done everything you could to protect this group, and I trust you." She says with a nod, that Rick returned.
"If were done then," Daryl says clearing his throat nodding towards the woods, "We should go see what that was." Rick nods and heads off into the woods with Daryl, Rose letting out a sigh as she leans her head against the wall letting Jamie snuggle closer to her as she tried to sleep.
"Do you really trust him?" Rose looks up at the sound of Carol's voice, and she nods.
"I really do," She says quietly as Carol sits down beside the young mother, her eyes linger on her daughter. The little blonde girl made her think of Sophia, and made her miss her own daughter so much.
"He lied to us," Carol says quietly, looking up at Rose as she shook her head.
"He did it to protect us," Rose defends Rick easily, meeting Carol's sad blue eyes, "If he had told you that we carried the virus do you honestly think you'd want to keep going? Especially after losing your daughter." Rose asked her, Carol closing her eyes as a tear slipped from them. "Carol Rick cares about this group, he cares about you. He just wants everyone to be safe."
Rose watches as Carol nods slowly, more tears slipping down the older woman's cheeks and Rose open's up her blanket, gesturing for Carol to come over. Rose wraps an arm around the woman's shoulder, wrapping the blanket around her as Carol cries softly against her shoulder, Jamie crawling into Carol's lap now to comfort her as well.
Daryl walked alongside Rick quietly as the searched for the make of the noise, the two comfortable with the silence. Daryl respected Rick, he was the bravest man in the group he thought next to Glenn, and he had done thing wrong against him, he wasn't even mad about him leaving his brother on that rooftop anymore. He glances over at Rick as he holds his hand out bringing it back to point to the right, where the sound of whispers were being passed back and forth, followed by a gurgling sound. Rick shares a look with Daryl, gesturing for him to follow his lead and two make their way towards the noises, seeing a small fire in the distance.
Rick squinted his eyes in the darkness, making out four figures, two feminine looking ones that sat around the fire, and then two figures that seemed to have no arms, and they were making those awful noises, walkers.
Daryl kept his crossbow pointed at one of the walkers, Rick to the other as they walked towards the two girls, them both standing up quickly at the sight of people.
"Rick? Daryl?" The sound of Andrea's voice started Daryl and he looked over at the blonde as Rick stares in disbelief. Andrea leaves her place beside Michonne and runs to Rick, throwing her arms around him despite of herself, and did the same with Daryl. "You guys made it out! Is everyone alright?" Andrea asks and Rick nods, his eyes going over to the hooded woman, who wielded to very large sword.
"Uh…Andrea who's?" Rick points behind her and Andrea nods turning back to look at Michonne, swallowing down as she remembers the two walkers the strange woman toted around with her.
"Rick, Daryl this is Michonne, she saved me." Andrea explains and Michonne walks forward, pulling the walkers with her which makes Daryl raise his crossbow again, not wanting those things near him.
"They can't hurt you," The woman spoke up her voice was low, raspy, and she pulled her hood from her face, showing a round pretty face and dark brown skin. "I've made sure they can't hurt anyone." She says, her voice was a little crazed but Rick glances over at Daryl telling him to lower his weapon.
Daryl doesn't like it, but he obeys Rick's request and puts the crossbow back down, scanning the walkers. Their arms were cut off at the shoulders, and they had now lower jaws, and no upper teeth. She'd taken care of any way for them to bite, scratch or even infect anyone.
"Thank you for saving her," Rick says to Michonne but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the walkers, "You're welcomed to stay with us but.." He trails off meeting her eyes as she nods.
"I don't need them anymore." She says quietly and then with a swing of her sword, she beheads both walkers dropping the chain she held in her hand as the bodies fell to the ground. Daryl lets out a whistle thinking to himself that he was going to like this girl.
xXxXxXx
Rose hadn't slept, she was going to sleep until Daryl was back. She stood by the fire, glancing back to where Jamie slept in Carol's arms. She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair looking around at other members of the group, Lori was up still, Carl's awake too but rested against her shoulder, staring off into the trees as he waited for his dead to come home. The Greene's were asleep, Beth leaning against her father, and Maggie curled up against Glenn's chest as they slept. T-Dog stood beside her by the fire, he was prodding at the fire keeping the flames low, but trying to get them to burn hotter. Rose turns at the sounds of footsteps, a smile spreading across her face as Andrea appeared from the woods.
"Andrea!" She couldn't help but say her name, running to her friend and threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly as she cried happily.
"Rose, you're okay." Andrea breaths pulling back, a few tears slipping down her face as Rose laughs a little nodding.
"I thought you were gone." Rose says pulling her in for another hug.
"Of course I'm not gone, I have still yet to kick your ass at a race, can't die when I have that hanging over my head." She jokes laughing with Rose as they continued to hug.
Daryl heads over to the two girls, Rick following behind him with Michonne, his eyes moving to Lori as she stood up with Carl, but neither walked over to greet him. He looks over at Rose and Andrea hugging before Andrea pulls back and goes to hug Glenn who had stood up to greet her, the group gathering around now to inspect the new person they had brought along.
"This is Michonne," Rick says gesturing towards the woman as she gives a small nod, Carl eyeing the katana in her hand curiously. "She saved Andrea in the woods, and she's going to be staying with us…She also has some news." He says scanning the faces of the group as they waited for Michonne to speak up.
"I know a place where we can stay…A prison, fully secure, and most likely full of supplies."