Shane couldn't sleep. Nothing felt right. Nothing was right. The darkness in his tent and the coldness of the night didn't help.

Something rustled outside his tent and Shanes hands automatically went for his rifle. He poked his head outside and saw the slim figure of a woman exiting the camp. Instantly he knew it was Lori. He didn't see her face, and it was too dark to see the color of her hair but Shane could tell it was her. Quietly, he crawled out of his tent. Once out he glanced around. There were no other sounds in the camp. After a moment of listening Shane silently followed the direction Lori had left.

As he neared the edge of the road Shane saw Lori standing there; still and quiet in the dim light in the dim light. Even in the darkness she looked radiant. "You've been avoiding me." Shane said as he came upon her. Lori jumped and spun around to face him. When she saw him anger flashed across her face and she stepped back.

"Why the hell do you think that is?" She demanded. "My husband is back."

"You think I'm not glad about that?" Shane asked feeling even more upset.

"You were the one who came back claiming he was dead!"

"He got shot in the head Lori!" Shane whispered forcefully, "I saw a man pull the trigger and blood fly out of my best friend's head! What the hell was I supposed to think?!" He took a deep breath, "And wha-what? Do you think I said he was dead so I could get with you? Lori I never even looked at you before Rick was shot. That wasn't meant to happen. I fell for you and.."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did. How else did it happen? How else did I end up sleeping with the wife of a man I love?"

"You sleep with everybody Shane."

"You were different. You know you were different. And the only reason you're avoiding me is because you felt something too." Lori reacted as if she'd been slapped.

"That is not true." She declared.

"It is and you know it." Shane stepped closer to her. He reached out a hand to cup her cheek. Lori flinched away from him and stepped further back.

"I don't love you Shane." She turned around and walked quickly back to the camp. Shane watched her go, hurt and anger rising in his chest.

CRACK! Smoke rose out of Rick's Colt pistol. "Here now you try." he said and handed the revolver to his son. Carl took the pistol and cocked it. "Nope, put it on half cock." Rick told him. Carl corrected the mistake and then took a brass cap out of his pocket. He carefully placed the cap on the correct nipple and then aimed the weapon. Then Carl cocked it and pulled the trigger. White smoke came out of the barrel once more. "Well look at that." Rick commented, "You hit the target." Carl grinned.

"Can I fire it again?" he asked.

"Absolutely. You're gonna fire all remaining four shots and then you're gonna learn how to load it."

Carl was a natural shot. The target Rick had set up for him wasn't that far away but he didn't expect Carl to hit it every time. When the gun was empty Rick took the pistol away form his son.

"Here's how you load it." He said, he reached into his coat and pulled out a packet of Colt ammo. Rick opened up the packaging to reveal six pistol cartridges, "These cartridges are different from the rifle cartridges Shane showed you yesterday. You don't rip them open and pour the powder in. You load the powder and ball into the cylinder still wrapped in the paper."

"How does that work?" Carl asked with confusion. Rick smiled.

"The paper in these cartridges is a special type of paper. It's called nitrate paper and it burns much more easily than regular paper. When you fire the pistol the explosion from the cap burns right through the nitrate paper and ignites the powder."

"Coool!" said Carl looking at the nitrate cartridges carefully. "Why don't we use them in rifles?"

"Good question." Rick told him, "It's because nitrate paper is more expensive than regular paper and we don't need it as much with rifles. Ripping open a paper cartridge once every time you load isn't that big of a deal. But when you're loading a revolver you have to do it six times and ripping open a cartridge to pour your powder for each of your six shots wastes a lot of time your enemy can spend shooting at you."

"Okay." Carl said nodding, "I still think it would be better to have nitrate paper for rifle cartridges."

Rick chuckled, "It would be; but there's not much we can do about it. So how about you learn how load this thing." Rick stuck one of the cartridges into one of the cylinder holes and rotated it so the ball was underneath the barrel. "See this lever?" he asked grabbing the small loading lever that was connected to the barrel's belly.

"Yeah."

"You rotate the ball under it here, and then you pull down on the lever pushing the ball into the cylinder." Rick demonstrated. The lead ball was larger than the cylinder hole and a small ring of lead was left on the outside of the cylinder as Rick pushed it in. "Now you do it." Rick said handing the colt and ammo pack to Carl. Carl accepted the gun and balls and proceeded to load the five remaining rounds "Now that you've done that." Rick told his son, "You're gonna want to cap all six rounds."

"But you had me cap each one right before I shot them." Carl objected.

"Yes. I wanted you to get used to doing that. You need to always make sure that your nipple is capped. If you fire a gun without capping it you can damage the nipple. You damage the nipple and you might as well be holding a club. With a pistol it's good to have all six rounds capped from the start that way you don't have to waste time capping every time you fire. However, sometimes a cap or two will fall off which is why you need to be prepared to cap it every time you pull the trigger." Carl nodded.

"Why are we shooting round balls instead of the pointy ones you and Shane use?" he asked as he proceeded to cap all of the nipples.

"Because the balls Shane and I use are made specially for rifles. Pistols don't need to use those balls and the round ones are easier to make."

"Why do rifles need special balls?"

Rick chuckled once more at his son's inquisitiveness. "Rifles have special barrels. The inside of a rifle has spiraling grooves that spin the ball on it's way down the barrel. That causes the ball to be more stable in flight which allows it go further and shoot more accurately. The problem with using round balls is that they have to be the exact same caliber as the riffle barrel so that the grooves can engage the ball. Remember what Shane and I told you about the ball being too tight?"

"You can only shoot it once." Carl answered, "And then it gets too dirty for another ball to fit."

"Exactly. The ball that we use for rifles is called a 'Minie ball' and is shaped like a hollow cone. When the powder explodes behind it the base of the cone expands causing it to touch the grooves of the rifle. That means you can make the ball small enough to be loaded but it will still expand enough to engage the rifling."

"That's cool." said Carl.

"Yeah itis." Rick agreed, "Now hurry up and fire those six shots. We need get on the road again."

"Yes dad."

Carl pointed the pistol, cocked it and fired. He hit all six shots again.

The second day of the journey began. James, Jimmy and Dale drove the wagons again. James was unarguably the best at handling the two draft horses and nobody disputed his position on the wagon. Rick didn't know if the kid was just naturally good with horses or if he had driven that particular pair before. Jimmy and Dale each owned the wagons they were driving and thus demanded their right to drive them. Or rather Jimmy demanded. Nobody even considered the idea of making the older Dale walk. On the other hand Rick knew that the coloreds were eyeing Jimmy angrily. It had been agreed that women and children could also ride if they chose to. So far only the Peletiers, Amy, and Jimmy's family had ridden. That would change. eventually.

It was about midday when Rick estimated they were an hour and half out from the small settlement of Rock Bridge. He walked over to Daryl who was in front of the lead wagon walking next to his horse. "We're about three miles out from Rock Bridge." Rick told him and pointed to the settlement's location on Dale's map. You think you can ride ahead and check it out?"

"Yeah sure." Daryl said curtly.

"You know I can go scout myself if you let me use your horse."

"Nobody rides bandit but me." Daryl responded and mounted his mustang.

"You want to at least take my gun this time?" Rick asked unholstering his Colt.

"Nah. I'm good." Daryl spurred his horse forward and rode off down the road. Rick re-holstered his gun and watched the woodsman go. He didn't like relying on the former Klansman so much. Rick waited for Shane to catch up to him and resumed walking down the road.

They were a little over a mile from the town when Daryl returned. He rode right up to Rick and dismounted in one fluid motion. "We might have a little problem." He said.

"What's wrong?" Asked Shane.

"We got walkers in Rock Bridge. Not a lot, but enough I wouldn't want to waste my time there."

"Can we make it through?" Rick asked.

"They're pretty well spread out so maybe. I don't know how fast those wagons can go but get them going at top speed and maybe pick off a few walkers here and there you should be good."

"Everybody halt!" Rick shouted. James heard him first and brought the lead wagon to a stop. The other wagons followed suit. Rick waited patiently for everyone exit the wagons and come over to him. When the whole group standing around him Rick spoke, "Up ahead is a small village that has a large group of walkers in it." he stated calmly. Immediately there was panic.

"What are we going to do?" Asked Carol.

"Maybe coming here wasn't a good idea." Said someone else.

"Can we back track and find another route?" asked Glenn.

"Everyone quiet down!" Shane yelled.

"What we are going to do." Rick continued calmly, "Is rest the animals. We're going to sit here a couple hours and let them rest so that when we push through the town we can do it as quickly as possible. Daryl assures us the walkers are spread out. So if we move quickly enough we should be able to get through before they can form a herd."

"That's what Daryl says huh?" Theodore said with a hint of disgust, "Pardon me if I don't trust that."

"You got a problem with me?" Daryl demanded angrily he stepped aggressively toward the larger man. Theodore matched Daryl's step to meet him. Rick quickly put himself between the two men.

"I believe Daryl." stated definitively, "He's as interested in getting these wagons through Rock Bridge as we are. But if makes you feel any better Glenn and I are going to forage the town for supplies while the animals rest. If Daryl is wrong we'll see."

Theodore glared at Daryl, "Fine." he said, and backed away but his eyes never left the woodsman.

"Shane you got this?" Rick asked his friend.

"Yeah." Shane responded.

"Good. Glenn! James!" Rick called, "Help me unload your wagon. I want to be able to make a quick getaway if necessary." He walked over to James' wagon and began to remove the items that were carried in it.

Glenn appeared on his right and began to help, "So just like that we're heading into a town full of walkers?" he asked.

"You're the one who can get in and out of a town no fuss."

"That was Atlanta. I know Atlanta. I know it so well I could sleep walk through it. I don't know this place."

"You'll do fine." Rick told him reassuringly.

"Rick." They were interrupted by a soft female voice. Rick turned around and saw Lori standing behind them. "Rick can I speak to you? Alone?" He nodded to Glenn to continue to unload the wagon and walked over to his wife. Lori took his arm and led him away from the group. "Why are you going into town again?" she asked quietly.

"We need supplies." Rick told her, "We don't have all that much food and eventually we're going to run out of ammo."

"But why do you have to go?" She insisted, "Let Glenn and James do it. They were doing before you came along."

"First rule of leading an expedition." Rick told her, "Your men need to trust that you're not risking their lives unnecessarily. By going with them I make sure they know that."

"That wasn't part of Shane's deal though." She said, "They're supposed to take the risks."

"Yes. And that's why I haven't asked any white people to take any. Except for Daryl but that's just because he's the only one with a horse. But Lori, colored people make more than half of our men now. If I continued to send them on the riskiest missions by themselves how long do you think it is before they leave with half our supplies or more?" Lori looked at him doubtfully.

"I don't like you going."

"I know and I'm sorry. I know I promised I would stay in camp but that was when I thought the camp was safe. It isn't and I'm the one who wanted to leave. I have to show everyone that I, personally, am willing to do everything necessary to make sure we succeed."

"Fine." Lori said relenting, "Just be careful okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Rick leaned in and kissed his wife. He smiled at her before turning around and heading back to James' wagon. By the time he got there the two younger men had already finished unloading it and were waiting for him.

"How are the horses James?" Rick asked.

"They're doing good Sir."

"Can they take the trip and still make a dash through the town afterward?"

"Absolutely Sir. They can do that and still beat all the other wagons while they're at it. They're in better shape than the mules Sir."

"Good to hear." Rick told him, "Let's go."

The trip into Rock Bridge was much quicker and easier than the ones to Atlanta had been. Glenn went through his usual routine. He stayed low and close to buildings and chose their routes very carefully. At every intersection he stopped and checked for walkers before picking a direction. They didn't have to kill a single walker. Rick noted that Daryl had been right, the walkers were fairly spread out for the most part and making a push through the town was possible.

Methodically Rick and Glenn began to search the empty houses. They found far more in Rock Bridge than they had in Decatur. Clothes, dried food, Glenn even found an old army belt. The real jackpot though, came when Rick stumbled upon a shotgun with a boatload of ammo and then in the next house over Glenn got his hands on a Colt revolver. By the time they were riding in the wagon back to the convoy Rick had found a second Colt and the two men were carrying more ammo in their packs than they were food.

When they arrived back at the camp the presence of the new weapons caused an uproar. There was immediate excitement and conflict.

"There are already three white people armed in this group." Theodore stated, "These three should be given to Glenn, James and me."

"The fuck they should!" said Jimmy, "I have a family to protect. I need one of those guns."

"I have a family as well!" Theodore responded, "And James and Glenn are always risking their asses heading into town. If anybody needs weapons it's them!"

Jimmy looked at Rick, "There is no way in hell you can possibly consider arming these two niggers and the Chinaman before giving one to me!" He said incredulously.

"No one is getting any guns just yet!" Shane cut in definitively, "Not until you've been trained."

"We're about to go through a town full of walkers and you don't want us armed?" Theodore demanded, "Are you trying to get rid of us?!"

"If I wanted to get rid of you I'd shoot you." Shane told him, "However I do not want a bunch of amateurs firing weapons when they shouldn't be and getting me killed."

"What about me?" Jimmy asked, "I fought the Yankees. I know how to shoot a gun."

"When was the last time you practiced?" Rick asked him.

"I've gone hunting occasionally with some friends."

"But did you practice regularly?"

"No."

"So you haven't had practice since the war. Nobody gets any firearms until they've gone through training and have been approved by either Shane or myself."

"And when are we gonna do this training?" Asked Theodore.

"I've already started training my son in the mornings before we head out. We'll simply add the rest of you to that schedule."

Dale spoke up for the first time, "Training everybody at once is bound to make a lot of noise. Are we sure that's a good idea?"

"We don't have much of a choice." Rick told him, "We need everyone to be able to shoot. We'll make sure we do it far away from our camp and we'll get everything packed up and ready to go before we start. That way if we do get into any problems we get move out immediately." Dale nodded in acceptance. "Does anybody else have any questions?" Rick asked.

"How do we decide who gets the weapons?" asked Jimmy.

"We'll figure that out later. For now let's focus on getting through Rock Bridge."

Chapter 14 done and in the book! What do you think about revolvers and revolver ammo? What do you think about Shane/Lori? What about Rick/Lori? And finally what about the racial conflict at the end? Do you think it will get worse or better? Is there a possibility it will result in violence?

Note: about combustible pistol cartridges. Rick says that the reason combustible cartridges aren't used in rifles is because of their cost and lack of necessity. I honestly don't know if that's true or not. I do know that combustible paper cartridges were widely used in revolvers but rarely used in rifles. I tried to find out why rifles used them so rarely but couldn't find anything. The reason I give in this chapter is educated guesswork. Nitrate paper was treated with chemicals which would make it more expensive than regular paper but revolvers would have taken so long to load that the extra cost could have been considered worth it.
If you want see what the weapon looks like, how the loading process worked or just more general information about it I've left a post about "Rick's Pistol" on my tumblr, so check it out. I know I threw a lot of firearm information at y'all this chapter if you have any questions about any of it feel free to ask me either on my tumblr or here on fanfiction.