Hello!

I am BACK! Finally, chapter 20 is here! A lot going on, and a lot coming! More drama, emotions, mystery and adventure! It's not a big one, I had to write it pretty quick, but it will do! Review/ follow if you like!

Some news; I will be going to school pretty soon, so I won't be able to upload as much as I did this whole summer, maybe one or two times a week... :'(

(Disclaimer; I do not own The Walking Dead, storylines or characters)

Enjoy ;)

Chapter 20:

Lori

"Look, this is it!" Ryan held the bottle in front of me. The smell of blood moved into my nose, and made my stomach turn around. I softly pushed his hand away, swallowing the vomit away. I lay my hand on his forehead.

"Just what I thought" I whispered more to myself than him. "Ryan, you're burning up. I gotta take you to bed, you need to rest."

"No, I'm fine! I just need.." He tried to get up, but fell on his knees again. I grabbed his right shoulder to keep him up.

"Just let me help you, OK? You can work on the….cure after you rested." Ryan was obviously so far away in the fever he didn't know what he was doing. I lifted him, and he leaned on me. With small steps we walked to the camp. I tried to ignore the bloody mess on his shirt, face and hands. He talked nonsense to himself, I couldn't understand. Something about "O" and "conditions", things I didn't understand.

I lay him in his tent, made him drink some water, and left. There was nothing I could do.

I started walking back to the house. Maggie walked up to me.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes widened.

"Ryan's a little sick. It's just a small fever." That didn't calm her down, but she didn't ask more.

"Beth's getting worse. They've been gone for two hours now, they should be back."

Panic was all over the simple farmer's daughter. She walked in circles, biting her nails. She had been so calm since Beth collapsed, but now she wasn't. I realized she had kept it in for too long, and now she had to release it. I grabbed her hand and made her stop walking. It made me nervous too.

"Maggie, look at me." She turned her head. "You have to stay strong, you hear me? Rick and Glenn will be back, with your dad. I promise, Rick promised, they promised. I know you think you can't do anything to help your sister, but there is. All you gotta do, is hoping. You have to keep your head up."

I rubbed her shoulders softly. "Now, take a deep breath, inhale up. Exhale out."

She did as I said, and shook a little less under my hands. She glanced a little, and wiped her eyes.

"Good girl" I said, smiling. "Now, let's check on your sister, OK?"

Together, we went inside.

Ryan

I waited for them to walk inside the house. When I was sure they couldn't see me anymore, I sat up. I bit on my lip when an arrow of pain went through my shoulder. I still tasted the blood from earlier. I spit in the grass, and wiped the red from the corners of my mouth.

I tried not to scream as I pulled the t-shirt over my head. Crap, it was the second t-shirt full of blood from that day. Carol wouldn't be happy. She was still trying to get the blood from the t-shirt I wore when I got shot. Then I remembered I better get rid of these two, I wasn't going to need them.

I needed to take as less as possible. I quickly washed the blood of my body and got in a new shirt, one out of the three clean ones. Three should be enough.

I grabbed some more stuff I thought would come in handy, when I suddenly heard footsteps. I quickly jumped under the blankets, cursing myself because I forgot about my shoulder, and pretended to sleep.

I heard the canvas of the tent move a little, and saw a shadow bending over me. The person stood there for a few seconds. I tried to keep my breath as normal as possible, while my heart beat in my ears. Finally, the shadow left. I lay there and counted till sixty, before I got up to check on my mystery guest.

I saw Lori walking away from the camp, towards something. Or someone. I narrowed my eyes, and saw Daryl sitting almost at the end of the field, with a knife in his hands.

I got back in the tent and grabbed more stuff and put it in my backpack. At last, I held the bottle in my hand. I looked at the grey liquid, and wrapped my fingers around it. This was it. This was the end of everything. This had all the answers, it was all I needed.

Everything was my fault, and now I had the chance to make it right. I had to leave, find a place to continue my research. I had to make it right. I had to save everyone, including my dear Beth. It was my fault for a big part that she was in a traumatic shock. It wasn't my intention.

At the time I discovered it, I had no idea where I was myself and the rest of the world getting into.

I searched through my stuff, when I finally found what I was looking for. A tiny wire. I could make a necklace from it. I put it around the bottle, and hung it around my neck. I hid the bottle in my t-shirt. I had to keep it as close as possible. It was my only chance.

I looked at the place I saw Lori walk to. She was walking back now, and Daryl continued to do what he was doing. And I suddenly had an idea.

Daryl

"What do yah want?" I asked , letting him know I was not in to a conversation with a monkey.

"Before you say anything else; I was never here." He held up his hands as he walked closer, as if I pointed a gun in his face.

"Don' play games with me, kid." I stood up, and walked towards the tree. I pulled out the knife, and stood still of a moment. Ryan lifted his eyebrows at me, but I ignored it. I just listened if I heard him, but he wasn't there. He was gone. Finally.

"So, Daryl, I wanted to ask yah somethin'" he continued.

"Not you too. I'm not doin' anythang for anyone, anymore!"

I saw he surprised about my sudden reaction, but I shook the guilt of me. I was done, done with everyone.

"Look, I'm not askin' you to go after the others, like Lori, but…"

"I thought I was pretty clear!" Didn't he understand that? I just said I was done! "I'm not helping anyone."

"It's very simple" he just continued, ignoring me. That only made me more angry. I sat down, my knuckles white. "What bloodtype are you?"

"I'm not…what?" I knew he was weird but this was just….

"You're O-, right? Can I take some?"

"What tha hell, man?!" I was almost shouting. "I'm not doin'that!

"I'll be very careful, I just need…"

"I said no, you stupid monkey!" I stood up. I was pissed now.

"Dude, calm down."

"Don' tell me to calm down!" I stepped towards him. "Just 'cause yer in the group, don't mean I'm yer nanny!"

"Of course not! I was just…."

"Just this, just that! Quit the play! I know yer not what yah say you are!"

I saw his face got whit all the sudden. I got him at the spot that was very painful.

"Mah brother was in tha army. He know's everythang about that 'weapon' of yers!"

He stepped back. "Daryl, I…"

"Yah better get out of here quick, before they find out!" His face was close to mine now, and I was spitting the words in his face. "What did yah think? That findin' a dead girl was makin' it all good? Man, you were never a part of this. You'll never be! You don' belong here!"

Ryan's eyes got dark, and his face got a grey shadow. I kept standing in front of him, readying myself for a hit. But he didn't. He cleared his throat, and looked me in the eyes.

"I know" he said, his voice too calm to be real. "I know I don't belong here. I know I screwed up. I know it is all my fault, and I know I have to leave. But dear nanny, I'm not the only one. You're doing not so fine too. You forget to listen. What I asked you, was a big favour from me to you, but you didn't listen."

I didn't hear a word of it, all I saw was his mouth moving and his lips forming words. I didn't understand any of that, till after. He turned away from me, and walked away. After a few steps, he turned around. His face got darker.

"You say I don't belong here, but you don't do so good either."

After that, he was gone.

Shane

Could this get any worse? First Hershel was gone, then Rick and Glenn took off, then we discovered Ryan had packed his stuff and left, and now Lori was missing too.

Poor Carl sat with the old man in the RV, making a puzzle. I looked at the two, and rubbed over the back of my bald head.

By accident, my finger went over the hairless spot. The hair was pulled out from the root, and it was an ugly thing. I had a small flashback of that one night, but Andrea interrupted my thoughts.

"We can't find him anywhere" she said. "He probably took off this afternoon, I bet he went into the forest."

"Well, I don' know about you, but I'm not goin to look for anybody else in those damn woods."

"You're right. It's obvious he just went away, not got lost or anything."

She leaned against a tree and sighted. "Why would he do that? Just…disappear, without letting us know?"

"He probably had somethin' to hide." I didn't trust the kid from day one. His whole story about the government and the weapon….I bet there was more.

"More than we already know? I doubt that."

"I bet it had somethin' to do with that weapon."

Andrea got silent. She thought about what I said, and I saw the change in her face when the unthinkable came to her mind.

"You think…"

"I don' think it, I know it."

T-dog ran up to us, taking his breath before he started talking. "None of the cars are gone. And all the food's still there. If he took off, he did it politely."

"Taking off ain't good at all" I said as I stood up. "I'm not wasting any more time about that runaway. Lori's still gone, I gotta go after her."

"No, Shane!" Andrea's voice had more than just worries about Lori. "It's too dark, you'll never…"

Before she could say more, I slammed the door of the car.

Hershel

We finally drove up my beloved lawn. It was silent in the car, but I could hear Glenn getting nervous as we got closer to the house. Rick showed no emotion, his face was too tired for that. The poor man had stayed up all night, shot two living people, saved another, fought against walkers, and more. Walkers. It was a strange word. The passed night, I had used it for the first time as the way it's supposed to be. I had even killed a few, with my drunk eyes.

The alcohol was working out pretty good during the night. I was pretty clear, and was making myself ready to operate. I didn't remember having such a busy job. I had fixed three people in the past two weeks, and a fourth was on its way.

Rick stopped the car and stepped out. Immediately, everyone got out of the house. Maggie ran towards me, and I spread my arms to hug her. But she ran passed me, and hugged Glenn.

I lifted my eyebrows, and walked to Patricia.

"What happened?" I heard Rick asking his wife.

"I was in a little accident" she answered.

"Accident? How?"

I looked at Lori, and saw her face had a few bruises. Shane, the bald man, walked up to them.

"Rick, we got a lil' problem here."

"What is it?" Rick was tired, but totally awake as he heard the word 'problem.'

"Ryan's gone" Shane said.

WHAAAAAAT? NO! This is not the end! Chapter 21 will be uploaded on Tuesday, so stay tuned!

XOXO LaurenRoover