KAIYA'S POV:

We all gathered around as Shane and Rick stood in the center of the tents. Rick held a hand up, signaling for silence. He looked pale and thin and tired. Weak. He needed sleep. He needed to stop trying to protect so many people all at once. He needed a vacation. Hell, we all did.

When everything went silent, Rick cleared his throat and spoke in a strained voice. "We're going to be heading for Fort Benning."

We all knew what risks we were taking in making the trip to Fort Benning; it was at least a hundred miles away, maybe more, right now. And in that long stretch, we were unsure if we would be able to stop for supplies, sleep, or gas. If we couldn't, we were totally screwed. If we could, we would eventually make it there, after a long journey. And there was still no telling if the military base there was even operational still or not.

Everyone was thinking the same thing as me, so they all began to murmur skeptically.

Rick sighed and said, "We cant just stay here, and where else do we have to go?"

A few people accepted that this was our best bet and fell silent.

I felt Miguel grab my hand and grip it firmly. I kept my eyes trained on Rick, unwilling to meet Daryl's glare. His head had snapped up as soon as Miguel's skin had made contact with mine as though he had sensed the connection.

"Its settled then," Rick continued, drawing Carl closer to him. "We leave in an hour." He turned around and walked to Lori.

I glanced down at Carl and frowned.

That poor kid had gone through so much. I supposed we all had, but that little boy had gone through so much more. Not long ago he had been shot in a hunting accident. He was healing remarkably well and even now seemed good as new… but every now and then, if he twisted the wrong way or stumbled into an awkward position, I could see the pain that flashed through his features.

I would stand up to go to him and make sure he was okay, but then Sophia looked over at him. He sucked it up like Merle would have and grinned cockily at her, straightening to his full height and sauntering forward until he was out of the girl's view and could afford to pull a face.

I frowned but was somehow able to laugh around it at this. He was trying to be tough for her. I remembered clearly when I had made it back to my group after being lost and had listened to Carl tell me all about his shot. "Do you - uh… Do you think Sophia thinks I'm brave for it?" he had asked as he laid in the bed Herschel had loaned him.

I shook off the memories of the young boy's pain and turned around to help Glenn with packing up our tent.

I was forced to shoo Miguel away as I worked, annoyed with his overly helpful presence. I loved the kid in a way, but not the way he wanted and everyone thought I did. He made me laugh with his stories, he was a very attractive kid, and he sincerely took an interest in my interests. But he was overdoing it and… to be honest, I couldn't stand the thought of loving someone if it wasn't Daryl.

I glared at him from across camp even though I knew he wasn't looking. Stupid hillbilly making me fall in love!

"What are you doing?" Glenn asked bewildered, folding up the tent in his hands.

I smoothed out the lines between my brows and turned to face him. "Just being angry at nature."

He shrugged and muttered, "Looked more like Daryl but whatever…"

I sighed as he walked away, going to chuck the tent in the back of my truck.

"Hey there, chicka," Miguel said, sliding his hand into my own as he stood beside me.

I looked over at him smiling at me and couldn't help but smile back. He was an awfully charismatic kid. And he finally seemed to be breaking himself of the habit to call me "princessa."

"Hey," I said, my hand going limp. I couldn't bring myself to actually hold his hand and he didn't seem to notice; he was too caught up in yammering at me a thousand words a minutes.

I could feel Daryl glaring at Miguel from across camp. I turned my head and looked over at him. Emily walked over and he did something that surprised me. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, looking down at her pressed against his chest. It seemed his sudden tenderness surprised her, too, as her eyes widened.

I bit back a snarl and made sure Daryl was looking at me again when I pushed myself against Miguel's chest, resting my cheek over his heart and using a hand to grab at the fabric in front of my eyes. He chuckled and squeezed my hand, lifting his other arm to wrap it around my shoulders and resting his chin on my head.

I glanced over and saw a vein in Daryl's temple jump out as his jaw clenched. He grabbed Emily by the shoulders and bent down to her, kissing her without getting as into the embrace as she was.

I felt my heart completely sever. It had been hanging together like a broken door on a hinge for a while now. Ever since Daryl said he didn't want me back at the CDC all that time ago. He had stomped all over my heart and left it bruised and scarred, but this action made it fall completely apart.

I felt tears pricking at the edge of my vision and willed myself not to cry on Miguel so he wouldn't ask what was wrong. I pulled gently out of the embrace and turned away. "I'll be right back," I muttered, going over to the other side of my truck.

I hoped I wasn't being too obvious when I lifted a finger to wipe away the single tear that slipped through my willpower's gate. How much can one person go through before they completely break?

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