A/N: I noticed in the first chapter that I said Noah died even though I had planned for him to meet up with the group eventually since I liked his character. But yeah not sure why I did that but I fixed it so hope there's no confusion.
The road seemed never-ending, the days were long and endles with the sun bearing down on the survivors as they walked on and on. Tara was grateful that it wasn't the heat of summer but the sun seemed to make this journey more unbearable. She kept a close eye on Maggie who seemed to be having the worse time out of everyone.
"How much longer until we're there?" Sasha asked to no one in particular.
"About hundred and fifty miles," Michonne said as there were a few collective groans from the others.
"We'll be alright. We'll find more vehicles. We just gotta keep goin'," Rick tried to motivate his group but could see their drive was dwindling with each mile.
They had managed to find a few vehicles here and there as they crossed state lines but usually the cars broke down or ran out of gas after a few miles so their primary mode of transportation had been walking. The endless walking took a toll on all their bodies as their spirits felt crushed under the weight of so many miles still left ahead.
Also to top it off, their water and food supplies were running dangerously low. Daryl and Tara tried to salvage what they could from passing small towns and houses but they found nothing of significance, just scraps.
Tara and Daryl were walking side by side, the morning sun having no mercy as it shined bright in the sky. Tara lazily held her semi-automatic rifle in her hands, not paying attention to anything. Every once and while, she would make sure Maggie was alright. Maggie was walking ahead of her with Rosita and Carol.
Groans and moans filled Tara's eyes as she turned to see that some walkers were still following their group. They had encountered the herd of walkers a couple of hours ago, but Rick decided they posed no threat if his group kept their distance. Plus, he didn't want them to unnecessarily waste their energy on killing the herd. They needed to preserve as much energy as they could since they didn't know when they would find more food and water.
Suddenly, Tara felt a presence next to her side. She looked over to see Rosita who was handing her half of a granola bar.
"You need to eat something. Both of y'all do. Y'all didn't really eat anything yesterday," Rosita admonished both Tara and Daryl as she held out the granola for one of them to take.
"We had some pecans and some acorns. That's good enough," Daryl muttered. He knew Tara felt the same way as him. They wanted the others to have enough to eat before them, especially Maggie since she was pregnant.
"Here...take this. Please," Rosita begged as Tara finally took the bar. She took one bite before handing it back to Rosita.
"Give the rest to Maggie and tell her that I said to eat it for the baby. Judith and Maggie are the top priorities right now so make sure they get enough," Tara told Rosita who nodded in agreement.
Tara watched as Rosita went back to where Maggie was, handing her the rest of the granola bar. She watched as Maggie tried to refuse it but finally relented and took it. Tara smiled to herself as she watched Maggie from the back of the group. Maggie was starting to finally show with a little baby bump. It wasn't very noticeable unless you really looked for it but Tara had definitely noticed the other day. Tara had to make sure her child was healthy and if that meant she had to eat pecans for the rest of the trip then so be it.
"You wanna see if we can find some more water? Maybe some berries or pecans?" Daryl was bored just walking around, watching the miles pass them slowly by.
"Yeah, let me tell Rick and Maggie," Tara was just as eager to be doing something else than be on autopilot on the road.
Tara slowly jogged to the front, teling Rick that her and Daryl would be in the woods beside the road looking for more water.
"Alright...just be careful. If you aren't back in an hour, we'll stop and wait for y'all," Rick said as he wiped the sweat that was forming on his brow. Tara patted him on the back as she made her way to Maggie.
"Hey, babe. How are you feeling?" Tara asked as she walked beside her wife who looked utterly exhausted.
"I'm alright. No mornin' sickness yet. Just really tired," Maggie answered as Tara put her arm around Maggie's shoulders.
"Here...take a drink," Carol handed Tara a water bottle that was about half full. Tara was going to refuse but from the look on Carol's face she knew she didn't have a choice. Tara took a small drink, savoring the cool water that touched her lips. She forced herself to stop after the sip, giving Carol the bottle.
"Daryl and I are gonna go into the woods for a bit to see if we can find any water or some kind of substance. I'll be back," Tara leaned over, placing a quick kiss on Maggie's lips.
"Be careful out there," Maggie said as she turned to look at Tara. She knew Tara was trying her best to make sure her and the baby were taken care of in these hard circumstances.
"Always am," Tara gave Maggie a wink which set off some butterflies in her stomach. Maggie stopped walking as Tara got down on her knees, placing her head against Maggie's stomach. Tara placed a kiss on her stomach.
"You be good for your mother until I get back," Tara told the baby as Maggie held her close.
Michonne smiled at the scene in front of her. "The baby's not even born, and they have you wrapped around their little finger already," she laughed as Tara shrugged her shoulders.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for their mother also," Tara said as Michonne laughed as she walked by the young married couple.
"Ok, I'll be back in an hour or so," Tara stood up, giving Maggie another kiss before jogging back to where Daryl was waiting for her.
Maggie watched as Tara and Daryl disappeared into the woods. She placed a hand on her stomach, hoping their child wouldn't give her a hard time today. Maggie sighed as she continued on walking. Maggie wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to keep this up. She just hoped that Washington D.C. would be the endpoint they were looking for. Maggie looked up, seeing that Carol and Rosita were waiting for her. She quickly picked up the pace until she was reunited with her friends.
Tara and Daryl looked around the serene woods, trying to see if there was creek nearby. Daryl looked down at his shoes and saw mud on his boots.
"Look, mud. There has to be some kind of water around here somewhere. Come on," Daryl led the way as Tara followed him, keeping an eye out for more pecans.
Daryl led her through some thick brush and trees until they reached a creek bed. Their excitement was cut short when they realized the creek was completely dried up and fish that had been living in it were dead, rotting away into the soil.
"Fuckin' shit!" Daryl kicked at a tree in frustration. Tara knew the feelings of anguish Daryl was experiencing. They could never catch a break. She sighed as she knelt down, needing a short rest. This whole not really eating and walking for miles was starting to catch up to her but she needed to be strong for Maggie and the baby.
"It's too much apparently to ask for just some goddamn water. It's so fuckin' dry the damn Catholics are givin' rain checks," Daryl sat down next to Tara, his body needing a rest also.
"Just one hundred and fifty more miles," Tara said as Daryl chuckled lightly.
"If we can even make it. We're all lookin' more broke down than buzzard bait," Daryl commented as Tara laughed. She had to admit they were a rough looking group right now.
They sat in silence listening to the birds around them communicating with each other when they suddenly heard a twig snap close by. Tara and Daryl jumped up, looking into the direction of the noise. Daryl got his crossbow ready as Tara steadied her gun, waiting for whatever or whoever to cross their path.
A young, African-American man stumbled into their path, looking surprised and happy to see them. Tara figured he had to be at least twenty years old, and definitely not as experienced in this world as her and Daryl were. He also walked with a slight limp as if an injured ankle hadn't healed correctly.
The young man quickly put his arms in the air, as Daryl reached over and secured the pistol that hung from the kid's belt. Daryl and Tara shared a look, the kid seemed harmless enough.
"You have any other weapons on ya? And ya best not lie to me, boy," Daryl said through gritted teeth as he lowered his crossbow. Tara kept her gun raised on the kid, just in case.
"No...just that pistol. And it only has about two bullets left," the young man said as Daryl looked him over. He was pretty sure the kid in front of him meant no harm to anyone.
"Where ya headed? What's yer story?" Daryl asked as Tara kept her gun raised.
"I'm trying to get home to Richmond, Virginia. My mom and brothers are at the Shirewilt Estates, which is a walled-in community. My uncle left and never came back so my father and I went on a search mission to look for him. We ended up in Atlanta where we were ambushed by some corrupt police officers, who had a woman named Dawn as their leader. They killed my father and kept me prisoner at a hospital but I was able to escape," the young man told the strangers in front of him his back-story.
"Was that hospital Grady Memorial? Did you know Beth?" Daryl asked, feeling a bit of sadness at the mention of the young girl.
"Yeah, I knew Beth. She helped me escape...I owe my life to her. Is she around?" the young man was hopeful at seeing his friend again.
"Nah...Dawn killed her. She didn't make it out of that fuckin' hospital," Daryl held back some tears that threatened to come out. Tara sighed sadly, she knew the subject of Beth was still hard for the group to deal with.
The young man let his gaze fall to the floor as the news hit him like a ton of bricks. Tara could see the news affected him greatly as tears fell down his face. She patted his shoulder trying to comfort him in some way.
"What's your name anyways?" Tara asked as the young man wiped his tears away.
"I'm Noah," he simply said.
"Well, Noah. I'm Tara and this is Daryl. We have a group and you're welcomed to join if you want some company for the rest of your trip. Any friend of Beth's is a friend of ours," Tara said as Daryl nodded in agreement.
Noah looked at the two strangers in front of them. They both looked worse for wear but he probably didn't look any better and they were Beth's friends. He nodded his head as Tara gave him a small smile.
The three of them walked back to their group who were still on the road, walking at a slow pace. Daryl and Tara introduced Noah to Rick, telling him that the young man had known Beth and was heading to Virginia to his family. Noah offered Rick's group a place to rest if they wanted to go to where his family was. Rick thought it over, Noah clearly was harmless. Plus, having a place to rest would be good for the team.
Rick agreed to check out the Estates where Noah's family was and if it seemed safe enough, then his family would stay and rest for a few days before continuing onto to D.C. Tara immediately took Noah under her wing, introducing him to the rest of the group. Noah decided that they were a nice bunch, but he wouldn't want to get on their bad side. They seemed lethal if pressed the wrong way.
"And Noah, this is Maggie. Beth's older sister," Tara finally introduced Noah to Maggie, knowing that her wife would probably want to talk to Noah about Beth.
"You knew Beth?" Maggie mood perked up at the mention of her sister.
Noah nodded his head, "Yeah, she was my only friend at the hospital where we were held."
"Can you tell me about how she was and the last time you saw her?" Maggie asked as she gave Noah a warm smile.
"Yeah, I'll be happy to," Noah said as Tara patted him on the shoulder.
"Alright, you guys talk. And don't get too cozy Noah. Maggie's a married woman with a bun in the oven so don't get any ideas," Tara joked as she showed him her wedding ring. Noah nodded in understanding, already liking the goofy side that Tara had.
Tara left the two new friends to talk to one another as she walked beside Abraham who had a bottle of scotch in his hand. He eagerly took a drink of the liquor that they had managed to find in an abandoned liquor store.
"You know that just makes things worse, right? Makes you more thirsty...more hungry," Tara ignored the hunger pangs she felt.
"Yeah, I know but it's better than just wasting away to nothin'. Plus, the alcohol makes you forget that we're in a shit storm with no food or water in sight and we still gotta at least one hundred miles to go with no vehicle around. That all tells me I deserve another drink," Abe raised the bottle to his lips as he took another sip.
"Give me a drink," Tara said as Abraham handed her the bottle. She took a long drink until Daryl came by and told her to cool it down so she wouldn't get sick. Tara handed the bottle back to Abraham and continued to walk on with Daryl. She spotted Maggie who was still talking to Noah. She was glad that Maggie was able to meet one of her sister's friends. Tara knew that Beth's passing weighed heavily on Maggie's mind.
Rick called for Tara and Daryl to meet him in the front. They slowly jogged to the front where Rick was walking at a very slow rate. His eyes looked distant and tired as they walked past trees that seemed to never end.
Rick looked behind the group at the fifteen or so walkers that were slowly crawling their way. He ran his hand through his overgrown beard before speaking.
"We need to stop for the day. I don't think I can keep goin' and I'm sure everyone's beat. We need to get rid of those walkers first though. So let's get to it," Rick commanded as he led Daryl, Tara, and Michonne to the pack of walkers.
Tara watched for a second as Rick and Daryl each grabbed a walker before plunging their knives into the skulls. Michonne easily beheaded two biters with an expert swing of her katana. Tara gathered up what energy she had left, grabbing a walker that was about to pounce on her. She quickly stabbed the creature through the eye before moving onto the next one.
Finally, all of the walkers were just dead heaps on the road. Tara bent down, placing her hands on her knees as she tried to keep her head from hurting. She knew she was basically running on empty at that moment.
"You alright?" Daryl asked with concern as he stood next to her, watching as Rick and Michonne went to tell the group that they were going to rest on the side of the road for the remainder of the evening and night.
"I'm fine...I'm fine," Tara stood up as she ignored the thirst and hunger that ran rampant throughout her body. She gave Daryl a smile as they went to join their family. Tara sat against a tree with Maggie on one side and Daryl on the other.
Rosita tried again to get Tara and Daryl to eat something. Tara took the granola bar, taking one bite before giving the rest to Maggie.
"I can't take it..." Maggie tried to argue as Tara shook her head.
"Take it. You need to eat as much as you can. We need to make sure Peanut is healthy. So take it," Tara said in a tone that told Maggie there was no arguing. Maggie reluctantly took the rest of the granola bar.
"You know I'm just looking out for you and the baby," Tara said, her voice gentle.
"I know..." Maggie gave her a small smile before she leaned over, resting her head on Tara's shoulder. It wasn't long before Maggie fell asleep, Tara wrapped an arm around her waist. She looked around at the others who were eating bits and pieces of granola bars and energy bars.
"Here," Daryl reached into his pocket and pulled out eight pecans. He cracked them open with a rock, handing her four.
"Bon appėtit," Tara let out a small laugh as her and Daryl ate the pecans. The small portion of food did nothing to hinder the hunger her stomach felt, but at least it was something.
"I don't 'bout ya, but that was the best damn meal I've had in a while," Daryl joked as Tara laughed.
"Hopefully, Noah's settlement will have something more filling than pecans," Tara said as she took a look at the others. Most of them were laying on the dirt ground, trying to get some kind of sleep. Father Gabriel was seated a little ways from everyone else, busy praying by himself. Tara hoped he was praying for donuts to rain down on them. That made her chuckle as Daryl gave her a weird look.
"You sure you're alright?" Daryl asked with some concern.
"I'm fine...maybe just a little delirious," Tara answered as she closed her eyes, resting her head against the tree behind her.
"Well, snap out of it. I don't want to have to put ya down," Daryl joked as they both laughed for a couple of minutes. Daryl leaned against the tree behind him and shut his eyes, trying to ignore the hunger pangs that plagued his body.
The rundown family spent the rest of the night trying to ignore the thirst and hunger that they all felt, knowing they needed to conserve as much food as they could. They could only hope that Noah's community could be a sanctuary for the family until they were rested enough to continue on to Washington D.C.
The family continued on their way for the next couple of days until Noah announced that they were only a few miles away from Shirewilt Estates where his family was. Tara was glad that they were close, she wasn't sure she could go another day on only a few pecans and an occasional sip of water.
Rick knew that Noah was excited about seeing his family, but he wanted to make sure everyone was safe. He remembered what had happened the last time they had tried to visit a community and Rick wasn't going to take any chances.
"Alright...Noah, Daryl, Tara, Michonne, and I are gonna check out this community and see if it's safe. Hopefully, it is and we can rest there for a few days, but I want the rest of you to stay here and just wait until we get back. No use in wasting everyone's energy if this turns out to be a bust," Rick told the others of his plan as they all agreed to it.
"We're about ten miles away," Noah said with excitement in his voice. He really couldn't wait to see his mother and brothers again.
Tara said her goodbyes to Maggie and the baby before joining the others who were waiting on the road. The small group of five followed Noah down the pavement until they were about two miles away from the Estates. That was when Rick stopped much to Noah's confusion.
"We're gonna approach this place off the road just to be safe," Rick announced as he started to enter the woods.
"It will be safe. We don't have any snipers or lookouts. Just a perch that was built on a truck that is sometimes parked in the front," Noah began to argue as Rick gave him a look.
"Look, I'm sure it is safe but I want to do this just in case. We've been through a lot of shit these last few months. I don't want to take my chances," Rick said as Noah nodded in understanding.
Satisfied that Noah understood where he was coming from, Rick continued to enter the woods with Noah leading the way. The small group walked until they came upon what looked like a gated community that had a red brick wall surrounding the pristine houses within it. Noah immediately ran to the entrance with the others following close behind.
"Noah wait..." Tara started to say but was ignored.
Noah tried to open the gate, but it was locked. They suddenly heard some noises from the other side. Noah gave them a panicked look before he started to climb the gate.
"Goddamnit Noah, hold on!" Tara yelled as Noah quickly climbed the gate, disappearing to the other side.
Tara gave the others a look before she started to climb the gate. The others quickly followed suit. Tara jumped down to the other side, landing perfectly beside Noah. The others dropped beside them until everyone was inside the gate. Tara looked as she saw that there were walkers everywhere.
Noah took a look at the scene unfolding in front of him before he fell to his knees, tears running down his face. Tara placed a hand on her shoulder to steady him as sobs wretched through his weak body. Rick took a sad look at the young man, wishing the outcome had been different for him.
"I'm sorry for your loss, but let's see if there's anything useful around here. Any weapons, food, water, let's see what we can find," Rick gave Noah a pat on the back as he helped him to his feet.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Tara offered as Rick nodded in agreement. She watched as Rick, Daryl, and Michonne started to enter different houses, killing walkers that got in the way.
"Come on, man. Let's check out this garage," Tara gently led Noah to a house that had the garage door wide open. Noah sat down on the driveway, grieving the loss of his family. Tara decided to leave him be as she searched through the garage. She picked up a baseball bat that was thrown on the ground. She laughed to herself as she thought about how many times a bat had almost killed her.
"You know...I know what you're going through. I lost my whole family a while back. My father died of cancer. My sister, niece, and girlfriend...I lost them all on the same day. I wanted to die. I just wanted to give up. I didn't think I had anything to live for anymore," Tara recounted the day when she had lost everyone who had meant something to her.
"What made you keep going?" Noah asked, looking at her through his tear stained eyes.
"This guy named Glenn, who would become my best friend, found me and needed my help to find his wife so I was determined to help him. I had other reasons too which we can get into some other time. But after I lost Glenn, I felt helpless again but Maggie gave me a reason to keep going. Now her and our baby are why I push through and fight to live. It's hard but soon you'll find a reason to live again," Tara explained as Noah listened closely to her words.
Noah nodded in understanding, looking around at the desolate community that had once been his home. Suddenly, he spotted his home in the distance. Noah immediately jumped up and began to run into the direction of his house, hoping against hope that someone in his family was still alive.
"Noah, wait!" Tara yelled as she ran after him, the baseball bat in her hand.
Noah dodged a couple of walkers as he ran up the front steps of his former home, bursting through the door. Tara followed, swinging the bat at walkers that tried to grab at her. She finally made it to the front door and ran in. She stopped in the living room where Noah was knelt down beside the body of a woman.
"I tried to get back..." Noah whispered to the body of his mother.
Tara looked around until she found a blanket. She also noticed that the body didn't have any bites which meant someone had murdered the dead woman on the floor. She covered up the body of Noah's mother as he looked on in sadness. They both stood there for a few minutes as Noah processed what was going on.
"We should get going," Tara said as Noah nodded. They were heading to the door when they heard noises coming from upstairs. They both looked at each other as Tara tilted her head in the direction of the stairs. Slowly, they both walked up the stairs, being sure to be as quiet as possible. Tara handed Noah the baseball bat since she had her knife.
"You check those rooms down the hall. I'll take these," Tara directed as Noah went down the hall to his assigned rooms.
Tara slowly opened the door, revealing what used to be a young boy's room. Tara looked around, seeing a photo of what used to be Noah's twin brothers. She stared at the photo for a few minutes, realizing that the tiredness had caught up to her. Tara suddenly felt a bit dizzy as the strain she put on her body was finally too much. A cool breeze came in through a broken window, Tara was vaguely aware of the broken glass that she was stepping on.
She almost didn't hear the walker behind her before it was too late. Tara felt something grab her as she quickly turned around to see the walker of a young boy preparing to bite down on her arm. She pushed the walker back as she grabbed for her knife. The walker took a few steps back before coming back towards her. Tara was ready, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them.
Unfortunately, Tara didn't see the chair behind her until it was too late. She ran into it as it sent her falling to the floor, forcing her arm to go into an awkward angle. Tara was sure she had dislocated her shoulder somehow as pain shot from the area. She forgot about the pain as the walker advanced on her, its eager teeth chomping at her neck. Tara reached behind her until she felt a guitar or some sort of instrument. She slammed the instrument into the walker's head, effectively ending its life.
Just then, Noah ran into the room after hearing all the commotion. He saw the blood and came to the conclusion that Tara had been bitten. Before Tara could tell him otherwise, she heard Noah running out of the house, yelling for help.
Tara pushed the walker off of her as she sat against the wall and waited for the others. She rubbed her injured shoulder, knowing it was probably going to have to be popped back into place. She then noticed that a piece of jagged window glass was stuck in her forearm. No wonder Noah had thought she had been bitten. Why did everything always have to happen to her? Tara wondered as she tried to pull the glass out of her arm. The pain was too much forcing her to decide that Daryl or Rick could do that.
Meanwhile, Noah ran until he finally found the others who were looking through the garage of a house. He quickly got their attention.
"Help! It's Tara! She got bit!" Noah screamed as the others dropped what they were doing and ran into his direction.
"Where was she bit?" Daryl asked in a panic. He definitely wasn't expecting this to happen on this run.
"Her arm!" Noah yelled back as he led the others to his old house.
"Fuck!" Daryl yelled in frustration. He wasn't sure if he could amputate one of Tara's arms, but if that's what needed to be done, he would do it.
The group ran as fast as they could to the vacant house, disposing of walkers that dared to get into their way. Everyone could feel the seconds ticking by too fast as their way to Tara seemed never-ending. Daryl ran through the door first, quickly taking the stairs three at a time.
Daryl finally made it to the room where Tara was and felt his heart stop as he took a look at her. There was blood on her forearm and she was sitting against the wall, eyes closed. Daryl knelt down next to her, unsure if they were too late. The others finally caught up to him as everyone crowded into the room.
Tara opened her eyes as she looked at the shocked faces staring back at her. She could see that her friends were almost close to tears.
"Geez, guys no need to get all choked up for a dislocated shoulder and some glass. I'm not dying...or at least I hope not," Tara gave them a small smile despite the pain she was feeling.
"You weren't bit?" Rick asked, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
"Nah...almost though. I got a piece of glass stuck in my arm," Tara said, showing them the jagged piece that was sticking out of her arm.
"Fuck...I thought you were bit. I'm sorry for getting everyone all panicked," Noah apologized, but he was glad his friend was alright.
"It's alright...would rather this happen anyways," Michonne let Noah know that everything was forgiven.
"Alright, let me pull that glass out and pop yer shoulder back into place," Daryl ordered as Tara stood up to sit on the bed.
"Yes, sir, Dr. Dixon," Tara sarcastically said as the others laughed. Tara took a deep breath as Daryl quickly pulled the offending glass out of her flesh. Michonne quickly covered the wound with a white bandage that she had found in a bathroom.
"Alright...now the hard part. This is gonna hurt like a son of a bitch, ya know that, right?" Daryl asked as Tara nodded.
"Just do it..." Tara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as Daryl got into the position he needed to be in to pop her shoulder back into place.
Daryl roughly grabbed her arm and tried to put the bone back into the socket where it belonged. He didn't have much luck the first time. He tried again but to no avail.
"Fuckin' shit," Tara yelled out in pain as Daryl let her go.
"Let me try," Michonne suggested when she saw that Daryl wasn't having much luck.
"Take a deep breath and just relax," Michonne instructed as Tara did as she was told. Michonne carefully pulled Tara's arm as she winced in pain. She pulled until she finally heard the popping sound of the arm bone going back into its socket.
"How's that?" Michonne asked as Tara moved her arm more freely than she had been able to before.
"Better. Just sore now. Thanks," Tara rubbed her injured arm, thankful it was just sore now.
"Let's get out here. The others are probably wonderin' where we are," Rick said as he led the group out of the house.
"Ya sure yer ok?" Daryl asked Tara as she nodded her head.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse injuries. I just won't be able to do any handstands anytime soon," Tara joked as Daryl gave her a grin.
As they walked through the front gates, they noticed something written on the walls around the community. Sprayed painted on the brick walls were the words, "Wolves were here."
"What do you think it means?" Rick asked as Daryl shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe some other ruthless group we're gonna encounter soon," Daryl answered, hoping that he would be wrong.
The small group quietly left the abandoned community to get back to their loved ones. They had managed to find just a little bit of food and water but it was better than nothing. Noah remained to himself as Tara wrapped her good arm around his shoulder to give him a hug of support. He gave her a small smile of appreciation.
"If you ever need to talk or anything, just let me know," Tara made sure Noah knew he could tell her anything in confidence.
They finally made it back to the others with Carol there to greet them. Maggie immediately took notice of the bandage on Tara's arm and the way it looked limp and in pain.
"What happened?" Maggie asked with worry. Tara was always finding a way to hurt herself. She was surprised they had gone a few days without Tara tripping or injuring herself somehow before now.
"Just a walker mishap," Tara answered nonchalantly as Maggie's eyes grew wide.
"Did you get scratched?" Maggie could feel panic fill her body, wondering why the others weren't more alarmed.
"No, baby. Nothin' like that. I got cut by a piece of glass and dislocated my shoulder but Michonne popped it back into place. You know, normal stuff I manage to get into," Tara laughed as Maggie gave her a look telling her that she wasn't amused.
"You're not funny," Maggie gave Tara a look that said otherwise.
"You hear that Peanut? Mommy says I'm not funny. I think I'll let you be the judge of that," Tara talked to Maggie's stomach. Maggie just shook her head at Tara's antics.
"Alright, we can walk a few miles until we need to stop for the night. Noah's community was a bust. We keep headin' towards Washington D.C," Rick told the others as he continued to lead the way with the others following.
Tara put her arm around Maggie's waist as she led her in the direction the rest of the group was walking in. The family walked for a couple more hours until they finally decided to stop for the night. Judith's hungry cries filled the air as she refused the water that Carl tried to give her, wanting some kind of real substance.
Rick and Michonne tried to soothe Judith the best they could but they knew nothing would hinder her cries except food. Tara and Daryl listened to Judith's cries knowing they needed to do something. Tara knew that if it was her child crying she would be thankful for any help.
"I saw a sign that said there was convenience store 'bout ten miles away from here. We should go check it out real quick. It's dark but we just gotta be quick. Judith's cries will attract walkers if we aren't careful," Daryl said to Tara who agreed with his plan.
They told Rick that they planned to make a quick run for Judith and hopefully they would find some kind of supplies. Rick reluctantly agreed to let his runners go on the mission. Tara quickly said her goodbyes to Maggie and the baby before her and Daryl walked the ten miles to the store.
The duo walked a fast pace to the convenience store which stood abandoned and desolate. They would be lucky to find anything useful in the building but they still had to try. Daryl quietly opened the door, shining his flashlight around to attract any walkers that were trapped. None made their way to the front and it was dead quiet.
"Guess there's no walkers in here. Be careful...let's quickly scout this place and get back to the others," Daryl said as they made their way up and down the isles, looking for anything.
Tara couldn't believe her luck when she found four jars of baby food and some applesauce. It wasn't much but it would last Judith at least a few days. She was also able to find some more granola bars for the others. Daryl was soon next to her, looking around the isle with her.
"Find anything?" Tara asked.
"Just a couple of bottles of water and this small bag of chips which I'm gonna eat some of cuz I'm starvin'," Daryl opened the bag of potato chips and put a couple in his mouth.
Tara showed him the food she had found for Judith and the extra granola bars. Daryl nodded as he handed her the other half of the chips. Tara tried to refuse.
"Come on...we haven't ate real food in days. We need this to keep up our strength to protect our family if need be," Daryl knew that would get Tara to eat as she took the chips from him.
Tara finished off the bag as they made their way back to the others, both of them walking at a brisk pace so Judith could get something to eat as soon as possible. Finally, they spotted their family as Judith's cries filled the night air. Tara quickly gave the baby food to Rick as he profusely thanked both of his friends. Judith's cries were quickly muffled as Michonne feed the baby some of the baby food.
Tara smiled when she saw the baby girl eagerly eat the food. She was glad Judith's hunger was satisfied for the time being. Tara looked around, seeing that everyone was already asleep. She saw Maggie was sitting against a tree, out like a light. The air around them was cool as she saw Maggie shiver just bit. Tara sat down next to Maggie, who immediately cuddled into her as if on instinct.
Daryl sat next to Tara as he studied the others for a minute. "Did ya feel...I don't know...watched tonight?" he asked as Tara shook her head.
"You think someone's following us?" Tara asked as Daryl shrugged.
"I don't know. I have a feelin' like we are but maybe I'm just paranoid from lack of rest, water, and grub," Daryl laid down on the ground to get some sleep. Tara stayed up for a couple of hours keeping watch on everyone until her body finally succumbed into a restless slumber.
The next few days were spent traveling on the lonely road with barely any food or water. Tara always made sure that Maggie had her share of the food. Maggie tried to refuse but Tara would bring up the baby until Maggie finally relented. They both wanted a healthy baby after all.
They had spent half the day walking nonstop, everyone's spirits and motivation was at an all time low. Even Tara wasn't in a cheerful, playful mood like she usually was. She kept to the back away from everyone as she tried to ignore the tiredness that consumed her.
They passed a few cars and a few members checked through the vehicles to see if there was anything useful. Of course, none of the cars were in usable condition. Tara watched as Maggie opened the trunk of one car, looked in it for a few minutes before closing the trunk again. Maggie started to walk away but thought better of it before trying to get the trunk open again. She tried to get it open but it wouldn't budge. Tara watched as Maggie frantically tried to open the trunk again.
Tara finally made her way to Maggie, gently placing her arms on Maggie's shoulders to push her gently to the side. Tara opened the trunk to see a female walker that was tied up with rope. Tara could see that there were no bites on the body, so that meant someone had tied up the woman and left her for dead. Tara took her knife and plunged it into the walker's skull. She took a look at Maggie who continued to silently walk on. This journey certainly was taking its toll on all of them.
Tara simply sighed as she heard a whistle. She looked up to see Daryl motioning for her to come into his direction. She slowly jogged over to the edge of the woods where he was standing.
"Want to see if we can find some water?" Daryl asked as Tara nodded. "Hey! Captain America if Rick asks tell him that Tara and I went to go search for some water." Daryl yelled at Abraham as the red head acknowledged him with a nod.
Tara and Daryl walked around the woods trying to see if there was a creek of any kind but they only found a dried up river bed. They continued on until they found an abandoned barn and decided to take a quick rest. Tara watched as Daryl pulled a pack of menthols from his pocket, handing her one. Tara lighted the cigarette with her lighter, savoring the first drag as the nicotine helped calm her nerves.
"Hopefully, by the looks of these clouds, we'll get some kind of rain tonight," Daryl observed the clouds above them as he puffed on his smoke.
"That would be great. Maybe it will put everyone in a good mood again," Tara sighed as she finished up her cigarette, flicking the butt out onto the pebbles in front of them. Daryl followed suit as they stood up to join the others.
They both noticed that everyone was staring at something on the road. They both quickly made their way to their family to see what everyone was looking at. They saw a few bottles of water and a gallon on the road. Attached to the bottles was a note that read, "From a Friend."
Tara and Daryl looked at Rick who was contemplating their next move. The water could be a blessing but it could also be a curse.
"Someone's followin' us...this could be poisoned for all we know," Rick said as he stared at the bottles. He wanted nothing more than to drink a full bottle right then and there but he restrained himself.
"Someone's gotta test it...quality assurance, right?" Eugene said as he quickly grabbed a water bottle, unscrewing the top to take a drink. Before the sweet water could touch his dry lips, the bottle was knocked away by Abraham who glared at his friend.
"You idiot! That could be tainted water!" Abraham gruffly yelled as Eugene shrank back behind Rosita.
"Let's get a few miles between us and this water. Then we can take a quick rest before we continue on," Rick decided as the family walked to a resting spot underneath some shaded trees.
Tara noticed that Maggie kept looking at her, giving her a look that she couldn't quite read. Maggie sighed in frustration as she leaned against a tree.
"What's wrong?" Tara asked, genuinely concerned about her wife.
"Nothin'...it'll pass," Maggie muttered as she fidgeted with the rings on her finger.
"Just tell me...maybe I can help you out," Tara pleaded, wondering what was wrong with Maggie.
"Oh you can help me out alright...I'm beyond horny right now with these hormones. Which I know isn't right because we've been walkin' for days and you're really tired, low on energy. You know what? Just forget I said anythin'..." Maggie tried to backtrack what she was saying as Tara chuckled at the situation.
"You should know I'm never too tired to please my girl. Although the most I can do right now is a quickie if you're up for it," Tara suddenly felt very turned on.
"Yeah...a quickie will work," Maggie said desperately as she grabbed Tara's hand, leading her away from the others. Tara made sure to let Rick know they would be back in a few minutes. Tara ignored the knowing stares and smiles from the others as she led Maggie a good distance away.
As soon as Tara made sure there was no danger around, she pulled Maggie towards her, crashing their lips together. Needing no further encouragement, Maggie ground herself against Tara enjoying the feel of Tara's erection hard against her. Their bodies molded against each other as they kissed deeply for several minutes before they breathlessly broke away.
They heard some thunder in the distance as the clouds above them threatened to drop rain on them at any second. A cool breeze made its way around their bodies as the sun was covered by the puffy clouds.
Tara leaned into Maggie again, pushing her up against a tree. They had only spent a few minutes making out when the rain started. Within seconds, it was raining harder and harder until it was belting down furiously. Tara and Maggie looked at each other before laughing out loud. Maggie's shirt was soaked through and was clinging to her body, her nipples painfully erect because of the sudden coldness. Tara was already feeling hornier than ever as she took a look at Maggie, thinking she looked so sexy in the pouring rain.
"Well, we can't get any wetter," Tara remarked as she pulled Maggie to her, kissing Maggie's neck and shoulders. Completely oblivious the world around her, Tara ran her hands all over Maggie's body, caressing, stroking and squeezing.
Tara turned Maggie so she was facing away from her as she continued kissing her shoulders. Maggie allowed herself to sink back against the body behind her as Tara's hands cupped her breasts, capturing Maggie's nipples between her thumb and index finger. Tara teased Maggie as she continued kissing along her shoulders.
Maggie moaned as she felt Tara's hands work their magic on her. She was feeling so turned on she had to lean back against Tara for support or she thought she would fall over. As Maggie pushed back, she could feel the hardness of Tara's erection pushing against her.
Maggie's legs felt weak, she was not sure they would be able to support her body weight. Tara's fingers on her nipples were sending bolts of delicious electricity through her body, it felt as if her clit was somehow attached as it seemed to pulse in time with Tara's manipulations.
The rain beating down on their bodies and the fact that they were outdoors and could be caught at any moment only added to the excitement. Maggie let out a long low moan as one of Tara's hands made its way down the front of her body and slipped into her jeans, feeling her excited clit.
Maggie felt as Tara quickly unbuttoned the jeans and pulled them down, before returning her hand to her clit. Maggie involuntarily moved her legs wider apart to give Tara greater access. Maggie thought she would scream as Tara's hand came into contact with her pussy, she had never felt such undisguised lust as she pushed herself against Tara's hand.
Tara cupped Maggie's pussy allowing her middle finger to slip between Maggie's folds; she was amazed at the hot wetness that she felt. With the long, slow build up that happened earlier, Maggie was already so turned on. Tara knew she didn't want to wait much longer.
As soon as Tara touched Maggie's clit again, Maggie gasped and thrust herself against Tara's hand. Tara kept up a steady rhythm with her fingers until Maggie went very quiet and very still before suddenly, Tara felt her convulsing as she had her first powerful orgasm. Tara held Maggie tightly with one arm around her waist as she felt Maggie shudder against her. Tara's other hand still busy caressing Maggie's pussy and touching her clit.
Still facing away from her, Maggie reached behind, hurriedly unzipping Tara's jeans. Maggie was still gasping as Tara's fingers kept on stimulating her clit, drawing her closer to another quick orgasm. Never had Maggie cum so fast or felt so turned on as she was now. Maggie managed to get a grip on Tara's jeans and quickly tugged them down, only stopping as they got caught.
Tara removed her grip from around Maggie's waist and helped to drop her jeans and boxers to her knees, freeing her painfully erect cock. Tara pushed Maggie's back so she was bending away from her then took hold of her cock and guided it towards Maggie's pussy where she held it against her.
On feeling Tara's cock touch her, Maggie immediately pushed backwards taking Tara all the way in. Maggie gasped at the pleasure she felt as Tara started to move slowly in and out of her. Tara's fingers were still rubbing Maggie's clit bringing her closer and closer to another orgasm.
"Yes! Harder, Tara! Hard and fast!" Maggie gasped.
Tara kept the pressure on Maggie's clit as she started to pump her cock deeply in and out of Maggie. After the continual teasing and seeing Maggie so turned on, Tara knew she wouldn't be able to last very long. Maggie felt the orgasm building up within her as Tara's cock pumped in and out of her, hitting her g-spot while Tara's fingers worked magic on her clit.
Maggie moaned as she felt the intense orgasm hit throughout her body, ripples of pleasure waving through her flesh as her pussy contracted around Tara's stiff cock. Tara felt a rush of wetness hit the tip of cock as she felt Maggie's orgasm from within. Tara couldn't stop her own orgasm as she drove herself furiously in and out of Maggie a couple of more times before cumming deep within her, filling her pussy.
Tara stayed deep inside of Maggie as they both shuddered and gasped at the amazing orgasms they had just experienced. After several minutes, Tara's cock slipped out of Maggie and she turned, throwing her hands around Tara's neck, kissing her hard.
"Wow...that was something else," Maggie said as rain continued to fall onto them.
"Yeah, no kidding. Pretty amazing for a quickie if I do say so myself," Tara laughed as she pulled up jeans and watched as Maggie did the same.
"More than amazin'..." Maggie smiled, feeling content and satisfied. Tara thought Maggie looked absolutely gorgeous with the rain coming down on her, sliding off her delicate skin.
Tara grabbed Maggie's hand. "Come on, let's get back before Daryl comes looking for us."
Tara had to admit she was tired from all the vigorous activity that had just taken place but her spirits were up as Maggie gave her a beautiful smile. Tara knew she would do anything for Maggie to make sure she was happy. The young couple made their way back to their group, both of them in much better moods.
The rain was still falling hard as they reached the rest of their family. Everyone was in high spirits as they enjoyed the rain drops that fell onto them. Tara laughed as she saw Rosita lay down on the road, enjoying the rain that wet her body.
"Make sure to fill up every bottle, bag, whatever with water," Rick ordered as the others followed instructions. Tara made sure that a couple of water bottles she had in her bag were filled with fresh rain water.
The rain celebration was cut short as they heard a loud clash of thunder in the distance. Tara looked into the direction of the rumble and saw dark, black clouds. She could tell it was the beginnings of a storm that could produce a tornado.
"We need to get off the road. Find some kind of shelter to weather out this storm," Rick shouted over another rumble of thunder. Tara felt Maggie scoot close to her as she wrapped a comforting arm around her. Tara knew Maggie had a fear of thunderstorms, feeling her jump with every clash of lightening and thunder.
"Tara and I found a barn not too far from here. It should hold throughout the night," Daryl said as he began to lead the others towards the barn that had been discovered earlier.
The old barn had clearly seen better days but at least it was some kind of shelter from the violent looking storm. Rick opened the door, stepping in first, closely followed by Tara and Daryl.
They quickly cleared the barn, not finding any hidden walkers or humans. Rick yelled for the others to enter the barn and make themselves somewhat comfortable.
Daryl made a small fire as he, Rick, Carol, and Michonne sat around the dancing flames. Tara checked on Maggie who was laying down on the ground ready to get some rest.
"I'm gonna stay up for a bit," Tara told her as she leaned down to give Maggie a kiss. Maggie simply nodded as she closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sound of thunder that rattled all around them.
Tara nodded to Abraham and Rosita who were sitting against a wall as she made her way to the fire and sat down next to Daryl. Rick took a look around at the group that surrounded him. They were literally running on little to no food or water. They barely had any supplies except for the clothes on their backs and the weapons in their hands. They were a downtrodden looking bunch who had survived so much, but looked like they wouldn't survive much longer.
Rick let out a little chuckle, "We've been through so much. Lost so much. Lost so many loved ones. I think kids have it easier nowadays. They get to grow up in this world...Judith, Carl, and eventually your kiddo, Tara. They'll grow up in this world, and it'll be nothin' to them. It's us. The adults who have to get used to it. We've been through it for two years already and still not used to this world."
Michonne let the words that Rick said settle in. "This isn't the world. It just isn't," she insisted as Tara listened on.
"It is. Until we see otherwise," Rick sighed as he saw the family's motivation was at an all time low. He licked his chapped lips before he began a story.
"My grandfather was a World War II vet. When I was a kid, I used to ask him if he ever killed anyone. He would never answer. Instead, he told me how he survived the war and the people tryin' to kill him. Every day, he woke up and told himself, 'Rest in peace; now get up and go to war," Rick said, looking around as everyone was intrigued with his story.
Rick continued, "After a few years of pretendin' he was dead, he made it out alive. That's the trick of it. We do what we need to do, and then we get to live. No matter what we find in in D.C., I know we'll be alright. This is how we survive: We tell ourselves that we are the walking dead."
Everyone stayed silent as Rick's words sank in, even Maggie had delayed sleep to listen to the story. The strong wind and loud thunder continued to whip around the barn.
"We ain't them. We ain't those creatures," Daryl angrily said as he got up to walk around the barn, not quite sure why that story made him upset.
Daryl walked to the door of the barn, looking out of the small crack between the two doors. What he saw made his heart stop as lightening flashed to show about fifty walkers trying to push their way through the door. There was a big crash against the door as Daryl threw his body weight against the door, pushing all his strength against the door.
Maggie who had been laying by the entrance heard all the commotion and saw Daryl struggling against the advancing herd. She immediately added her weight to the door, taking ahold of Daryl's hand in a sign of unity.
Soon the crash and bangs against the weak barn door caught the attention of everyone else as they quickly rushed to the door and threw their weight against the door. Tara took Maggie's spot against the door, wanting to be the first to encounter the walkers if they were able to break in. Maggie threw her weight against Tara's body as everyone put all their energy and strength into making sure the door didn't break.
The thunder grew stronger as tornado like winds rattled the walls of the barn, lightening flashing bright all around them. Just when their strength was about to run out, the weight against the door became less and less as the howling winds whirled around the barn, buckets of rain falling from the sky.
Finally, there wasn't any walker weight against the door as the family gave each other exhausted looks. Trying to keep the walkers out of the barn had taken everyone's strength as they all finally settled in for restless night with the storm lingering on around them.
The next morning, Maggie woke up feeling nauseous. She turned to see that Tara was still sound asleep, holding her close. Maggie quietly removed herself from Tara's embrace before looking around. She saw that everyone was still passed out, except Sasha who was sitting against the wall.
"You wanna come outside with me? I'm feelin' sick and I don't really want to throw up in here," Maggie asked as Sasha nodded. Maggie helped Sasha to her feet before they quietly opened the door. Maggie could barely take in the sight before her. Trees had been uprooted and pieces of walkers' bodies were spewed everywhere.
"We should have died last night," Sasha observed as she took in all the destruction around them.
"Yeah, I know. My daddy always used to say everythin' happens for a reason. Maybe us survivin' is the reason. I turned my back on my faith but maybe it's time to embrace it again," Maggie said as she sat down under a tree still standing upright, watching the sun rise in the distance. Sasha sat down next to her.
"How are you holding up with the loss of Beth, Glenn, and your dad?" Sasha asked as she watched the sunrise also.
"I'm gonna be ok. I wish I could talk to Tara about it at times. I wish she would open up more 'bout how she feels 'bout losin' her family but you know how stubborn she can be," Maggie smiled as she thought about Tara.
"Yeah, she can be very stubborn," Sasha let out a little laugh.
"How are you holdin' up with Tyreese bein' gone?" Maggie asked the woman next to her.
"It's hard, but I'm pushing through as best as I can," Sasha gave Maggie a small smile. They were silent for a few minutes.
"How's the baby doing?" Sasha questioned when she saw Maggie place her hand on her stomach.
"Baby is doin' great. Right now, she's not givin' me any trouble," Maggie answered as Sasha beamed.
"So it's gonna be a girl, huh?" Sasha laughed as Maggie nodded.
"I really think it is...I just have this feelin'," Maggie was pretty sure that her and Tara would be welcoming a little girl soon.
The women's light hearted conversation was cut short as they suddenly noticed that a stranger was approaching them cautiously. Sasha and Maggie immediately raised their guns in the direction of the man who had his hands up in surrender. The man looked to be about thirty years old with brown hair and a clean shaven face. He was very clean with not a speck of dirt on his plaid shirt or jeans. He had a warm smile that could put anyone at ease.
The man gave the two women a cheerful smile. "Hello. My name's Aaron. Can I please speak to your leader? I have some good news."
Alexandria is comin' up in the next chapter! Maybe Team Family's luck will change since they've been goin' through some rough times lately. Are they finally gonna have a safe place to stay? Will they be able to fit in? And who are the Wolves? Are they gonna be a threat?
This chapter's song is "Dust In the Wind" by Kansas. Every time I hear this song I always envision someone goin' on a long walk...
As always thank you my faithful readers for all your reviews, views, messages, faves, and follows. They definitely make my day and some of you really know how to flatter me lol.
Random Guest: thank you for the compliment. I like to think I listen to good music.
Gabriela: I'm pretty sure I was grinnin' like a an idiot when I wrote that chapter. I'm just a hopeless romantic at times. :D thank you for your awesome review.
As always thank you guys for everything! Love y'all!