S2E1P1

"Move over." I said, nudging Glenn with my elbow. He squished closer to the door so that I could join him at the front of the RV. T-Dog, Andrea and Shane were in the back, Daryl on his bike and Rick and Carol and their families were in the truck. We'd left the other vehicles to conserve fuel and the six of us had been crammed in the RV for hours.

"I swear to God Ava, if you make us play I-Spy again I'm going to scream." He said, banging his head against the head rest.

"Well, I'm struggling not to feel offended, Glenn. Here I was thinking our games of I-Spy where the highlight of the journey."

Glenn fought a smile and Dale chuckled. I elbowed him again. He reminded me a lot of my brother. Luke was always groaning about my games as well.

"How about we play never have I ever?"

"Isn't that a drinking game?"

"Only if you have alcohol. It'll just be fun for now."

"Yeah. Hell if I'm having alcohol again." He said, recalling the morning after at the CDC. I smirked.

"So. Never have I ever…stolen something – before the outbreak, of course."

Glenn just looked at me and shook his head. Dale raised his hand. I gaped at him.

"Dale." I said scoldingly. He chuckled.

"What'd you steal?" Glenn asked, leaning forward, but Dale's face instantly fell.

"Oh jeez." He said and we all turned forward. My face fell. The highway was blocked by hundreds of abandoned cars on both stretches of road, some upturned as if they'd gotten into a crash. "Aw no."

We stopped and Daryl sidled up beside us.

"See a way through?" Dale asked. Daryl looked forward then nodded for us to follow. We weaved between the abandoned vehicles at a snails pace and it was starting to look promising until the engine spluttered and squealed. Steam poured from the front and I groaned.

"I said it." Dale said, looking at me. "Didn't I say it?"

He had repeatedly said my hose wouldn't last and I hadn't argued, though I may have snapped at him. In my defence, I had been severely hung-over. Dale stopped the RV and we climbed out. I sighed at the engine.

"A thousand times. Dead in the water?" Dale said.

"Problem Dale?" Shane said as everyone left their vehicles and came to see what was wrong. I popped the front opened and wafted away the steam.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" Dale looked around. "Okay that was dumb."

"If I can find a radiator hose on an empty stretch of road we can definitely find one here."

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find here." Daryl said.

"I can siphon more fuel from those cars for a start." T-Dog said.

"Maybe some water." Added Carol.

"Or food." Said Shane.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said, looking at everyone as if they were animals. "I don't know how I feel about this."

Everyone looked uneasy for a moment.

"I don't think these people would be selfish enough to begrudge us trying to survive after they died. I certainly wouldn't care if a survivor took stuff from my corpse. At least I'd be helping people after I was gone." I said, shrugging. Lori still didn't look sure but everyone else headed out to search the cars. Rick caught my eye briefly but I turned away, heading deeper into the sea of cars.

I peered through the windows, looking for anything useful. Dale told me he'd take care of the hose this time and I was grateful. When I looked into one car I frowned.

"What the-?"

I tried the door and it opened so I reached in and unlodged what I had found.

"The hell is that?" Daryl asked, sneaking up on me.

"I think it's a spear, though why the hell someone would have a spear I don't know."

"You'd be surprised." He grunted before moving on. I scoffed and tested the weight of the spear. It was light-weight and made of black plastic with a diamond shaped blade secured to the top. It was simple, it was sharp, and it was perfect.

I grinned, strumming my thumb against the blade. I almost sliced my finger open when Rick grabbed me.

"Get down!" He hissed, pushing me down. I had no idea what was happening but I trusted Rick had good reason. I dragged myself under the car next to Ricks, taking the spear with me. Seeing he was looking past me, I turned and saw Carl and Sophia under the cars on the other side. It wasn't long before I saw what Rick was freaking out about.

Walkers shuffled between the cars thickly. I shared a look with Rick before turning to Carl and Sophia, mouthing for them to stay calm and quiet. The dead shuffled and groaned and even though I knew we were relatively safe, it didn't stop my heart from starting to beat faster.

Eventually they moved on, leaving us in tense silence as we waited for a safe moment to leave the underside. I turned back to Rick, who gestured for me to stay. I jumped when I heard a shriek and turned to see Sophia scrambling away from a walker who reached under the car for her.

I didn't hesitate. I scrambled from beneath the car and headed towards the verge down which Sophia had disappeared. Two walkers ambled after her as she ran into the forest. I used the spear to balance myself as I ran down the verge but stopped when I heard a groan, preparing to take out a walker behind me. I stopped when I saw it was Rick who had fallen after me.

I reached out and helped him up before we both turned to the forest, heading after Sophia. We darted through the woods, following the sounds of Sophias' ragged breaths and the walkers groans. When we grew closer I tripped, sending the spear flying into the ground where it stuck at an angle. Rick grabbed me up and pulled me on before I could go back for it. I made a mental note to try and retrieve it later.

When we found Sophia she almost screamed, having run straight into Rick. She reached for his gun.

"Shoot them!"

"No, no!" Rick said, holding her. "Those walkers on the road would hear it. Then it wouldn't be two, it'd be hundreds."

Rick picked her up and we kept running. I reached for my dagger to defend us and found an empty belt.

"Shit."

"What?" Rick said as we jumped down into a river.

"I didn't put my belt on. I don't have a weapon."

I suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable, cursing myself for having left it behind. How could I be so stupid?

"Sophia, you have to do exactly what I say. Hide in there." Rick said, pointing to an overhang of foliage. "Squeeze in tight. I'll draw them away."

"No, don't leave me."

"It's alright. Ava will stay with you."

I looked at Rick.

"You can't take them alone. Not without a weapon."

"Yes I can and I have my gun if it comes down to it, but you're unarmed. You two stay here and if I don't come back, head on back to the road, you hear me?"

I was reluctant to let him go alone and he knew it. He held my gaze, pleading for me to listen. I nodded tersely and helped Sophia get under the ledge. He taunted the walkers, drawing their attention. One fell into the water before us and immediately started after Rick. Soon enough there was nothing but the sound of trickling water.