I'm going to start by saying how glad I am you guys liked the last chapter. :) So many kind reviews and it was a hell of a one to write. Secondly, I'm going to apologize for my delay with this update. I finally started my internship for the summer so along with that and working my part time job my updates are going to be a little slow. I'm trying to get them done as fast as possible but temporarily I'm staying with my sister and having a nephew cry for attention almost every hour keeps forcing me to step away from my laptop. Anyway, um this chapter turned out to be super long (which I noticed I've been getting really carried away with length lately) so I decided to break it into two pieces. The other part is finished I just got to edit it. I hope this chapter addresses some concerns you readers may have had. ;)

Reviews are welcomed and thank you new followers!

I take no credit for characters with an exception to my OCs.

It had been a couple of weeks since the group left the factory, leaving behind the tragic end of a father and daughter who were now resting in peace from a world without mercy. It had been a couple of weeks and no one had spoken one word about it, as if it was easier to bury it in silence rather than drowning in the grief of what had happened. The group didn't know the two of them personal but it was still a strong hit toward their sympathetic thoughts. A reality to what kind of world they lived in now.

It took a while for the group to enter back into the same routine without remorse deepening in everyone's face. But all they had now was the ability to move forward, to find that safe haven Rick had promised they would find. It was days after did they finally talk again in casual conversation, days after that they could smile; even in the struggles they were faced.

Walkers were no longer the threat they once were. The cold temperature that was Georgia's winter could be seen wearing them down, slowing down the active hunger that once drove them. They were withering out there like flowers in the dead of winter and the group found themselves able to avoid them more rather than creating the risk of exterminating them.

The snow had also finally begun to fall, the grey clouds overhead finally acting out on the taunting it had done in the past days. The snow however was little, barely creating a sheet over the wet roads they drove through. It was apparent now that their main focus in survival was the danger of starvation and shielding themselves from the cold. Clothes had been listed as a main priority besides food, everyone now bundling themselves in layers. The sheltering in their vehicles had also been limited as much as possible. No one wanted to run the risk of getting sick, not with the little medication they had. However, some nights they couldn't avoid it and sometimes the vehicles were a last resort.

A long lasting shelter was a need now, especially with the snow falling above their heads. A shelter where they could sleep comfortably without having to curl up in bundles of blankets just to keep warm. Somewhere where they could stay before the snowfall got really bad. Somewhere that maybe they could actually call home.

There was little food to be found in the abandoned houses they scavenged, little supplies, that it was fortunate that the amount they had now was plentiful for a good while. Even so, they grabbed as much as they could for the coming months now that winter was beating down on them.

Currently, the group were at a stop while the men tried to figure out a route that may have abandoned cars to siphon gas that they were unfortunately low on. Gas stations they had passed were all empty, the cars around barely even filling a canister let alone one of the trucks. They were looking for a neighbourhood, maybe a store where a parking lot might have been home to a few cars. Anything.

The intermission was also a chance for Elena to grab her bearings considering she hadn't been feeling well all morning. The ride since they left their last shelter had made her car sick, forcing T-Dog to signal to the others to stop to give her a break and to figure out exactly where they were headed.

Elena stood at the side of the road, resting her hand against a tree trunk and leaning against it. She felt the familiar pain cringe her stomach once again, a lot more tightly than it had when she was in the Dodge and she knew she was ready to throw up. The vile taste of it coming up her throat made her gag and Elena spat, closing her eyes as she leaned her forehead against her arm. She felt like shit.

Someone winced behind her then and Elena turned.

"Still feeling like crap, huh?" Glenn asked her.

Elena only hummed her response and he offered something to her.

"Brought you some water."

"Thanks." Elena took it, gargling the water in her mouth before spitting it out.

"What do you think it is? Not another hangover, is it?"

"No, and I don't know. All I know is that what I ate this morning isn't staying down." Elena tried to swallow again until she felt that tickle in her throat, and that strange bubbling feeling in the pit of her stomach. The nausea hit her swiftly, almost causing her to choke on her own bile. This time barely anything came up and she coughed a couple of times, gathering the saliva in her mouth and spitting again to rid the taste. She closed her eyes.

"Geez, first it's Lori with the morning sickness, now we got to worry about you."

Elena shot her eyes open; his words striking her so hard she almost lost her balance. She looked at Glenn and the smile on his face slowly began to fade at the horror on her face.

"What?" he asked, his brow cocked. And just like that, as soon as he asked the question, Glenn's face went pale. Realization flashed over her eyes, widening them. "Oh my God...are you...? You and Daryl didn't...? Holy shit."

Elena opened her mouth but she couldn't reply, the shock denying any words to escape her. Her mind was rushing so fast she couldn't even focus on a single thought, the bile returning back in her throat.

Glenn stared at her, his brows furrowing. "You two didn't use protection?"

"Do you and Maggie?" The remark was automatic, passing her lips rhetorically for lack of a better thing to say. She couldn't think.

Glenn didn't appear to be listening to her. "This is bad. This is real bad." He began to pace, making Elena suddenly dizzy.

"Would you stop panicking?"

"Someone has to!"

"Keep your voice down," Elena said sternly as she was finally able to focus.

Glenn took a step closer to her, his voice hushed but still filled with nervous anxiety. "You're pregnant."

"We don't know that yet."

"Well then we gotta get you a test or something."

Elena tried to inhale, tried not to absorb the panic Glenn was in. She tried to stay calm but she could feel the nervous sweat that was beginning to perspire at the back of her neck and the tremble that shook her hands. Glenn's accusation burrowed deep within her even though she brushed it away with quick denial.

She grabbed Glenn then, her eyes firm on his and he stopped pacing.

"You can't tell anyone one about this. Not Maggie and definitely not Daryl," she told him.

"Are you kidding me? If anyone is telling Daryl, it's you. I'd rather take my chances in a herd of walkers than deal with Daryl knowing he could be a father."

"Glenn. Promise me you won't say a word about this." She stared at him with pleading eyes. "Please."

Glenn sighed, taking off his cap to run his hand through his hair. "Not this again."

Elena finally let go of him, staring at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

"I went through this with Lori," he answered. "I can't lie."

She frowned but stood straight and her eyes hardened on him. "You're gonna have to learn how. Not one word, Glenn."

He looked away from her, exhaling with exasperation. "How the hell do I get myself into these situations?"

"Your fault for guessing," she replied quietly even though his question was rhetorical. "Please, Glenn, I'm begging you."

He stared at her for a long while before his eyes soften. "Okay, okay. But only if we find you a pregnancy test and you take it. Okay?"

She nodded her head in agreement.

They were both silent for a moment, awkwardly so and Elena shifted on her feet. She looked back at Glenn when she noticed the slightest twitch at the corner of his lips.

"What now?"

Glenn shook his head, looking like he was trying to suppress a smile and Elena couldn't imagine what he thought was so funny about this situation. When she cocked her brow at him, he shrugged.

"I just can't believe you and Daryl...I mean...," he tried to say. "Didn't know he had it in him."

Elena rolled her eyes in that instant before brushing passed him incredulously.

"I was kidding!"

In any other circumstance, Elena would have laughed but this new knowledge of what could have cause her upset stomach was beginning to eat at her. It was driven so far in her mind now, planting itself there and growing roots of thoughts like an infestation.

What the hell was she going to do?

Daryl and her hadn't used protection, didn't even think of using any precaution, too focused in their moments together that the need of sexual satisfaction drowned out any nagging thoughts that were probably there in the back of her mind. Why the hell hadn't she thought of this? How could she be so stupid?

No, she had to be calm. There was a good possibility that she wasn't even pregnant. When did symptoms start? How long ago did they even sleep together? Elena couldn't even think of an answer, her brain so chaotic with the panic Glenn caused that she couldn't think straight. Glenn was right; she needed to get herself tested as quickly as possible. This could all be a false alarm, but she wasn't sure. Elena never dealt with this; she was always responsible before—even took birth control pills as insurance.

It was bad enough Lori was pregnant. One baby may be a problem, but one baby they could handle. But two?

Dear God, she needed to get tested ASAP.

And what if it came out positive? What would she do? What would she even tell Daryl? They were just finally settling into a relationship—and yes she could finally call it that without an ounce of doubt—but they weren't ready for something like this. The last thing they were ready for was being a mother and father.

Elena felt her stomach churn again, this time from anxiety rather than nausea. When she finally reached the Dodge Ram, she leaned against it, not trusting herself to stay steady on her feet. But when she heard footsteps slowly approaching, she went completely still.

"Hey."

The call came at her side and Elena swallowed hard at that familiar southern drawl that said it. Slowly, she drifted her eyes to her left as Daryl sauntered slowly toward her, rolling his shoulder to adjust the crossbow he held at his back. Elena forced a smile, hoping it would mask the shock that still probably lingered on her face.

"Feelin' better?" he asked her.

Elena decided not to lie about the nausea that was still twisting her stomach. If she could limit the lies, maybe it would make keeping the assumptions a secret a lot easier. And this secret she needed to keep from Daryl, at least until she got her results.

"If you count throwing up a minute ago feeling better," she said.

"Did ya talk to Hershel?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, probably a stomach flu."

Daryl took a step toward her, before bringing his hand toward her face, resting the back of it against her forehead. He furrowed his brow and met her eyes. "Don' feel warm."

"Or," she added, "it could be food poisoning. We haven't been exactly eating gourmet meals."

Daryl exhaled through his nose, pulling his hand away and looking at her unconvincingly.

Elena gave him another warm smile, this time genuine at the concern he was giving her. "I've had it before, nothing to worry about. It usually lasts for just a day."

He nodded his head at that, chewing at the side of his cheek. But when he looked back at her, the concern in his eyes still there, it brought a painful ache in Elena's stomach. She hated having to lie to him, but telling him something as big as this especially when there was no concrete evidence if it was true or not, was not the wisest choice. Elena didn't want to worry him, she rather handle the stress for the both of them.

"Yo, Daryl! We're headin' out."

Daryl took his eyes away from her just as Elena looked to her left to see T-Dog gesturing back to the road with his thumb. Daryl didn't move, waiting for T-Dog to jump into the driver seat of the Dodge Ram before he looked back down at Elena.

He lifted his hand toward her, brushing his fingers against her arm in an uncharacteristic tender act. "Take it easy. Got a couple of hours on the road."

"Sure," she replied to reassure him.

Daryl then took a step back before turning, returning to the lead of vehicles where his brother's motorcycle sat. Elena worried about him driving it now, with the snow now leaving sleet on the roads. She knew eventually it would be too cold for him to drive it and maybe he'd join her and T-Dog in the pickup truck.

Elena turned toward the Dodge to enter inside when at the corner of her eye she caught the sight of a figure. It was Glenn gazing back at her from the side of the Hyundai.

The secret was between them, held down with only allegations. Elena didn't know how they were even going to find a pregnancy test in the day. But she wanted take the test as soon as possible to hopefully trump the possibility that she was even pregnant. And if it did, it would save her the trouble of telling Daryl anything at all.

Glenn hated having the responsibility of keeping a secret, not just because he was a terrible liar but because secrets like these were going to need future attention. Prenatal vitamins, nutrition…a lot of things. If Elena was pregnant, the group needed to know so they could take extra care and figure out what they were going to do. One baby was a worry, especially in the future with it crying and possibly alarming walkers nearby. Two babies might as well be a food bell for an all you can eat buffet.

He still couldn't believe that Elena and Daryl had even physically gotten that far in their relationship. If it really could be called that. It wasn't that Glenn doubted they had anything between them, but seeing them together you'd only assume they were just good friends. He didn't see much affection between them, only the subtle looks they gave one another. Daryl was awkward at times that Glenn couldn't imagine him being at all romantic. He did have his strange way of showing he cared for Elena, although it was usually through anger. Maybe he was affectionate when they were alone, who knew?

Maggie had expressed to him her opinion on them being together. 'Cute' was how she described it. Glenn didn't get it, but then again girls thought any relationship was cute. Maggie thought that there was always something between them, saying how the way they interacted with one another was different than how they coincided with the rest of the group. Like they meant more for each other. Hearing this, Glenn could understand, after all that's exactly how he felt about Maggie. He loved her and she meant the world to him. Glenn wanted to spend every waking hour with her, wanted to show her how much he thought she was special but they rarely had privacy and sometimes intimacy was a difficult thing to have. Maybe that's exactly how Elena and Daryl had felt, that even the thought of not having protection handy was the last thought on their mind. Glenn couldn't blame them either, even though he had exclaimed over the fact Elena and Daryl hadn't used any sort of protection, Elena was right. Maggie and him hadn't either. They were careful of course, but there could still be a slip up no matter how careful they were.

Glenn told Maggie everything, but seeing the horror on Elena's face and the desperation that she tried so hard to hide, he knew he had to keep his mouth shut. She was trying to be calm but Glenn could see right through her. She was as freaked out as he was. It was like déjà vu.

He still remembered the cold sweats he'd have just being near Rick with the secret of Lori's pregnancy breathing down his neck. Having to do it all over again was a memory Glenn didn't want to relive. One time was bad enough. He knew this time it would be worse, especially with knowing the fact that Daryl could be a father. Rick at least was rational, or at least once was, but Daryl? He was never the kind of guy that could put you at ease. And seeing him angry put Glenn on edge too. Maybe Elena could handle it, but Glenn couldn't. Daryl would probably kill him if he let it slip that Elena could be pregnant. If he didn't, Elena definitely would.

She didn't want a baby. Not now anyway. This was something Glenn was sure about because at no point did he see any positivity in her eyes or posture. She had the right set of mind, having a baby now definitely wasn't ideal with their hectic travelling each day, that Glenn sometimes wondered how Lori and Rick were going to handle their little one. However, if they did end up finding a pregnancy test and it came out positive, Glenn really hoped Elena wouldn't go down the same road Lori had took. He was never biased about abortion, but if it was an option it shouldn't be a choice made by one person. One person shouldn't have to go through that on their own. If Elena didn't think having this baby was a good idea, then she needed to talk to Daryl about it. Glenn had no idea how Daryl would react to the news and he almost worried for her.

This was huge and he still had no idea how they were going to find a pregnancy test for her, let alone keep it away from the others.

"Glenn, are you okay?"

Glenn jumped at the soft voice that asked the questioned, looking back at Maggie's sister, Beth. She looked at him with her big eyes as she searched his face.

"Uh, what?" he asked quickly, his hands shaking on the gas canister that miraculously appeared in his hands. He had to think for a lot longer than was necessary on where he was and what he was doing before the thoughts of Elena's secret completely fogged up his vitals and mobility.

It had been a couple of hours since Glenn unintentionally discovered Elena's secret and Rick had issued the stop when they found a few cars left at the side of the road, one of them being a pickup truck turned over on its back deep within a ditch. Maggie had asked Glenn to get a gas canister from the Hyundai to fill up what little gasoline might be still in the cars, which they would transfer in the vehicles when they found shelter for the night. However, always at times like these, did his mind wander.

"I asked if yer okay," Beth said again.

Glenn scoffed with the best fake light hearted smile he could muster. It felt so stiff on his face, he hoped Beth wouldn't notice. "Of course I am, why are you asking?" he replied as he finally pulled the empty canister from the trunk of the Hyundai.

"'Cause yer face looks identical to Elena's."

Glenn froze, swallowing hard. "What do you...uh mean?"

Beth smiled at him slightly. "Like yer going to be sick. Yer not sick too are you?"

"Nope. Nope, I'm okay. C'mon lets siphon the gas quick so we can eat lunch before we leave," Glenn said quickly, trying to relax his shoulders before turning away. He stopped mid-step, almost cursing himself for forgetting to close the trunk. He turned back, doing so before walking fast away from Beth.

Elena owed him big time for keeping this secret, because he was sure it was going to be the death of him.

All Elena could do was pace. The others were occupied, getting what they can that was valuable in the vehicles. Rick decided that it would be better if she stayed by with Lori, Carol and Carl, to give her some time to recover from the morning. But all it did was leave her mind stranded, drowning in the tidal wave of thoughts.

Elena had tried to get rest in the Dodge through the hours T-Dog was driving but Glenn's panic and the image of the look on his face kept playing over her mind, making the worry now suffocating. She knew she was over thinking it now, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She twisted the dog tags around her neck with her finger, looking up when she heard a sudden commotion.

"Carl."

"I'm not a kid anymore. Just let me go help Dad."

Lori stared at him for a long while before she reluctantly nodded her head. Carl turned away then and continued on to where Rick sat on his heels, helping T-Dog and Hershel fill up a canister from one of the abandoned SUV's.

Elena watched him go when she heard Lori lightly sigh before leaning against the Chevy Suburban. Lori worried about him every day of every hour and Elena wondered if she stressed herself out too much. She noticed lately the strain in their relationship and the constant struggle that Lori faced with trying to keep control of her son who lately seemed adamant about spending more time with his father and taking in more responsibilities within the group.

"Hard to see him growing up so fast, huh?" Carol asked aloud as she rummaged through the boxes of food in the back of the Chevy. She was gathering what little the group could have for lunch.

Lori gave her a half hearted smile. "He acts like he doesn't need his mother telling him what to do anymore."

"That's not true. He's always going to need his mother."

"Thank you," Lori replied softly.

When Lori began subconsciously rubbing her abdomen, Elena's mind in that instant grew heavy from the sight. It was difficult to see, what with the layers of clothes everyone wore now, but Lori was beginning to show, the small life inside her growing even through the tough lifestyle they struggled through. It was really a small miracle and yet Elena still couldn't imagine it could be seen that way for her.

Although Rick was just looking out for her best interests to not over exert herself until her abdominal pains ceased, Elena just couldn't see that staying by the only woman in the group that was pregnant would do her any good for her conscious mind.

But curiosity suddenly prickled at her, curiosity that wondered how Lori was fairing with the pregnancy. And whether Elena could handle the same thing if she had to.

She made her way closer to her, crossing her arms and giving both Lori and Carol a kind smile. "How are you feeling?" Elena questioned quietly and gestured toward the small baby bump.

"Well, besides the fact that I'm tired enough to hibernate, I'm doing fine," she answered. "Hershel says the baby is healthy even with the lack of nutrition."

"Does he or she move yet?"

"Sometimes when I stay still for too long—oh." Lori stopped in that instant, holding her stomach. She lowered her eyes to it, a brief smile on her lips.

Elena knew that look. It was adoration, that instantaneous love to come to a mother. She remembered the same look on her cousin who had been pregnant with twins, and she remembered thinking how much she wanted that. To look as happy and excited to see her family grow.

"Did she kick?"

"She?" Lori questioned curiously.

Elena shrugged. "I have a feeling it's gonna be a girl."

"That would be nice. I always wanted a girl." Lori averted her eyes back to the direction that Carl had gone, where he stood beside his father. "Not that I didn't love having Carl. But boys are handfuls."

"I think any baby can be a handful." Both Elena and Lori turned at the statement as Carol approached them. She had her hands full with a quick lunch she had been preparing and Elena immediately stood away from the Chevy to give her a hand.

"I use to have a hard time putting Sophia to sleep," she said, smiling at Elena when she offered her share. "She use to wake the neighbours."

Lori frowned. "Let's hope in our case that doesn't happen, what with our neighbours being herds of walkers barely miles away."

"Don't think such things," Carol replied. "We'll be fine. Things will be fine."

Reluctantly, Lori nodded her head, the smile gone from her lips. Elena couldn't help have her sudden change of mood reflect on her also. Lori didn't ask for this pregnancy, and she felt like she had full responsibility of what would happen afterwards when the baby was born. Elena could see it in her eyes and she felt the worry return back tenfold. Babies were a wonderful thing, being a mother was a wonderful experience but the repercussions were a whole different story.

"Are you still not feeling well Elena?" Carol suddenly asked her. "You're looking pale."

Elena shook her head automatically. "It's the smell from the food," she lied. "Don't have much of an appetite."

"At least eat a bit, can't go on with no food in your stomach," she scolded. "We'll be leaving soon, eat what you can."

Refusal was pointless and Elena decided to just nod her head and agree with her. She knew she wouldn't be able to completely eat everything that was given to her, even though it wasn't very much to begin with. Her stomach was still churning, added with the expansion of her anxiety over her predicament. She had the sudden urge to talk about it, to get that relieving advice from the two women who knew what it was like to be pregnant and the telltale signs.

She just wanted someone to talk to. Perhaps she could talk to Glenn about it, but he looked to be still anxious from earlier, his shoulders stiff as Beth and Hershel helped him with siphoning an old SUV. She hoped to God Glenn would be able to keep her secret, at least until she got the results of what could possibly be wrong with her.

"I'll try," she said finally, giving Carol a small smile.

She supposed that was good enough and Carol decided she didn't need to pester anymore.

There wasn't much Carol could do besides look after the health of the group and become caretaker. Maybe it was to fill the void of her loss of being a mother, or maybe it was because Carol genuinely cared for each and every person in their group.

Carol wasn't a leader and she definitely wasn't the strongest, but she was the most nurturing. She spent most of her time with Lori, to be there for her and her pregnancy now that Rick had too much responsibilities to do so himself. She had even asked Hershel to possibly teach her some education in his medical knowledge so she could do more than just prepare their course meals. Carol wanted to do more, wanted to be useful. She wanted to be strong. And she wanted to find herself in this new bleak world.

She was a late bloomer she realized, having hid away from her husband's shadow, too afraid to speak up, too afraid to make her own choices. Now she was just finding her way. Carol had spent too long feeling sorry for herself, too long thinking that she would never make it. Even a world so meek, there was still a new beginning for her. A chance to actually be happy. This had been a catharsis much needed and also given to her after watching the growing relationship between Elena and Daryl.

After what she had said to Daryl about confessing how he really felt about her and how she was good for him, Carol saw the change begin to unfold. It took time but Carol knew what ever happened between them had long past. They were much closer now. Elena smiled more and Daryl looked less tense near the group. Daryl appeared less confined than he use to be. He was finally able to find his place.

Leaving Lori and Elena to it, Carol made her way toward the others who were busying themselves with the needed tasks. Rick, Carl and Daryl were found by a dirt ridden Jeep Patriot. Rick sat on his heels, filling a canister with the gasoline that was found in the Patriot with Carl while Daryl rummaged through the inside of the vehicle for any necessities.

When Carol approached them, bearing their share of lunch, Daryl turned, slamming the passenger door behind him empty handed. The previous owners must have taken everything with them.

Carol offered him his meal, which he took before his eyes lifted, gazing intently passed her.

"Did she eat yet?"

Carol had to turn, even though she knew who he was referring to.

"She's still feeling unwell," she answered.

Daryl clenched his jaw before lowering his eyes and taking a bite. "She says it's food poisonin' or somethin'."

"Food poisonin'?" Rick chimed in curiously. "We've all been eatin' the samethin'. It's strange that only she got sick."

"Maybe she had a reaction to something," Carol replied.

"Did she take anythin'?"

"Naw," Daryl answered him.

Carol nodded. "We don't have anything for an upset stomach. We have antibiotics, a few bottles of codeine and antihistamines."

"We got a few more stops before nightfall," Rick said before wiping his hands on his pants creased with both dirt and dried blood. "We'll look for a drug store and find somethin' for her."

Carol nodded her head again, offering Rick his lunch before crossing her arms. Almost instantly, he passed on the bars of protein to his son, who took it without a word, already fingering the food and eating it.

Elena had to fight a sigh of relief when she spotted the giant 'K' that could only belong to the licensed cooperation known as Kmart. It had been the most attention she had since they went back on the road. Her mind had been completely muddled and chaotic through the hours. T-Dog tried to strike up a conversation, however, Elena knew that having to say 'what?' for the fourth time had gone beyond the point of polite and T-Dog had given up talking to her nearly an hour ago.

Their other stops had been limited to nothing more than more abandoned vehicles that had been left at the side of the road. Other than that there were no abandoned structures, just the never ended forests that followed them in each twist and turn on the road. Now that the group was limited to the short hours of light the sun provided before retiring for the course of the night, a lot of their time travelling and scavenging the day ended quickly and Elena feared that she would never get that chance of finding a pharmacy and sneaking in toward the baby section to find a First Response test before anyone even took notice. Even if the place was empty, she couldn't imagine pregnancy tests going out of stock from other scavengers. This Kmart had to have one.

Daryl pulled into the parking lot that was mostly deserted with an exception of some rusted old vehicles that looked to have been there a while. The others followed in, one by one braking nearby the entrance. The automatic doors were shattered into pieces, the glass scattered throughout the front end lot, seemingly disturbed before. The Kmart had been ransacked previously and all the group could do was pray that there was anything left. And there was no live thing, walker or human in the remnants of the building.

Elena jumped out of the Dodge, grabbing her crowbar and Glock 17. She may have still been nauseous but there was no chance she was going to miss this only opportunity she had today. She only hoped that Rick wouldn't want her siphoning the vehicles out in the parking lot. If it came to that, Elena knew she couldn't defy his orders. All it would do would bring questions on herself and bring attention to her behaviour and the group had been questioning her health enough. If worst came to worst, as a last resort, she'd send Glenn in to grab what she needed. And fortunately he would know which isle to look and what it would look like.

"The entrance is broken in which means we may have possible walkers inside," Rick said, preparing the order before he gave everyone the run through of their game plan. "Glenn, come with us to clear the inside. Maggie and T-Dog, I need you two to siphone what's left in those cars while we loot what's inside. We'll make this quick, we don't have a lot of time before nightfall."

Rick's eyes shifted then, seeing Elena standing armed and ready. He furrowed his brow. "Elena, if you're not feelin' well…"

"No, I'm okay," she said quickly. "Lemme help."

Rick sighed, gazing back at Daryl as if looking for confirmation. Slightly, he gave a nod and Rick looked back toward Elena. "Alright."

The group went to their respective positions and Elena immediately jogged after Rick and Daryl who were already leading the way toward the entrance.

"First chance we get, we have to head to the pharmacy," Elena whispered as soon as Glenn got to her side.

Glenn let out an exasperated sigh. "Let's just get this over with so I don't have to lie for you anymore."

Elena didn't say anything to that only looked over to her friend. She could see the labour her secret was putting him through. Guilt hit her then, even though it wasn't exactly her fault Glenn was involved in knowing. She knew Glenn had a hard time lying, she knew he was uncomfortable. And she knew she was asking a lot from him. Glenn was doing the best he could for her request in keeping this between them. She owed him an oath afterwards, she really did.

"Stay tight," Daryl said over his shoulder, mostly toward her and Glenn. He waved at them to follow behind while Rick went ahead.

The Kmart wasn't the biggest Elena had been in, but it definitely wasn't the smallest either. And it wasn't the most organized. The interior was dark, some shelves in the isles toppled over one another, objects spewed on the floor along with streaks of black and brown paint. Elena had to inhale knowing that it was old and dried blood. Walking further in, it was apparent that this place had been once looted. The shelves that were still standing barely stocked with any merchandise, shopping carts on their sides, neither of them having anything useful themselves. Even the racks of clothing were savaged through, leaving behind sizes that were too small or too large for any member of the group.

The enclosure of the store was merely quiet with an exception to the short squeaks Elena's heels made hitting against the tiled floor. She tried to pick up her feet more, but she knew inevitably she was going to need new boots eventually. The constant travels through pavement, dirt and gravel were wearing them out a lot faster.

"Glenn." Rick looked back toward him, gesturing his chin toward a turn down a couple of isles.

Reluctantly, Glenn followed behind him, giving Elena a seemingly apologetic look before they disappeared within the deeper part of the Kmart. Daryl went ahead, only looking over his shoulder once to make sure Elena was following him. She kept her crowbar close to her side, taking longer strides so she was closer at his side. She scouted over the isles they passed, over the racks for any movement or for any lurkers.

Lurkers was a new term used for the walkers that sat ideally around playing "dead" until someone crossed their path. In Elena's opinion, they were the worst and could be even considered the best of the predators. They sat still, quiet, completely immobile and brain dead until something perked up their attention and they went in for the kill. There was no such thing as being too careful if they crossed paths with a body and made absolute sure it was dead. However, even as they walked briskly, entering an empty isle that by evidence was once the kitchen appliance section, there was not a body in sight.

Daryl walked in his tracking fashion, with his crossbow raised tight in his arms, one finger at the trigger, and one hand on the foregrip to keep his aim steady. He averted his eyes from left to right every time they reached an opening before entering another isle. Elena watched him closely and just like earlier, her mind wandered. She couldn't damn well focus no matter how important it was to clear this area of walkers before they decided to take anything. She should have been thinking of what was possibly left here, what they could use, what would benefit them for the future. She shouldn't be thinking of the possibility she could be bearing the child of the man that stood in front of her.

Elena ran a hand down her face, feeling the stress of it all begin to burn out a hole in her own brain. All this over thinking was going to drive her insane and make her feel even worse than she already did. The nausea she felt now was self-induced and fear was beginning to grow deep within her, a fear of what the result would be when she had the time and privacy to take the test. She tried to shake her head, to rid the thoughts when she suddenly collided against something.

Lifting her eyes, Elena's gaze met Daryl's when she realized he had stopped walking. He furrowed his brow at her for a moment before he exhaled, gesturing his hand ahead.

"That way," he told her.

Elena could only nod her head, feeling suddenly flustered at her lack of concentration before she went ahead in lead. Daryl followed close behind her and she made the decision to completely clear her mind. She couldn't afford any screw ups now; she couldn't afford missing even a dash of evidence that they were the only beings in here.

She kept her crowbar ready at her side, her Glock shoved in the waistband of her pants as her secondary weapon, her gutting switchblade peeking out of her front pocket as a last resort. She perked her ears open to hear beyond their footsteps for any ragged breathing, any staggering of feet, any low moans. She heard nothing and as much as that should have eased the stiffness in her shoulders, it didn't.

It had been a few days since she last killed a walker. With the cold air slowing them down and withering them away, they were able outrun them rather than risk their lives taking a few down to make a clean getaway. Maybe it was a nice break from the force of pushing themselves and the harsh pumping of adrenaline in their veins but it also rusted their joints from what they should also be quick and ready to do. Elena always made sure she was still as active as she could be just in case.

As far as she could tell, there was nothing in here besides products left that were about as useful as a flashlight with no batteries. Many of the objects were operated with electrical outlets, which with lack of a generator would do them no good. Hopefully the other shelves were a lot more stocked with things they needed, like food and water. And hopefully the pharmacy was a lot more stocked with more medication than the little they had left.

At the end of the isle, Elena stopped, realizing they had made it to the end of the store and there was no sign of anything in here. She supposed with the silence, Rick and Glenn hadn't found danger either.

Elena turned to Daryl, spreading her lips into a small smile. "Guess we might as well look for what's left for us in this shithole."

Daryl lowered his crossbow in front of him, nodding his head as he stepped passed her. He continued to scan his eyes around, not ready to rule this building out as safe. And he realized he was right for doing so.

The smell hit him first, attacking his nostrils with more force than he remembered. He thought he was used to the smell of decomposed human flesh, the smell of rotting skin and muscle tissue and old blood, but this smell was harshly gathered and reminding him how walkers smelled like when it had been a hell of a lot warmer outside.

Daryl turned and sniffed the air to determine where it was coming from. Then his heart skipped a beat.

Elena watched him curiously, absently tapping her crowbar against her thigh. But it was the shadow behind her and the cracking of a jaw opening along with the sight of blackened teeth behind her that made every muscle in Daryl's body constrict.

As soon as the walker behind her let out a harsh growl, Elena snapped her neck toward it. And she froze. Her habitual reflex wasn't there to act on survival instinct she seemed to always have.

Daryl lifted his crossbow, barely taking aim and pulled the trigger.

The arrow pierced through bone, blood gushing out and some hitting Elena in the face where she turned her head away before any got in her eyes. The walker crumbled to the floor with a thud.

Elena blinked a couple of times before wiping the blood from her face with the back of her sleeve. She looked back toward the walker, staring at it as if it would reanimate again even with a bolt shoved deep through the frontal lobe of its brain.

Daryl stepped forward to her side and bent to receive back his arrow. He gazed back at her with a cocked brow.

"The hell was that?"

She didn't answer right away and she only shook her head. Daryl thought maybe it was the worry of her being sick that was making up more concerns in his head, but he knew now he wasn't making this stuff up. She was acting weird. Since their first pit stop she'd been completely in her own world, staring off in the distance, stuck in that mind of hers. Maybe she felt a lot worse than she let on, which would have explained the lack of concentration and her flushed face.

Elena wiped at the remainder of blood from her face. "Sorry, I should be paying more attention."

Daryl exhaled before placing his hand on her arm and urging her forward. "C'mon."

The remainder of the Kmart was only littered with a couple more walkers before Rick gave the clear sign and they went on their separate ways to start packing up the essentials. Rick grabbed an abundant of plastic bags for them to throw things in, more than they really needed considering they'd have to scrap the bottom of the barrel for anything useful in this joint.

Elena decided to take the opportunity to head toward the pharmacy while the others were occupied for the time being to look for what she needed specifically before she went for any medication that was available, including gauze and bandages.

She looked for the signs above the isles, knowing the tests would be found beside the baby supplies. When she turned around the corner, she was surprised to see Glenn already there, looking down and above at the shelves in front of him, his teeth biting down on his tongue in severe concentration. Elena stepped toward him and he jumped in that instant, his eyes locking on hers before he blew out a relieved breath.

"There's a few here, but I don't know which one…," he trailed off and decided to just take a step back before nodded his head toward the shelves.

Elena came to his side. There were a few different brands, all colour coded but disorganized with an assortment of products that didn't even belong in the isle. Elena scanned them all before she found the familiar pink box. First Response was one she specifically looked for knowing it had been one her sister Amelia had used at times and it never had steered her wrong when it gave her a negative result. Maybe she'd get the same luck.

Elena took it from the shelf before looking up at Glenn. "This one."

"When are you gonna take it?" he asked, his voice nervous and hushed.

"Tonight. I'll sneak off during dinner or something," she answered. "I don't know. I'll figure it out."

"Okay." Glenn relaxed a little before he frowned at her. "Look I know I didn't want anything to do with this, but just let me know what the result is, okay? You don't have to stress about this alone."

She stared at him for a moment, feeling the tightening in her own throat. "Thanks Glenn, that means a lot."

Glenn gave her a brief smile then before his eyes shot passed her and he sucked in a breath. Elena went still and slowly turned her head.

Daryl walked into the isle, his brows furrowed as he shifted his gaze between her and Glenn. Elena pivoted her body, reaching the box in her hands behind her and out of view. She manoeuvred herself in front of Glenn, wagging the box at him, hoping he'd get the hint to take it. He did as soon as Daryl entered in closer.

"Was just uh…grabbing something for Maggie," Glenn lied, gesturing to the pink box in his hand quickly and pulled it back to him before Daryl got a better look.

Glenn looked at Elena momentarily before he walked off out of the isle in a hurry. Daryl watched him go, and then turned his head back to Elena. Involuntarily, she jumped at his piercing gaze and inwardly she cursed herself.

"The hell you so jumpy for?" he asked.

Elena stepped in his path, purposely blocking his view from the leftover pregnancy tests behind her on the shelves. "I'm just having an off day."

He scoffed in sarcastic agreement.

She frowned and bit at her bottom lip, needing something to steer the conversation away from her. Lying to Daryl was a lot more difficult than she could handle, not just because he was slowly starting to become suspicious but because she was uncomfortable lying to him at all. Her eyes drifted toward the movement of his left hand, where he rolled something in his palm.

"What's that?"

Daryl lowered his eyes before lifting his hand and offered it to her. "All I could find for ya."

Elena took the bottle, turning it over in her hands. It was a bottle of Tums, cherry flavoured tablets specifically made for children ages two to eleven to cure an upset stomach. A smile slithered against her lips, foreshadowed by an omen. It was a kind sentiment for Daryl to find something to make her feel better and yet the cartoon illustration of the child on the label taunted her.

"Might help a lil'," he continued.

Elena had the sudden urge to tell him everything. She didn't want to sneak around anymore and he had a right to know, but at the same time something inside her was still pushing her back from telling him the truth.

"Don' look so good. Ya alright?"

"Daryl, I—" Elena stopped herself as soon as she met his gaze. He was watching her carefully with a narrowed calculation. She shook her head then. "Nevermind. Thank you for this."

Daryl almost expected her to lean forward on her toes and kiss him on the corner of his lips, like she normally did when they were alone to show a sign of gratitude. But she didn't. All she did was give him a tight smile, lingering on her step before she walked passed him out of the isle. Daryl didn't even follow his eyes after her, completely bemused by her sudden behaviour and maybe a little disappointed. Maybe she was still sick, but something was completely off.

He made a moved to turn, his eyes momentarily moving toward the shelves Elena had stood in front of. He only caught a glimpse of the few boxes before he exited the isle.