Terry was having a serious argument with himself. Sending 7 year old kids out to do shit like this? It wasn't close to being right. But a lot of what Edgar was telling them to do wasn't right. Hunting down other survivors to take their women and killing the men when they balked over their wives and daughters becoming community property? Edgar was turning into some Dark Ages version of a caveman. Granted Edgar was keeping the species alive but at what cost?

Terry was hoping this group had moved on. He just couldn't be a part of destroying what was left of people's lives but he didn't have much of a choice. What Edgar says goes. Most of these guys has happily slipped down the slope with Edgar enjoying the idea of being Gods in this world of destruction. And Edgar was making sure that the children were being raised to think it was normal.

Terry soon found the boy, Jake hiding in a ditch just a ways up the road from the motel. "You okay kid?"

"Yes, Terry." The boy answered and pointed toward the area across the road from the little truck stop. "I just saw a woman and two older kids go into the wounds. They had a man with them. The man was kind of limping."


"Okay. Let's see if they come back." Terry said. "We need to know if Clay and Ryan are here or if it's a different group."

"Duane you and Carl tell Rick we got company out here. West side of the place bout halfway to the bridge. Me and Mickie will keep an eye on em." Daryl said as he grabbed Michonne's hand pulling her back toward the treeline.

"Daryl are you sure?" She said looking around.

"Positive and since we don't want them to know that we spotted them we better give em somethin to look at." Daryl said before he kissed her. Turning her so he could keep an eye on the motel he released nuzzled her neck. "We're gonna go through the woods and come out on the other side of em. Kind of pin em between us and and our people."

"Okay." Michonne answered running her fingers through his hair. Seeing Merle and Rick emerge from the store she let her fingers slip down to tug at at his belt loop. "Having a little jungle fever relapse hon? All you need is a little brown sugar to fix that." She said loudly as they made their way back into the cover of the trees and brush as Merle and Rick melted into the treeline on the opposite side of the road.


"Terry is getting weak, Ed." Gator told his friend. "I know he's your brother but he's starting to question everything you say lately."

"I know but he's still my brother. It's just taking him a bit longer to adjust to the way the world is. That's all." Edgar was pacing back and forth half a mile away around a bend in the road. It wouldn't do for anyone to see or hear the group of vehicles. "He's just worried about the kid. It's what made him such a good school teacher, he just has to realize he's not a teacher anymore."

"It's going to cause a breakdown in discipline if you don't do something about it." Gator took a sip from his canteen and handed it to Edgar. "We both know it. We've served together too long Ed. You and I both saw what happens when discipline breaks down in Iraq; everybody making their own decisions, following the orders they want to follow. You end up with men letting you down."

"He's my brother! I'm not going to execute him just because he's a little squeamish." Edgar said.

"Don't execute him, but you're going to have to do something. If you don't he's going to get us killed one day. He doesn't need to be on missions. He hasn't got the balls for it. Put him in charge of the women or something!" Gator said. "Cause if he doesn't toe the line there's more than one man in this group that won't think twice about friendly fire."


"Well, well; look what we done snagged Rick." Merle said as Terry turned to face him pushing Jake behind him.

"Please, don't hurt the kid." Terry asked looking at the two men. Jake took that moment to run only to collide with Daryl and Michonne who were coming out of the woods.

"Where do you think you're going?" Michonne said grabbing the kid.

Daryl quickly slapped his hand over the boy's mouth when he opened it to scream. "You want to bring every walker in these woods ta chew on your scrawny ass? Shut up!"

"It's not the gimps you have to worry about. Look I don't want any trouble." Terry said reaching into the waistband of his jeans. "I have a gun, I'm going to give it to you. I'll give you Jake's gun too. I just don't want to be caught up in more killing because of my brother."He tossed his gun to land at Rick's feet.

"More killing?" Rick asked as he picked the weapon up and tucked it into his own waistband after making sure the safety was on.

"Yes. I'm tired of it. The kids shouldn't have to live this way." Terry said. "Jake isn't even eight yet. He's sending kids out on missions as young as 6. Most of them aren't coming back. I just want it to stop."

"Where's your brother?" Merle asked.

"He's got his group waiting about a half mile down the road for Jake to come back. He wanted Jake to find out if the Mexicans were here. He had sent a couple of our guys to get in with them. One of them left a map showing this place so Edgar followed it. He wants the women mostly. He'll give you the chance to join up with us, but the women will end up being community property. He wants them all pregnant."

"I don't think that's gonna happen." Merle said. "But he rolls on us there's gonna be some killin."

"I think we'd better get out of these woods before Edgar comes looking. Get back and get everyone armed and let them know what's coming." Rick said.