Arrows and Scars

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Disclaimer: Like an old song that doesn't get out of your head I must say, I OWN NOTHING!

Chapter Twenty Nine: Have a Little Faith

It had been three days since the horrors of Terminus.

All the group could do after that was start walking.

To where, they had no idea.

They needed supplies.

That much was for certain.

A place to stay would have been nice too.

But they've been out like this before, and they knew how to handle themselves.

Rick took the front of their group as usual, while Maggie, Glenn, Tara, Daryl and Kagome followed behind their line. Kagome walked next to Daryl, who stood close to her side just as Glenn stayed close to Maggie. Souta and Sophia were close behind them, occasionally holding hands.

Carl walked next to his father with Judith securely in his arms. Michonne stood next to him with Kilala riding on her shoulder. She felt a little useless without her sword, which she lost back at Terminus. But she kept telling herself that she no longer needed the weapon. The demon cat would rub her mistress's neck to remind her that she'll always be safe as long as she was by her side.

Carol, Shippo, Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese followed behind Souta and Sophia. Eugene would either linger next to them or in front to speak with the kids.

Abraham, Rosita and Sesshōmaru were behind them all, making sure that no stray Walkers got to them by surprise. The demon voiced that he was perfectly capable of doing so himself, but Abraham insisted that he'd help in order not to get rusty.

That and he liked to fight.

The demon lord accepted the excuse, not really caring either way.

Everyone was on guard during the day but they were determined to go where they needed.

The group was accepting with their new arrivals of their family and vice versa. They didn't know how much of Kagome's story they believed, but they knew that the demons were on their side and that was enough for them.

There was no issues among anyone.

Well, all accept for two.

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"I owe you everything," Rick told Carol, referring to Judith and saving their lives.

She shook her head, "You owe Tyreese. He was at the prison."

"You made it back," Rick reminded her.

Carol did nod at this before handing Rick back his watch which she found in Terminus. They spoke briefly about the boy they'd given it to, while Rick admitted to give back the watch she'd given him.

An old anniversary gift from Ed.

Carol refused it.

"I still don't know about what you did," Rick whispered to her, not wanting to be overheard. "But I know you know some things I didn't...I sent you away to this."

"You said I could survive," Carol interrupted him, "You were right."

Rick snorted, "I sent you away to this and now we're joining you...Will you have us?" Carol blinked at the question and gave a small nod. "Thank you," he said gratefully before looking behind Carol and noticed a hidden figure.

Carol turned and saw the demon lord staring at the two of them. Rick retreated to give the two some much needed privacy. 'You could cut the tension between those two with a knife,' he thought to himself as he left.

"You were cast out," Sesshōmaru stated what he understood about the conversation between Rick and Carol. "Why?" he questioned emotionlessly.

She glared at the demon lord, "I don't have to explain anything to you...Not anymore."

"You will answer my question, Onna," Sesshōmaru demanded as he growled at her.

"Or what?" Carol countered with venom in her voice, "You'll abandoned us again."

"I left to protect Sophia," the demon reminded her with a hint of a growl.

"And look what happened," she interrupted him, "Regardless of our...relationship. You promised me that you'd always look after Sophia. Kagome was training her to be strong but I felt better knowing that you would always be there for her. And when you were needed most, you were gone...Just to get revenge on the very man that hurt us." Before the demon could protest Carol shook her head, "Don't pretend it was anything else. You wanted vengeance and abounded us. And I can't forgive you for that." It took a few moments for Carol to calm down from her rant, "I know you'll stay for Sophia...But you sure as hell better stay away from me," she warned him before walking back over to her daughter.

Sesshōmaru glared at the human woman as she retreated away from him.

He wasn't sure what this feeling was that struck him when Carol told him to stay away from her...But if that is what she truly desired, 'So be it.'

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The group continued walking as Maggie looked over her shoulder to look at the fox demon and stopped herself from asking the same question she'd been asking over and over these past few days.

"Beth's fine," Shippo answered the brunet's unasked question. "She's one hell of a fighter...Not taking shit from anyone wherever she is."

Glenn looked to his wife, and squeezed her hand, "We've taught her well."

The fox demon nodded in agreement before turning his gaze away. He didn't want to have everyone worry over what else he'd been feeling. Over the past few days he'd felt how nervous Beth was becoming. Someone was making her feel uncomfortable and scared. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it. It was enough to make Shippo kill the ones that were making Beth feel so helpless...But if the fox demon wanted to find his mate, he needed to keep a level head.

Kagome looked over to Maggie, "Once we figure out where to set up, we'll go look for Beth together."

Maggie nodded, understanding the logic in their plan. She just had to keep reminding herself that as long as Shippo was alive with them that meant Beth was alive too. That was a hard pill to swallow and actually doubted if the fox demon was telling her the truth, but for now, she'll pretend.

"We all will," Daryl promised her.

Carol looked at the exchange and remembered the conversation she'd had with the hunter a few nights ago.

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That night Rick confronted Carol, she and Daryl took watch as the others rested for the night.

The hunter glanced over at the woman he considered a good friend. He got why Carol killed in order to protect their group...But Daryl couldn't forget how Rick admitted that Carol would have probably killed Kagome too if she'd known she'd been sick.

"I don't want to talk about it. I can't," Carol told him, referring to her actions with Karen and David, "I just need to forget it...But...I doubt that I could've killed Kagome if I'd known...I love her too much to have done that," she admitted towards the end, answering the unspoken question.

It was the truth.

No matter if they were in danger or not, Carol wouldn't have been able to take Kagome's life.

There was a silence between the two for a few moments.

"Alright," Daryl finally replied, before hearing a noise in the trees.

He couldn't see anything.

But there was a feeling that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, which told him that they were being watched.

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The next morning, everyone was on the move again.

The formation was the same although Shippo and Daryl left to find food and also checking to see any sign of something watching their group last night.

Daryl managed to round up some squirrels while Shippo caught two rabbits.

"Anything?" Rick asked the two men after they returned.

Daryl shook his head, "No tracks. No nothin'," he reported.

"I didn't smell anything at the camp," Shippo told them.

Rick nodded, "So whatever you heard last night?"

"It's more of what I felt," Daryl told them, "If someone was watchin' us, there would have been sometin'."

Rick nodded before turning to the others to tell them to keep up.

"Never doubt your instincts," Shippo told Daryl.

Kagome walked over to the two, wanting to know what was going on. She hated being kept in the dark. "What's going on?"

Daryl looked at her worried eyes and shook his head, "Nothin'. I'll tell you later."

"You'd better," she playfully threatened.

The group walked for a little while, and during that time Sasha and Bob were playing their usual game.

"Wet socks," Sasha challenged him.

"Cool feet," Bob countered her.

"Mosquito bites," she tried again.

Bob shrugged, "Itching reminds you that you're alive."

Sasha thought it over, "Danger around every corner."

"Never a dull moment," Bob simply replied.

"Good one," Souta voiced from behind them. The kids were listening to the game that the two were playing, as were some of the adults.

The game of finding good out of the bad.

Sasha turned with a confident smile, "The hot sun beating down on you."

Bob snorted in amusement, "Come on, a glorious tan."

Kagome listened to the new couple's playful quarrel and smiled, while Daryl rolled his eyes in displeasure, "It's stupid," he told her quietly.

"It's kind of cute," the priestess countered, "It's their thing."

"No privacy," Sasha challenged, thinking the fight was won.

"Captive audience," Bob told her, before he leaned down and kissed her.

The hunter raised a brow, finding the captive audience answer a little unnerving. Daryl didn't like showing affection in public, which made the kiss he gave the priestess after Terminus so shocking. But Kagome never forced him to be like that, not even now. 'Thank God for that,' the hunter thought, grateful to have a woman who understands that about him.

Suddenly, the peaceful moment was interrupted.

"Help! Somebody help!" a voice screamed from the distance.

Rick halted the group as the screams continued.

"It's an unfamiliar human," Sesshōmaru told them, "Surrounded by the dead."

Carl looked to his dad and friends, "Come on," he said heading toward the voice.

Souta and Sophia ran behind their best friend, wanting to help the unfortunate person too.

"Carl!" Rick followed behind his son.

"Souta!" Kagome called after her brother, not wanting him to do something stupid by playing hero. Daryl immediately chased after her, not wanting to leave the priestess's side.

Sesshōmaru and Carol went after Sophia, not yelling for her to come back, but to make sure she could handle the situation on her own.

The rest of the group went after them.

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The group was surprised to find a priest on top of a giant rock, trying to avoid being bit by a group of the undead.

One had the priest by the ankle ready to drag him off and devour him.

Until a bullet went right through the Walker's skull.

A knife was thrown at another Walker's head, making it drop down with a thump.

Carol and Michonne ran up to two other Walkers and crushed their brains with their weapons.

Daryl shot the remaining Walker with his crossbow, before it got to Carol.

The priest watched the whole thing in amazement.

Rick turned to the demon lord, "Anymore?"

Sesshōmaru shook his head, "That is the last of the corpses."

Kagome went up to the rock that had the priest high up top, "Are you alright?"

The priest whimpered slightly on top of the rock, but gave her a small nod.

"Come on down," Rick told the man in priest clothing.

The priest slid off the rock hesitantly and looked around at the dead in a cold sweat.

Kagome recognized that look, "Step back," she warned everyone.

Just then, the priest vomited on the ground.

Everyone looked away from the scene in disgust.

The priest turned back to his saviors in apology.

Kagome took a water bottle from her bag and handed it to the man.

"Thank you," he said gratefully before swishing a small sip of the water in his mouth and spitting it out. He took a real drink after that, and savored every drop. "I'm Gabriel," he introduced himself.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Rick asked Gabriel.

The priest smiled at Rick's supposed joke, only to find out that he was serious. "Do I look like I would have any weapons?" he asked rhetorically, gesturing to his outfit.

"We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like," Abraham stated firmly.

"Looks can be very deceiving," Shippo told the priest, "Trust me on that."

Gabriel looked at everyone and saw only Kagome and the children look at him with apology in their eyes. "I have no weapons of any kind," he answered them, "The word of God is the only protection I need."

"Sure didn't look like it," Daryl replied, earning him a jab in his arm by Kagome's elbow.

"I called for help. Help came," Gabriel pointed out to the hunter.

"He's got a point there," Souta told Daryl, making the hunter glare at him.

Rick looked over to Kagome to see if Gabriel was lying. The priestess nodded in response tell him that Gabriel was telling the truth and that his soul was honest. Even with Kagome's assurance, the group was still wary of the stranger.

"Do you have...any food?" Gabriel hesitantly asked Rick, "Whatever I had left just hit the ground."

"We have some pecans," Carl offered the man his share of food.

Gabriel smiled and accepted the offer with a smile, "Thank you."

Judith began cooing in Tyreese's arms, since the excitement died down.

The priest hadn't seen a baby in so long that he couldn't help but smile, "That's a beautiful child," he complimented the group.

Most of the adults tensed at his words and gripped their weapons tightly.

Rick looked at Gabriel dead in the eyes, making sure that no one would harm his children.

"It's okay," Kagome told them.

"This man has no intention of harming the pup," Sesshōmaru informed the group, "Or anyone here. He holds too much fear for that."

Gabriel wasn't sure how to take that last remark, but it did make everyone seem to relax around him. "Do...Do you have a camp?" he asked to change the subject.

"No," Rick answered, "Do you?"

"I have a church," Gabriel replied with a nod.

Everyone looked at each other, figuring that the location was better than nothing at all.

Just to be safe, Rick forced Gabriel to raise his arms to search him. "How many Walkers have you killed?"

"Not any. Actually," Gabriel answered honestly, as Rick finished searching from behind him.

"How many people have you killed?" Rick asked the second question after forcing Gabriel to turn around to continue his search.

"None," Gabriel asked, finding the question repulsive.

"Why?" Rick asked the final question.

Gabriel looked at the group as if it were obvious, "Because the Lord abhors violence."

Rick raised a brow, "What have you done?" The priest was confused by the question, "We've all done something."

Gabriel hesitated to answer but eventually got the confidence to answer Rick's question, "I'm a sinner...I sin almost every day. But those sins, I confess them to God...Not strangers."

Although Kagome could feel that the priest was genuine, she still felt a sense of trauma coming from the man. 'He must have done something he's deeply ashamed of...What could it be?' she wondered.

"You said you had a church," Michonne asked, bring Kagome out of her thoughts.

"Ye-yes," Gabriel replied, "I'll take you there.

Gabriel walked ahead and the group followed.

"Umm," Tara spoke over to Shippo, "Are you and the others going to be okay inside a church? You won't burst into flames or anything, right?"

The fox demon snorted at the question, "It's a church. A building won't hurt us. This guy can't either without any holy powers. Honestly, the only thing that could actually kills us now is my mother."

"What about the Walkers?" Rosita asked, overhearing the conversation.

Shippo raised a brow and thought it over, "I actually have no idea...You want to test that theory with Sesshōmaru?" he teased her.

The thought of an undead demon lord made the two tough women shudder.

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"Were you watching us?" Rick asked the priest as they walked.

Kagome looked at Rick then at Daryl, "Watching us?"

"Thought I heard somethin' last night," the hunter confessed.

Gabriel shook his head at the question, "No I keep to myself. Now a days, people can be just as dangerous as the dead."

"No," Rick retorted, "People are worse."

"Well, I wasn't watching you," Gabriel assured, "I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since this all started. That was the farthest I've gone before today."

"You were lucky then," Sophia told him.

Gabriel looked at the little blonde before noticing the skeptical looks on some of the others faces. "Or maybe I'm lying," he told them appalled, "Maybe I'm lying about everything and there's no church ahead at all. Maybe I'm leading you into a trap so I can steal all your squirrels."

Before Rick could comment, Kagome spoke up, "Isn't lying a sin? No matter what the religion."

The priest looked at the priestess and smiled, "Members of my flock often told me that my sense of humor leaves much to be desired."

"Yeah, it does," the hunter warned Gabriel about making those kind of jokes.

With that in mind, Gabriel continued to show them the way until they arrived at St. Sahra's Church.

Rick turned to the priestess and demon lord, "Well."

Kagome sensed the area, "No one living is inside."

"No living or dead corpses are nearby," Sesshōmaru whispered to Rick.

Gabriel looked at Kagome, unsure of how to comment on what he just heard.

"My sister was the priestess at our shrine," Souta explained to the priest. "Kami wanted to protect her too, and gave her the ability to do so."

"I see," Gabriel replied to the boy before as he looked to Kagome in amazement, "She's very fortunate then...I've been told that's a rare occurrence that many priest's desired to obtain."

Kagome shook her head, "Trust me. You don't."

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The group went inside the church and explored all the rooms.

It was a little sad to see the remains of the innocent people that used to come to this place of worship.

"I spent months inside here without stepping out the front door," Gabriel told them when everyone returned from exploring. "If you found someone else here it would have been surprising."

"We lost our family before. We can't help but be cautious," Sophia told the priest.

Carl looked around the church as he held his sister, "Thanks for this."

Abraham went over to Rick, "Found a short bus out back. It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in less than a day or two...Looks like we found ourselves a transport."

As they continued to talk Kagome looked over skeptically at Eugene.

He certainly knew things that other people didn't.

There was no denying that.

But the priestess knew better then to trust pretty words, "Can I speak with you, Eugene?"

The mallet headed man didn't deny her request and went over to the priestess who led him to the corner of the church.

"Why are you telling my family that you know how to cure the undead?" Kagome asked them sternly.

Eugene face remained neutral, "As previously stated, I was a part of a."

The priestess shook her head as she looked at the man sternly, "Don't feed me the same story you've been telling the others," she told him straight out. "I know it's a lie. I know it. Shippo knows it. So do Sesshōmaru and Kilala. You can't fool our senses...Just tell me why you did it."

Eugene looked a little nervous knowing that he had been caught, "I...I wanted to live."

Kagome shook her head in disappointment.

She knew that Eugene wasn't a bad person.

He was a coward.

Plain and simple.

"Do you have any idea what they'll do once they learn truth?" Kagome told him after looking at Abraham and Rosita, "Abraham isn't exactly well-tempered."

"I'm well aware of the consequences," Eugene replied, "But I also know that Washington is statistically the best place for the world to be start over and be reset."

Kagome was at a loss.

What could she do to make the situation better?

The answer was nothing.

The priestess figured that keeping quiet about Eugene's deception might be the best option.

At least for now.

"If that's what you believe, that's fine. I don't see the harm in going someplace that may be a new start for everyone." The priestess steeped forward, looking Eugene dead in the eye. "But if anyone dies trying to protect you, because you're too scared to fight for yourself, you're going to have to beg for those demons to kill you in order to save you from me."

Eugene lip trampled in fear at her threat and nodded silently.

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When everyone began to settle, by putting their belongings in the church pews, Gabriel informed them of food bank in town that was overrun with Walkers. It was the only place that the priest hadn't raided in town yet.

The group needed the supplies and knew that they could handle the Walkers, so they agreed to help.

Sasha, Bob, Michonne volunteered to go on the run with Rick.

Rick also told Gabriel that they'd be going with them.

"You saw me out there," the priest remind them, "I'm no good around those things."

"Killing is a sin," Shippo said out loud, "That's what you're really thinking right."

Gabriel didn't reply but gave a small nod.

"I understand that," Kagome told him, "But Gabriel...A Walker doesn't have a soul...That moves on the moment of death, regardless if they come back. Think of it more as putting a body to rest. So the soul can find true peace."

The priest absorbed the priestess's words, "I'll...I'll try."

A few minutes later, Daryl went over to Kagome. "I'm going with Carol. Gonna look for supplies around the area. You comin'."

The priestess looked around the church, "No...I want to stay here for a little while."

The hunter didn't need to ask her why. This was most likely the closest to home that Kagome's had in a while. Souta too from the looks of him wandering around the place in wonder. "Alright," he said as he leaned over and kissed her forehead, "Stay safe."

"You too," she told him softly.

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Carl held Judith as they walked around the church with Souta and Sophia. All three of them were keeping the baby entertained as the adults were scattered to prepare for their next journey. Sesshōmaru stood guard around the church to protect them from danger.

"Thanks for having my back when Gabriel called for help," Carl told his friends.

Souta snorted, "What are you thanking us for? We'll always help look after each other."

Sophia nodded, "We're all in this together," she reminded Carl before Judith cooed loudly as she saw a bird land in a tree, making them all stop. "You can really see Lori's face when you look at her," Sophia told Carl.

The compliment made the young Grimes smile, "Yeah, she does...I wish I could go back for mom's picture at the prison."

"Same for mine too," Souta said, remembering the one photo he had of his entire family. It was an old wrinkled photo. He wasn't technically 'in' the picture, but every now and then he'd look at it and remembered what his family looked like.

Sophia looked over to the young Higurashi curiously, "I didn't know you had a picture of them."

"I kept it in my backpack this whole time," Souta told her, "Even when I went to school...It was the only one I had that has my whole family in it. My mom while she was pregnant with me, Grandpa, my sister and our dad."

Judith looked over at Souta and smiled as he made a goofy face at her.

"What was your dad like anyway?" Carl asked Souta, "You've never mention him."

Souta shrugged, "Because I didn't know him...He died before I was born. But we had my mom and grandfather, and that was all we needed then...But it was nice to have a picture."

Sophia didn't really feel the same as the boys since she'd rather forget her father all together. Then again, she did have Sesshōmaru which made up for it. As she pondered this, something caught her eye on the side of the church. "What is that?" she said out loud curiously.

The boys examined the place the young blonde was pointing and wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You'll burn for this," Souta read the words etched into the wood.

All three teenagers looked at each other, unsure of what to make of the words.

"I'll show my dad when he comes back," Carl told the others.

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Carol and Daryl walked down the road together as they carried milk jugs full of water from the creek they'd found.

"I get it," the hunter told her to fill the silence, "You don't want to talk about it...Are you okay?"

"Gotta be," she told him in reply, "I have to be for Sophia's sake."

Daryl nodded in understanding, "But we get to start over now. All of us with each other...You saved us."

"Kagome and Shippo helped," Carol reminded him, "We were lucky. We all should be dead."

They both walked until they found an abandoned car in their path. It was clear of Walkers but the battery was dead. Luckily there was one in the trunk that just needed a few hours to charge.

"We ain't dead," Daryl told Carol as she began to charge the battery. "Whatever happened, happened...Let's start over."

Carol looked at the hunter, "I want to," she admitted.

"Well you can," Daryl said, hoping he convinced her to stay with their group. He could tell that she was ready to run at a moment's notice. Most likely taking Sophia with her, which would have broken both of the Higurashi siblings' hearts.

Instead of replying to Daryl's comment she said, "We should keep this car here in case things go south at the church."

She picked both waters up, which Daryl offered to carry. However he ended up dropping one of his own milk jugs in the process, which made Carol decline his offer in amusement. The hunter rolled his eyes before he picked up his jug and continued to head back to the church.

"You know when I left the prison with Merle, I didn't think Kagome would forgive me when I came back," Daryl told Carol, who halted in her steps to look at the hunter. "But she did...It took time...But she was happy I came back."

Carol shrugged her shoulders, "Why are you telling me this?"

Daryl stopped and look over his shoulder, "I'm sayin' it's okay not to forgive Sesshōmaru right away...But he kept his promise." Carol raised a brow. "He said he'd be back when the Governor was dead. And he did," he pointed out before continuing to the church.

Carol knew that the hunter was right.

The demon lord never made a promise that he hadn't kept.

'But that doesn't mean I like it,' she thought to herself as she followed Daryl down the road.

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Shippo sat in a pew as he stared at the front of the church.

He didn't think of himself as religious.

But he had prayed during his centuries of living.

Lately the fox demon had been praying to be reunited with his mate.

'I know you're fighting Beth,' Shippo thought to himself as he sent his feeling through their bond. 'Just hang on a little longer...I'm going to find you, my love.'

"Shippo," Kagome called to her son to bring him out of his thoughts.

The fox demon looked at his mother, "You okay?"

The priestess nodded as she sat next to her son, "Abraham asked me to join him and the others to Washington."

Shippo raised a brow, "This guy obviously doesn't know you very well if he thinks you'll leave everyone," he retorted, "Especially for some bull shit story about a cure."

Kagome shrugged, "Its keeping them motivated...How can we shatter that illusion knowing it could break them?"

"That is a tough one," the fox demon commented, "So you want to keep quiet about it?"

The priestess nodded, "We have nowhere else to go. There's no harm in taking a look...Just as long as they don't risk their lives for Eugene."

Shippo nodded in agreement, "Do you think Abraham will have the balls to ask Sesshōmaru to go to Washington?"

Kagome couldn't help but snort in amusement, "If he does I hope I'm there to witness it."

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Later that night, everyone gathered around the church to eat the food the others brought back from the food bank. They needed to regain their strength and decided to gorge themselves a little only after some careful rationing.

It was a real feast that included communion wine provided by Gabriel.

There was even some laughter in the air.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Abraham suddenly called to everyone, silencing them. "I look around this room, and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title. Even the little ones."

"Hell yeah," Souta called out from one of the pews, earning a small smack from his sister as she sat on the floor next to Daryl.

"Watch your language in a church," the priestess warned him earning a few chuckles from the adults.

Abraham smiled too and raised his class, "To the survivors."

"Survivors!" everyone cheered before partaking in their drinks. Most of the adults drank wine while the others and teens drank water.

"Is that all you want to be?" Abraham asked them after they settled down. "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat?"

The group looked at each other, not daring to answer that question.

"Cause you can do that," Abraham continued, "I mean, you got the strength. You got the skill. And supernatural muscle," he gestured to the demons. "The thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip...Eugene, what's in DC?"

Without missing a beat, the man answered, "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude. That means food, fuel, refuge...Restart."

Abraham smiled, "However this plays out, however long it takes to rest button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safe than you've been since this whole thing started...Come with us. Save the world for that little one," he gestured to Judith who was sitting in Rick's lap on the floor. "Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there who don't got nothing left to do except survive."

The church was quiet as most of the group looked to Rick for guidance.

It was broken by Judith's cooing.

"What was that?" Rick asked his daughter, making her coo again. "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in...We're in."

As everyone began to talk amongst themselves, three pairs of observant eyes noticed two people missing.

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Carol dragged Sophia through the woods to the car that she and Daryl had found earlier that day.

"Mama, I don't want to leave," Sophia begged her mother as she dragged her to the car.

"We have to, baby," Carol told her, "I don't want to be separated from you again."

Sophia shook her head and pulled her arm away, "Why can't we stay?"

Carol let out a sigh, "Sophia, I don't want to argue with you. I-We just can't start over with them this time." Once they made it to the car, Carol began to charge the battery. Sophia knew it wasn't safe to wander in the woods in the dark especially since she had no real idea on how to find the church again.

It wasn't until Carol killed a stray Walker that came out of the woods that the blonde finally understood why her mother wanted to run. "You think they won't forgive you for Karen and David."

The older woman looked at her daughter in horror, "Who told you?"

"I'm not stupid," Sophia replied, "Mama...You've changed ever since Sesshōmaru left."

"That's not true," Carol tried to argue.

"You love him," Sophia argued, "And you don't want him to hurt you...But not everyone is like Daddy, Mama."

"I know!" Carol barked at her daughter who was surprised to hear her mother raise her voice at her. "I know," she said quietly before going over to hold her daughter's face. "But you're right...I have changed...And I'm scared of what I'll do. It'll be best if I took myself out of the picture."

"Says who?" Kagome asked, startling the two as she came out of the woods with Daryl and Sesshōmaru in tow.

Carol looked at the demon lord, wondering if he heard everything that had been said. It was hard to tell since his face remained neutral. 'I should have figured he'd notice Sophia missing,' she thought to herself.

"What are you doin'?" Daryl asked his friend.

Carol looked at the three questioning pair of eyes and shook her head, "I don't know."

Kagome was the one to walk over to the older woman and grabbed her hands, "Please don't leave us."

Before Carol could respond, the sound of a car speeding down the road caught their attention. Sesshōmaru immediately grabbed Sophia and pressed her to the ground behind the car. The other adults ducked behind the car as well, hoping the car didn't turn down the street to find them.

Luckily the car continued to speed down the road.

Daryl ran to the road to see the car, and his eyes narrow in rage.

A black car with a white cross on the glass.

The same car that took Beth.

In anger, the hunter ran to the car grabbed his crossbow and began to smash the lights off the car.

"What are you doing?!" Carol questioned in alarmed confusion.

"Daryl?" Kagome said just as baffled.

The hunter turned to the woman after he smashed the last light, "They've got Beth."

Kagome didn't need any more explanation then that. "Take Sophia back and tell the others. Tell Shippo we'll bring Beth back," she told the demon lord.

Sesshōmaru nodded and put his arm around the young teen.

"Be careful," Sophia cautioned as Daryl and Kagome took the driver and passenger side of the car. Carol looked at her daughter for a moment before looking at the demon, "Take care of her."

Sophia's eyes widened as her mom got in the back seat of the car and Daryl quickly drove to catch up to the car. "They're...She's coming back...Right?" she asked Sesshōmaru.

The demon lord watched the car shrink in the distance, "They will retrieve the kitsune's mate. And then return." The young blonde nodded in reassurance. "Let's go back," he encouraged as they began to walk in the woods.

Sophia didn't notice when Sesshōmaru turned his head over his shoulder down the now abandoned road. 'Don't do anything foolish, Onna.'

Both demon and young teenager made it about half way back to the church when Sesshōmaru suddenly stopped.

The young blonde turned to look at him, "What's wrong?"

The demon lord sniffed the air and growled, "We're being hunted."

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Beth had a rough couple of days at Grady Hospital.

First had been slapped by Dawn after she realized the doctor couldn't save a survivor. That forced the same doctor to repair the stitches that were on her cheek. A parting gift from the police officer's 'rescue.'

Then she had to assist in amputating a woman named Joan's arm after she tried to escape the hospital and was bitten by a Walker. The act had given her flashbacks of what her father had to go through.

Would he have been proud of her or disappointed?

Beth's day seemed to have gotten better after meeting Noah. Another person that the people of Grady saved against their will.

He was like her in a way.

Dawn thought both of them were weak and wouldn't fight back.

But they didn't know a damn thing about them.

Both of them were going to get out of this hell hole, if it was the last thing they'd do.

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Rick paced back and forth as he took in the information that the demon lord told him on his return, "How many?"

Sesshōmaru nodded, "There are six in total."

Rick cursed under his breath.

He should have killed those people at Terminus when he had the chance.

And now Bob was missing.

He had gone outside saying he needed some air but hadn't returned. The group was about to look for him when Sesshōmaru came bursting in the church with Sophia in his arms at an almost inhuman speed, and told them that they were being watched.

Sasha immediately accused Gabriel of being involved with the people at Terminus, but Shippo and Sesshōmaru claimed his innocence of the whole situation.

They could only smell a coward.

That's when Gabriel confessed that he locked the church up when people were coming for sanctuary of the dead attacking them.

He didn't open the door.

They begged for mercy, and he still didn't unlock the doors.

"You'll burn for this," Souta quoted allowed after the priest explained his story.

A sudden noise outside got the adult attention.

The demon lord took a quick sniff in the air, "I smell blood."

Maggie turned to the demon lord, "Who?"

Sesshōmaru turned to the direction of the smell, "Bob."

At his name Sasha immediately ran outside, followed by Rick, Glenn, Maggie and Tara.

Sure enough, Bob was lying unconscious on the ground.

His leg had been amputated.

Sasha gasped in horror, "Oh my God," she cried for her boyfriend, "Bob? Bob!"

Sesshōmaru exited the church and used his demon senses to scan the woods, "They're here," he told Rick quietly as to not alert the people of Terminus that they were catching on to them.

Sasha and Tara helped carry a wounded Bob inside the church. Luckily Bob's leg had been bandaged, so they weren't worked about blood loss.

Walkers began coming from the woods due to the commotion and the smell of fresh blood. Glenn, Maggie, Rick and Sesshōmaru illuminated that threat with no problem. Suddenly gun shots began to fire, making the humans retreat inside the church.

Sesshōmaru's eyes turned red before he went into the church, prepared to protect Sophia.

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Bob was conscious enough to tell the group where the people of Terminus were camped. Gabriel informed him of the location and also revealed that he'd been bitten by a Walker when they were at the food bank.

"Does he have a fever?" Rick asked Maggie after the others took Bob into Gabriel's office. Carl, Souta, and Sophia took Judith into another room after she was getting fussy.

"He's just warm," she answered him.

"Jim lasted almost two days before we left him," Glenn reminded Rick. Jim was the longest they've ever seen a person last before they turned into a Walker.

Abraham cleared his throat, "Time for a reality check. We all need to leave for DC right now."

Before Rick could comment, the demon lord spoke, "No."

The redheaded army man glared in the demon, "And why not?"

"These humans threatened Sophia's life," Sesshōmaru stated coldly, "The packs life. For that, they must die."

"There is a clear threat to Eugene," Abraham countered, "I need to extract his ass before things get any uglier. If y'all won't come, good luck to you. We'll go our separate ways."

Abraham began to walk away, "You leaving on foot?" Rick asked him.

That made the army man pause. They worked hard on trying to get that church bus to work, and Rick was threatening to keep it away. As they spoke, Shippo glanced over at Eugene who was remaining quiet as they talked. Now would have been a good opportunity for the man to come clean about who he is, but Eugene stayed silent. 'Idiot,' the fox demon thought toward the human.

"Daryl, Carol, and Kagome are our people. We're not going anywhere without them," Rick growled.

"Your people took off," Abraham scolded the group leader.

This caught Shippo' attention, forcing him to get to Abraham's face, "They left to save my mate! If you think I'm abandoning Beth, you've got another thing coming! Human!"

Amazingly, Abraham didn't flinch when the fox demon showed the red in his demonic eyes.

"Shippo stop!" Glenn gently pushed his brother in-law away from the army man. Both human and demon stared each other down. Glenn did his best to interfere again by speaking to Abraham. "Do you really think that you're gonna be any safer leaving right now in the middle of the night?" the Korean asked him. "We need each other for this. We need each other to get to DC. We can get through it all together."

"I have an idea," Tara spoke up before stepping forward and addressing Abraham. "If you stay just one more day and help...I'll go with you to DC, no matter what." She looked over to Rick, Shippo and Sesshōmaru, "Okay?"

The three looked at one another, but before they could give any hint of an answer, Abraham counter offered.

"Glenn and Maggie too," he stated his bargain.

"No," Rick replied.

Abraham shrugged, "Good luck then. I'm not interested in breaking up what you have here. Rosita, grab your gear," he ordered, "Eugene let's go."

"I," Eugene muttered from his spot in the pew, "I don't want to."

"Now," Abraham growled.

"Okay," Eugene cowardly gave in and stood up.

Sesshōmaru's eyes narrowed at the weak willed human, 'Pathetic.'

As Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene began to walk out of the church Rick spoke again, "You're not taking the bus."

Abraham halted, "Try and stop me."

Rick began to walking toward Abraham, trying to do just that.

"Wait, wait, wait wait," Glenn tried to stop them before speaking to Abraham. "You stay. You stay and help us, and Maggie and I will go with you."

"No," Rick stated firmly.

Glenn shook his head, "It's not your call."

Abraham finally agreed to the conditions but only for half a day, making Shippo looked over to Maggie in disbelief, "Don't you want to be here when your sister comes back?"

"We don't have a choice," the brunet replied weakly. Maggie was afraid to believe that her sister really was okay, regardless of Shippo's claim about their 'connection'.

The fox demon shook his head in disappointment, "Yeah you do...And you're choosing wrong," he stated before walking passed his sister in-law and went to check on the children.

Maggie watched Shippo as he walked away before looking at the ground, wondering if she was doing the right thing.

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"Why not just let Sesshōmaru and Shippo handle the situation?" Eugene asked the teenagers from his spot in Gabriel's office on the floor. Him, the children, Judith, Kilala, Tyreese, and Rosita stayed locked in the office, while the others left to take care of the people at Terminus. "Even just Kilala could handle things even if she wanted to."

The cat demon meowed smugly in reply, knowing that she could if given the chance.

"Of course they could," Souta answered for Michonne. "But if we rely on their strength alone, we grow weak."

"They're always an absolute last resort," Carl continued, "The group decided that a long time ago."

Sophia nodded from her spot next to Judith's basket, "We need to stay strong, and prove that we're worth protecting."

Eugene, Rosita and Gabriel looked at the young teenagers in astonishment.

Suddenly, Kilala's hair stood on end and began to hiss at the door.

"They're here," Souta whispered to the others who held their breath in suspense.

Sure enough, they heard the front door of the church being broken into.

The people of Terminus have arrived.

Carl, and Souta stood up and armed themselves by the door, in case the worse should happen and they were found. Kilala stood behind them, ready to transform and protect the others if necessary. Sophia sat by Judith, to help her stay quiet. Rosita stood next to Eugene who remained quiet on the floor. Tyreese was kneeled next to Bob on the couch.

"Well, I guess you know we're here," they heard Gareth speak from the other side of the door. They also heard shuffling, which meant there were others with him. They were searching for them. "And we know you're here...And we're armed. So there's really no point in hiding anymore."

Gabriel began muttering prayers under his breath.

"We've been watching you," Gareth continued, "We know who's here...There's Bob, unless you've put him out of his miser already. And Eugene. Rosita. Martin's good friend Tyreese. Carl. Souta. Sophia. Aaand Judith."

Everyone stood firm inside the office.

"Rick and the rest walked out...with a lot of your guns," Gareth stated as a fact. "Listen, we don't know where you all are, but this isn't a big place. So let's just stop this now, before things get more painful than they need to be."

The door of the office began to rattle, but stayed locked.

They could hear Gareth sighing, "Look, you're behind one of these two doors and we have more than enough firepower to take down both. Can't imagine that's what you all want." They heard a gun being cocked to prove Gareth's point. "How about the priest?" he asked suddenly, "Father, you help us wrap this up, we'll let you walk away from this. Just open the door and you can go. You can take the baby with you...What do you say?"

'Liar,' Souta thought to himself.

Suddenly, Judith began to cry since the tension coming from everyone, was too much for her.

Sophia picked the infant up and rocked her soothingly, trying to calm her down.

But it was too late.

Gareth and his people, knew where they were hiding now.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll keep the kid. I'm starting to like this girl," Gareth spoke in amusement.

Carl unlocked the safety of his gun, when he heard that.

They could hear the rest of the safeties being turned off on the guns by the people of Terminus. "It's your last chance right now to tell us you're coming out," Gareth warned them.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Are we done?" a voice asked Gareth, that Tyreese recognized as Martin.

"We'll hit the hinges," Gareth ordered his people.

"Hurry up already," Carl muttered under his breath, wondering what was taking their family so long.

Sure enough, the sound of silencers was heard and two bodies hit the ground with a thump. They were dead most likely.

Rick and the others returned from their run around. He and the others went out, wanting to draw Gareth and his people to the church. They knew, they couldn't resist an easy target. It was also the best way to end this without wasting too many bullets.

"Put your guns on the floor," they heard Rick order harshly.

Carl and Souta lowered their weapons, and put their safeties back on.

"Rick, we'll fire right into that office. So you lower your gun," Gareth tried to threatened the man, only to have him silenced by Rick shooting him in the fingers. They knew this by the sound of a gun being dropped to the floor, followed by a large thump.

"Put your guns on the floor and kneel," Rick ordered harshly.

"Do what he says," Gareth told his people as he whimpered on the floor.

They heard guns being tossed to the ground.

"No point in begging, right?" they heard Gareth speak, most likely talking to Rick.

It took a few moments for Rick to answer, "No."

"Still, you could have killed us when you came in. There had to be a reason for that," Gareth pointed out, thinking that these people were too soft to murder them.

But he was wrong.

There would be no mercy for them tonight.

"We didn't want to waste the bullets," Rick stated his answer.

They could hear Gareth whimper in pain, "We used to help people. We saved people...Things changed. They came in and...And after that...I know that you've been out there, but I can see it. You don't know what it is to be hungry...You don't have to do this. We can walk away. And we will never cross paths again...I promise you."

"But you'll cross someone's path," Rick pointed out, "You'd do this to anyone, right? Besides...I already made you a promise."

"NO!" Gareth screamed as they heard the sounds of him and his people being beaten and killed by their family.

Sophia closed her eyes and held Judith close to her. She knew this was something that had to be done, but she wish she didn't' have to hear it. Souta was at her side in an instant and held her close. She heard him muttering in Japanese, most likely praying for forgiveness.

Gabriel whimpered from his spot on the floor.

Tyreese unlocked the door and cracked it open enough to see his sister brutally kill Martin.

It was a terrifying sight.

Shippo and Sesshōmaru stood back and watched their pack with pride as they protected one another.

A few moments later, it was over.

Gareth and his people were dead.

"It could have been us," Rick said out loud to everyone as they took in the scene around them.

Gabriel walked of the office and looked at the scene around him in horror. Rick and a few other's passed by him as if it were nothing. "This is the Lord's house," he told Maggie and Glenn, as they stood outside.

Maggie shook her head, "No...It's just four walls and a roof."

Shippo walked over to Michonne as she lifted something from one of the backpacks discarded on the ground.

Her sword.

"It's a part of you...It's in your blood," Shippo told her as he reached over and squeezed her shoulder, "Don't be ashamed of it."

She nodded in understanding as she sheathed her katana.

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In the morning, the group said their goodbyes to Bob. He had remained strong to stay alive that night, but he could feel his time drawing to an end.

Sasha was with him until the very moment that he died. She tried to be the one to make sure he didn't come back, as her final act of her love for him, but Tyreese let himself be the one to do it.

A small funeral was held for Bob outside of the church.

Later that afternoon, as promised, Maggie, Glenn, and Tara left with Abraham on the bus to head to Washington. Rick agreed to follow them after Daryl, Carol, and Kagome returned with Beth. Maggie didn't have to look at Shippo to see the disappointment in his eyes. Of course she knew her sister was alive...But she was afraid to get her hopes up.

It was night now, and Michonne was on guard for the night.

Every now and then she would look at her sword, wondering if it was wrong to want the sword but wishing she didn't need it.

Kilala was on her shoulder rubbing against her face in comfort. The cat demon had seen many demon slayers go through this exact same thing. Loving the thrill of battle, but also not wanting to be a part of it.

This was a trial all slayers must face.

A noise in the woods startled both of them. Michonne drew her sword in defense but sighed in relief when she saw Daryl come out of the woods.

At least for a moment.

"Where's Carol and Kagome?" she asked the hunter in concern when she noticed their absence.

Daryl clenched his fist in anger before turning to look over his shoulder, "Come on out!"

Two people emerged from the woods.

One of them was someone Michonne didn't recognize, "What happened? Where's?"

"It's a long story," a female voice interrupted the sword wielder, "We need to talk to Rick. Now. We have to get our people back."

Shippo quickly ran outside after he heard Daryl's voice. He knew Beth wasn't with the hunter. But he immediately knew something was wrong. "Daryl...Where's my mother?"

Be honest. How many of you saw that coming. *insert readers sharpening their pitchforks* *insert me gulping in fear* So tell me what you think? Next time: The hunt down for Beth. And what the hell happened to Kagome?

Till Then My Readers