Author's note:

Hello, peeps, did you miss me?

I've spent some time on my other fanfic, and gave this one a bit of a break. I find it really hard to split my time between the two... it feels more natural to do a whole bunch of chapters for one at a time, giving the story my full attention.

But I'm back now, and I'm motivated to try and get the next few chapters up within the next two weeks. Consistency is such a bitch! But here we go!

CHAPTER 36

The next day they packed up camp early and left before the sun was high, committed to getting to their destination as soon as they could. Sarah remembered the route - though she had travelled cross-country much of the way, she had used the road along that stretch, and recalled the lay of the land without much trouble. The last time she'd come through, it had been alone, on foot, and the whole journey had taken her several days. It felt strange to be retracing her steps, barely more than a month later, with a whole group that already felt like family, in vehicles that ate up the miles and made the distance seem much shorter.

Rick was still not letting David out of arm's reach, and for that reason the cars ended up being quite a squeeze. For convenience, Sarah started riding with Daryl on his bike, which, while not as comfortable as a car, was definitely more interesting. He snorted when she said as much, retorting that she'd take back her words after the first rainy day they had.

At lunch they stopped to pick over an old hardware store at the side of the road, scavenging for useful items. The hardware store was large, stocking the nearby farms and smallholdings with agricultural tools and repair materials, and spanned two storeys with a garage around the side, making an L-shape. Unfortunately, such an obviously useful store had long since been picked clean, and there wasn't much of use left inside.

T-Dog and Carol poked around the small offices on the second floor, which looked like someone had converted them into a makeshift shelter. It was more of a nest of rags on the floor than actual beds. There was a lot of dried blood and dark, red-brown stains liberally sprayed across the filthy room, but no bodies to speak of. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. Someone had come in here, badly injured, and then walked out... no longer alive.

Carol had a sudden thought, and gingerly pulled back some of the rags on the floor, causing frightened cockroaches to run in all directions. There was a time when she would have shrieked and pulled back, but that response seemed ludicrous after everything they'd been through, and she only pursed her lips.

As she's expected, the floor was littered with used and semi-used medical supplies, some poor soul's last efforts to treat a walker-bite. But none of the bandages or packets of gauze seemed salvageable, so she straightened up and made to follow T-Dog out with a disappointed shake of her head. As they walked out, T-Dog's cursory glance out of the window made him exclaim in excitement.

They had struck gold around the back of the building. There was a whole row of fruit trees, untouched, and they could stock up on the fresh apples and pears, which were small and hard but a welcome change from packet foods. With the added load of fruit, there was a moment of tension before they could leave.

"I'm not leaving them." Refused David adamantly, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I'm not!"

Rick struggled to keep his voice down, but there was steel in his eyes. "David, if you want to be part of this group, you play by my rules." He gestured at the object in question. "Anything that slows us down will be left behind." The threat in his voice was clear.

David gazed at his backpack stuffed with books with an anguished expression, as if he was being asked to sever a limb. "B-but it's taken me ages to collect them!" he exclaimed, as if Rick was being entirely unreasonable. The others stood around without saying anything, each responding to the situation differently. Maggie, Beth and Herschel looked sympathetic but unyielding, Carol, Glenn and Daryl merely looked irritated at the delay. Sarah looked like she was biting back a laugh. T-Dog was eating unripe pears in the front seat of the blue truck with Carl and Lori, and didn't seem to care much.

"I've been carrying them all this time, through-" raged David, looking like he might start stamping his feet like a petulant child.

"That was your mistake." Replied Rick coldly. "Now, decide, what's it going to be, because we're leaving, with or without you."

At Rick's ultimatum, David looked like he might spontaneously combust on the spot. Sarah watched him get redder and redder for a few seconds, expecting another outburst, then suddenly David cursed, loudly, and hung his head in defeat. "Fine!" he said, but without heat, and dragged his bag over to the side of the road, giving up without further argument.

They all got into the cars, ready to go.

Daryl felt Sarah laughing quietly as she settled on the back of the bike behind him.

"I shouldn't laugh." She said, "But did you see his face!"

"Yeah." He said, and a small smile curled his mouth too. He tried to keep his face straight, but with Sarah chuckling in his ear just behind him he couldn't help feeling a bit like a kid sharing an inside joke, while the teacher shat all over someone else.

He glanced back at David, and the smile faded from his face. The scrawny little man was neatly arranging his backpack just off the side of the road, and had even lovingly draped his raincoat over it, before scurrying over to the nearest waiting car. As if the books needed protection from the elements! Why would he do that?

Sarah prodded him in his side. "We're being left behind." She prompted him, so he kicked the bike into life and swung out onto the road, leading the cavalcade.

They travelled further up the road, expecting to see the small town and the site of Sarah's much-talked-of supply stash around every corner, but still they didn't find it. Frustrated, Rick called a halt as the sun sank slowly, and they pored over the map again.

"You're sure it's this way?" Rick asked Sarah bluntly.

She bit her lip. "I did say I was guessing from here onwards," she reminded him sheepishly, pointing at a spot on the map at the last crossroads they'd been to. "I didn't walk this stretch of road."

Lori tutted loudly. "So we're lost?" she demanded, her eyes flickering to the darkening trees on either side of the one-lane road they were on. They couldn't afford to be stuck without shelter once darkness fell.

Sarah looked down, miserable.

"We ain't lost!" argued Daryl brusquely, glaring at Lori. She seemed taken aback that he would dare talk that way to her. He glanced at Rick quickly, who gave a ghost of a shrug - he didn't care. Daryl continued, shouldering Sarah out of the way to lean over the map himself. "We know we're in the right area, we just took the wrong turnoff, is all." He tapped the crossroads. "These country roads all look the same." He said defensively.

Rick sighed, but backed off of Sarah at last, weighing up their options instead.

Sarah stepped back, glad of the opportunity Daryl had given her to escape the spotlight, and joined Carl and David, who were watching the trees suspiciously.

"Thought I saw somethin' movin'." Carl muttered.

"What? Where?" asked David nervously, shrinking behind the smaller boy. His fingers clutched a small pistol. Sarah frowned, and walked up to him.

"Who gave you that?" she demanded, snatching it out of his hands. "Give it to me, before you shoot your fingers off."

He didn't argue, or even look surprised, but rather a little relieved that she'd taken it from him. She checked the chambers - it wasn't even loaded - and pocketed it. He didn't look like he'd know what to do with it, so it was safer for now if he wasn't armed. She wondered who'd been so careless as to give him a weapon.

After a short conference, they decided to head back towards the crossroads, and stop at the first building they came across, as it was now to dark to find their objective, even though Rick estimated they were barely two miles out.

The first building was an overgrown square cement block intended to house electricity routers for the district. It wasn't exactly comfortable. But they were out of options, and at least it was dry and secure inside.

Feeling exposed, they didn't make a fire, but had cold tinned food and hard pears for supper. T-Dog volunteered for the first and the second watch, four hours in total, which was uncharacteristic, but they'd all noticed the number of unripe pears he'd put away, and so no one mentioned anything about his seemingly selfless offer.

The rest of them settled in for the night. It was cramped in the cement building, but at least it was warmer than they were used to, their body heat filling the space, and they used clothes and other materials to cushion the hard ground. It was the end of just another day in the harsh world in which they now lived.

23:22

Daryl felt uncomfortable. He was propped up against the wall, his legs outstretched in front of him, almost touching the bag Glenn was using as a pillow. He massaged a crick in his neck. His eyes felt heavy, his limbs tired from the day's exertions, but he wasn't used to sharing such tight spaces with the group. His eyes drifted to his right, where Sarah slept, curled up in a foetal position, facing him.

It seemed like she was asleep at last - she struggled to get to sleep on most nights, whether it was sleeping in a bed or on cement. It was the reason why she stayed up on watches with him, as far as he knew. He figured that keeping him company was her excuse for delaying the inevitable monsters that sleep brought. She seemed to function normally during the day, but Daryl thought she might have dozed off once or twice on the back of Merle's motorbike once or twice today, which wasn't the safest thing in the world. She still had dark rings under her eyes, a last reminder of the ordeal she'd gone through a few weeks back. He shifted uncomfortably as his leg cramped.

He frowned slightly. She was lying too still to be sleeping.

"Sarah." He hissed quietly.

Her eyes opened immediately. "Daryl." She whispered, without lifting her head.

He sighed and leaned back. As far as he could tell, all the others had no problem falling asleep.

Sarah propped herself up on her elbows, looking at him with a frank expression. She didn't feel the least bit sleepy, since she was used to keeping late hours. In comparison, Daryl, who'd rode that massive motorbike all day, was dead tired.

"Let's swap." She said next.

"What?"

She sat up and jerked her head at the comfortable bed she'd made for herself. "I'm not tired." She explained in a whisper. "You are. Lie down. I'll wake you up when the watch changes." Or I'll just let you sleep, you silly man.

He shook his head mulishly.

"Lie the fuck down, Daryl." She growled.

A stifled giggle came from the other side of the room. Someone else was awake.

"Shh." Hissed another voice. Several someones, then.

The colour rose in Daryl's cheeks, and he gave up with a muttered, "Fine."

They swapped places and Sarah spent a little more time digging out another blanket, wrapping one around her shoulders, leaving Daryl the other.

He got over his embarrassment quickly, and fell asleep in no time at all, comforted by the warm hollow Sarah's bodyheat had left him.

00:14

Sarah had intended to stay awake, but as she listened to his breathing grow slow and regular, watched his expression smooth out, her own breathing adjusted, and her muscles relaxed. She dozed off against the wall, head nodding.

She didn't notice the dark shape which rose silently out of a sleeping-bag on the other side of the room, and picked its way slowly around the sleeping forms on the floor, towards the door.

00:15

T-Dog poked a stick in the ground, bored and tired. He rubbed his eyes to keep himself awake. He glanced at his watch. He noted with relief that there was only another 15 minutes left before he would go and wake Glenn for the next watch.

He refocused his attention on the dark trees and the deserted road just beyond, but the night was still and silent.

His attention was focussed forwards, so he had no chance of noticing the shadow which drew up behind him, the hand hefting a heavy brick, poised to strike...

His unconscious body barely made a sound as it slid to the ground.