"I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to survive!

No matter black, white, or beige, Chola or orient made,

I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to be brave!"

-Born This Way; by Lady Gaga

Dale approached Charlotte almost immediately after his little discussion with Glenn. Charlotte could see the absolute horror on his face, the disbelief on his face made her stomach knot up.

"Is it true?" he exclaimed. "Is everything Glenn said true?"

"What'd he say exactly?" Charlotte said, her words slow and cautious.

"Lori being pregnant and walkers in the barn."

Charlotte's blood ran cold. She remembered Glenn mentioning Lori's pregnancy, it was a vague memory but it was there! But rotters in the barn? How had that gone unnoticed? Was Hershel aware of it?

Of course he's aware of it! a small voice in the back of Charlotte's mind snapped. It's his property! You think he wouldn't notice something like that? God knows why he'd want to keep rotters to begin with. He must be out of his damn mind.

"There're rotters in the barn?" she hissed.

Dale paled in comparison to that. Taking off his hat, the older man ran a hand over his head, looking conflicted and concerned. Charlotte didn't blame him for feeling that way; they were all in danger. It didn't matter how many rotters Hershel had in that barn, even a small handful could be a potential danger to everyone. And in Lori's condition plus Carl's recovery period, they were at an even bigger disadvantage.

"I-I knew Lori was pregnant," Charlotte muttered softly, shifting where she stood. "Glenn told me. I didn't think it'd be anything that bad, but...I didn't know about the barn. Is Glenn positive about the rotters?"

"He went there last night," Dale sighed. "I'll take a look around then I'll talk to Hershel. If it's true, I don't think it'd be safe for us to stay here. Especially considering Lori's pregnant."

"What should I do?"

"Don't say anything just yet. We need to keep this between us."

Nodding, Charlotte watched as Dale went in the direction of the barn. Hershel had said on a few occasions how he didn't want Rick or his people at the barn, that it was the responsibility of Hershel and his family to maintain whatever or whoever was living in there. It made sense, the more Charlotte thought about it. Charlotte was allowing herself to not be as perceptive as she thought she was. She was getting a little too comfortable and that wouldn't have ended well in the slightest.

—Us Against the World—

After about an hour and a half, Rick and the others came back. There was an air of satisfaction around all of them, which was difficult to ignore. Rick was talking to Shane, looking around the small group that went to the shooting area. Everyone who went turned in their guns before dispersing, some of them sticking together to talk, others going their separate ways to do whatever they pleased.

Charlotte kept an eye on Glenn, who was still looking somewhat skittish, but not acting as badly as before. Dale had returned not that long after going to the barn; the older man looked stressed.

"Are you okay?" The voice snapped Charlotte out of her thoughts and observations. Turning, she saw Carl standing there. He looked significantly better since the last time she saw him, but that was before he'd received surgery. Since then, Hershel had been taking care of Carl since the surgical supplies had been delivered. Charlotte simply didn't want to intervene.

"I'm okay," she responded. "You?"

Carl nodded. "I'm doing better," he exclaimed, sounding almost confident in his answer. "Hershel says I'm healing up nicely."

Smiling, Charlotte nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," she stated. "Have you been taking it easy?"

Once again, Carl nodded.

"Good." Charlotte gave a small smile. "How'd shooting practice go?"

"It was good," he responded. "And are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird."

Charlotte had to admit that Carl was very observant; far more observant than she gave him credit for. But she also knew that it wasn't her place to tell him about Lori's pregnancy or of the rotters in the barn.

Then again, how do we even know if Rick's aware of the situation?

The thought was unsettling. How long would it be until the rest of the group found out? Certainly it wouldn't go over well, and it was obvious that there'd be more tension in the group and with Hershel and his family.

"It's just been a pretty stressful day," she said. "But you shouldn't be worrying about me; you should be worrying about you."

"Everyone's been worrying about me."

"And there's a good reason for that." Charlotte's tone became clipped. "Don't worry about me, since I'm not the one who got shot."

A slight scowl came across Carl's face. "Why doesn't anyone trust me to say anything?" he exclaimed. "I'm not stupid, I understand what's going on now; I can handle anything else."

"You're not stupid," Charlotte responded. "But sometimes, if there're things that are thought to not be handled properly, it'll be in one's best interest not to mention it right away."

"So there is something?"

"I never said that." Charlotte gave Carl a look. "But keep in mind that there are things you wouldn't be able to know or understand right away. I don't know entirely what's going on, if anything at all, but just keep in mind that you're still a kid and your parents and everyone else would want to protect you."

(A/N):

I know, I know — this chapter is long overdue, but here it is! Hopefully you've received some kind of entertainment or enjoyment from this. This chapter wasn't my best, but I hope it was at least decent. If there's anything that needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know.

Do I own TWD? No. No I don't.

So, the season 7 finale! I know that season 7 has received a lot of mixed reviews from everyone who's watched, but from what I understand, the finale received a lot of mixed reviews. Some people thought the finale was good, some thought it was stupid and the entirety of season 7 was a waste (minus the premier where Abraham and Glenn died). For those who've seen the last episode, what did you think? Did you think the finale was good or bad?

Also, today, Wednesday April 5th, I'm going back to school so my schedule will heavily depend on my work and school schedule. Notice that I will try my best to update new chapters when I don't have work and a lot of homework (as far as homework's concerned, I am taking some heavy classes this quarter so I may not be able to update even when I'm off from work). As long as you're patient with me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Don't hesitate to give ideas or provide constructive criticism where you think it's needed. I'd love that! Really.

Anywho, that's all I've got for now.

Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and hopefully you guys don't have any spring allergies.

Thank you.

Alek Haydn