Hello, all! As always, I want to start off by thanking anyone who has reviewed, messaged me privately, or added this story to their alert/favorite list! I absolutely lovethat you guys are enjoying the story! It means the world to me!

Now, let's talk about how Part Three of The Crossroads is going to go! Like I said in the last author's note, season three of Walking Dead is one of my very favorite seasons, so I've really been looking forward to this part of the story. There's going to be a lot that happens – some of it good, some of it bad. It's been my plan from the beginning to follow the general plot of the show, but I don't like to follow things word for word. I'll throw my own twist on season three, just as I did for season two. Some things will remain the same, while other things will change quite a bit. Gotta keep you guys in your toes, right? Wink wink.

Also, I've gotten one or two questions from readers about whether or not I plan to bump this story from T to M, and whether or not there will be some more…erm…physical interaction between Jenna and Daryl (if you catch my drift). In the past, writing mature content wasn't really my thing. To be honest, I was always a little embarrassed by it. But recently I've begun venturing down that road in some of my other stories and have found that it's not quite as bad as I'd previously thought, so long as it's done right. As for whether or not that'll be happening in this story, I'm still undecided. I worry that going into the M category will cut me off from any readers who don't normally look for M rated stories. I also don't want to throw in sex scenes just for the hell of it. I feel like when it comes to these two characters, I have to tread carefully. What do you guy think? What are your thoughts on this subject?

Anywho, I've made you guys wait long enough for this chapter. I'll stop rambling now. Enjoy!

P.S. I'm going to dedicate this chapter to one of my readers, geronimodoctor! This wonderful soul alerted me to the fact that the chick who plagiarized my story earlier this year was trying to do it again on a different website, and helped me very quickly get rid of the problem! And they're also the one to thank for my snazzy new cover photo, which is awesome! Thank you so much, dude! You rock!

Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the Walking Dead, whether it be the show or the comics. Don't sue!


Part Three
Danger Around Every Corner


Chapter 43

The next morning, Jenna woke to a sound she hadn't heard in a very long time. Laughter.

Because it had been so long since she'd heard anyone in the group actually laugh, the sound confused her in those first seconds of semi-consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, wincing a bit when the morning sun hit her retinas, then glanced to her left to see what was going on. Nearly everyone in the group was lounging around the small, burned out campfire they'd made the night before, talking and laughing with each other as they ate breakfast. When Glenn said something that made everyone laugh again, Jenna could not help the smile that tugged at her lips. They had been on the road for a long time, and the journey had been hard, stressful, and had often times pushed them to the limit. To see her friends happy and relaxed and comfortable for the first time in a long time made Jenna's heart instantly feel lighter than it had in weeks.

She took a moment to yawn and stretch, then threw off the blanket she'd slept under the night before and sat up. Her eyes turned upward for a moment, noting the location of the sun in the sky. It was higher than it usually was whenever she woke for a new day, letting her know she'd slept in later than normal. Jenna sighed and closed her eyes, sucking in a long, deep breath as a light breeze swirled around her, then looked down at the space on her right. Though Daryl's bed, as well as his belongings, were still next to hers, Daryl himself was nowhere to be found. No surprise there. Daryl was almost always up before her. Jenna lifted her gaze and looked around, eventually spotting him standing near the gate that led into the courtyard the group would soon be venturing into. Rick was with him – from where she was sitting, it looked like they were formulating a plan to safely clear out the many walkers still keeping them from actually going into the prison.

Jenna decided to leave them to it and climbed to her feet, moving to join the rest of the group instead. "You guys sound extra chipper this morning," Jenna said to catch their attention, smiling slightly as she walked toward her laughing companions.

Upon seeing that Jenna was awake and coming to join them, her friends smiled and greeted her with a chorus of enthusiastic 'Hey!'s and 'Good morning!'s. Jenna sat down on the ground next to Chloe and Carl, taking a moment to press a quick kiss to the top of Chloe's head and ruffle her hair in greeting. Carol, who was sitting opposite of her, reached into one of the supply bags and grabbed a bit of food before leaning over to pass it to Jenna.

"Hope we didn't wake you," the older woman said, a small smile resting on her lips.

Jenna reached over to take the food Carol was offering, her free hand waving dismissively. "No worries. I'd choose waking up to ya'll laughing over waking up to walkers every day of the week," she said matter-of-factly. Some of the others nodded in agreement. "Thanks," she added, motioning to the food in her hand. Her breakfast wasn't more than a cup of fruit and a snack sized pack of crackers, but Jenna knew how low they were on food and hadn't expected to receive much more than that.

While the rest of the group got back to what they'd been discussing before Jenna arrived, Jenna broke into her fruit cup and started eating. She looked down at Chloe while she chewed her first bite and nudged the girl with her elbow. "How'd you sleep?" she asked conversationally.

"Pretty good," Chloe said with a nod. Her expression was more comfortable and more relaxed than Jenna had seen in quite some time. "This is the safest place I've been to since me and Dad were at Fort Benning. It's nice having all these fences to protect us," she added, gesturing toward the lines of chainlink fences enclosing the field they were currently residing in.

Jenna nodded in agreement. "You can say that again," she said, before eating some more of her breakfast.

Chloe went quiet for a moment, her eyes scanning the field before turning up to the large prison. After a second or two, she shifted her attention back to Jenna. "Do you think we'll be able to stay here?" she asked, her tone hopeful.

Jenna hesitated before answering and glanced toward the gated off courtyard, where a number of walkers were still roaming freely. Though she was certain that the group would have no trouble clearing them out, there was no telling how many more walkers awaited them beyond the courtyard and within the prison itself. She wanted very badly to believe that they could make something good happen here at the prison, that they could start a new life here within its protective walls and fences, but if the walkers' numbers were too big to handle, they'd have to move on. The group was filled with skilled fighters who could handle themselves pretty well against the flesh-eaters, but even they couldn't expect to take on hundreds of walkers and live to tell the tale.

"I don't know," Jenna told Chloe truthfully, sighing as she shook her head. "We won't know until we go into the prison and see what's going on inside. If it's not too overrun, the prison stands a chance. But if there's too many walkers, well…" Jenna trailed off and shrugged helplessly.

Chloe nodded in understanding. "God, I hope it's not overrun," she said earnestly, turning an almost pleading look on the prison, as though begging it to be safe for them to live in. "I don't wanna move anymore," she added, looking to Jenna now with a small frown on her youthful features.

Jenna reached over to her pat her arm. "I know, kid. I know," she said sympathetically. "We'll know soon enough whether or not we can stay here," she said next, trying to sound encouraging. "Just…hang in there."

After Chloe nodded, their conversation lulled. Jenna ate a little bit more of her breakfast, her attention shifting to Maggie when the brunette started telling a story from her and Beth's childhood. It wasn't very long before Jenna found her eyes drifting over to Daryl, though, who was still with Rick. He was listening on as the former cop explained something to him, nodding his head here or there in what looked like agreement. After a moment or two, she finally pulled her gaze away from Daryl and looked back down at Chloe.

"How long has he been up?" she asked, nodding toward Daryl and Rick.

Chloe followed her gaze, then gave her a questioning look. "Which one, Daryl or Rick?" she asked.

Jenna thought about it, then shrugged. "Both," she said.

"Daryl was already awake by the time I got up, so at least an hour," Chloe estimated. "I dunno about Rick," she continued, shaking her head. "I don't think I heard him come back from watch last night, though," she added with a shrug, her words hinting at the possibility that he might not have slept at all.

Jenna frowned, her eyes turning in the direction of their leader for a quick second, hoping that wasn't the case. "What about breakfast?" she asked, looking to Chloe again. "Did they eat anything?"

Chloe pursed her lips, then shook her head. "I don't think so."

Jenna heaved and shook her head in disapproval before quickly finishing what was left of her meal. She stood up again with the intention of grabbing some food and taking it to Daryl and Rick, fully prepared to force feed them if need be, but changed her mind when a telltale feeling in her bladder reminded her that it had been several hours since she'd last used the bathroom and that it would be a good idea to do so as soon as possible.

"Is there a designated ladies room around here?" Jenna asked the group.

"We've been goin' over there," Maggie said, pointing toward the far end of the field. Jenna followed her finger, which was indicating the far corner of the field, where Lori could be seen in the distance. "Lori should be just about done. You can get toilet paper from her. But try not to use too much," Maggie added. "We've only got a couple rolls left."

Jenna nodded her understanding and then turned to start heading that way, but paused and looked down at Chloe. "Could you take some food to those two over there?" she asked, nodding toward Rick and Daryl. "Tell them that if they haven't started eating by the time I get back, I'm gonna pry their mouths open and shove the food down their throats myself."

Some of the people in the group let out low whistles, looking very glad that they were not the ones on the receiving end of Jenna's threat. Chloe frowned and cast a doubtful look toward the two men in question, looking very much like she did not want to be the one to deliver Jenna's message. But she finally nodded obediently and got up to do as she'd been told, taking a moment to brush dirt off the seat of her pants before going over to Carol to get more food. Once Chloe was off to deliver breakfast to Daryl and Rick, Jenna turned and started in the direction Lori had gone.

Jenna moved along at a leisurely pace as she crossed the field, only casting a quick look toward the walkers in the courtyard when one of them took interest in her and started pounding on the fence. A few more joined the first one once they too decided that she looked like something they wanted to eat, but Jenna paid them no mind. Feeling unthreatened thanks to the fence separating her from the hungry walkers, she merely turned her gaze forward and continued on, ignoring them. When she saw that Lori had finished up and was heading toward her, Jenna lifted a hand and gave a short wave to catch her attention. Lori returned the wave as she waddled toward Jenna, her left hand clutching a roll of toilet paper.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself, you know," Jenna called as they neared one another. "With how far along you are now, you really gotta be careful."

"Good morning to you, too," she called back. "And it's perfectly safe out here. If those walkers were gonna get through that fence, it would'a happened by now."

As they reached each other and came to a stop, Jenna placed her hands on her hips. "Walkers aren't the only thing to worry about," Jenna reminded her pointedly. "What if you tripped and hurt yourself or something?"

Lori just gave her a close-lipped smile. "I appreciate the concern, Jenna, but I'm perfectly capable of goin' pee on my own," she said in a gentle tone. Jenna still didn't think Lori wandering around on her own was a good idea, but just pressed her lips together to keep herself from doing anymore lecturing. "Here," Lori said, passing her the toilet paper.

"Thanks," Jenna said, taking it from her.

It was around that time, as she really took a good look at her friend, that she started to get the feeling that something was wrong. Lori's eyes were a little bit red, and they were also a little bit glossier than usual. If Jenna didn't know any better, she'd think that Lori had just been crying.

"Lori? Is everything okay?" Jenna asked with concern.

Lori looked back at her for a moment, as though surprised that Jenna had noticed anything amiss, before nodding her head. "Of course," she said in a tone that was nowhere near convincing, despite how hard she was trying to act like everything was completely normal. "Everything's fine."

With that said, the woman made to step around Jenna and head back to camp. Jenna, however, stepped into her path and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, forcing Lori to a halt. "That's the most unconvincing lie I've ever heard," she stated, giving the older brunette a long, hard look. "What's going on?" she asked, frowning with concern again.

Lori just shook her head, though, and forced on a smile. "It's nothing, honestly," she insisted. "Just…pregnancy hormones," she added, rubbing a hand over her large, pregnant belly.

Jenna still wasn't convinced that the woman was telling her the truth, not by a long shot. She knew Lori pretty well by now, and she knew when her friend was trying to hide something from her. Yet whatever it was that was upsetting Lori, clearly it wasn't something that she wanted to discuss, not even with Jenna. So Jenna decided to go ahead and drop it…for now, anyway. "Alright. If you say so," she conceded, nodding her head.

Lori smiled, patted Jenna on the shoulder, then continued on back toward the group. Jenna watched her go for a second, then resumed her trek toward the far side of the field so she could use the bathroom.

In the time that it took Jenna to relieve her bladder and walk back to the small campsite, Daryl and Rick had wrapped up their strategizing session and rejoined the group. As she walked back toward her friends, she noticed, with a feeling of satisfaction, that the two were eating the food that Chloe had delivered to them. Both men looked over at her when they saw her approaching. Daryl took an exaggerated bite of his cereal bar, a knowing look gleaming in his blue eyes, while Rick quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Gonna shove food down our throats, huh?" he asked, his tone laced with just the tiniest bit of sarcasm.

Jenna stopped once she was next to Daryl and crossed her arms, one shoulder shrugging upward. "If that's what it take to make you eat, yeah," she said unapologetically. "There's no telling what we'll be facing once we're in there," she reminded him, nodding in the direction of the prison. "The last thing we need is either of you passing out in the middle of a horde of walkers because you decided to be noble and skip breakfast," she said, shooting a pointed look at Rick first, then at Daryl.

Daryl snorted in response, as though he thought the idea of him passing out from anything was ridiculous, while Rick just smirked a bit and raised a hand in surrender. "Alright, fair enough," he conceded. He gave her a long look, then the smirk on his face shifted into a small smile. "It's good to hear you bossin' people around again, Matthews," he told her, giving her a nod. "I was startin' to miss it."

Having said that, Rick patted her on the shoulder and then turned to walk toward the others, leaving her alone with Daryl. Jenna frowned a bit as she watched Rick's retreating back, then quirked a brow at Daryl. "Am I bossy?" she asked. She knew she could get a little pushy when she really wanted something done, but she'd never considered herself to be bossy.

Daryl, who'd been about to finish the last bite of his cereal bar, hesitated with the food inches away from his mouth and gave her an uncertain look, as though he wasn't sure how or if he should answer. "Not all the time," he finally said, shrugging a shoulder.

Jenna just pursed her lips, then made a thoughtful noise in response.

"Alright, then," Rick said to draw the attention of the group, bringing Jenna and Daryl's conversation to a halt. They both walked a few steps closer as everyone focused on Rick, waiting to hear what he had to say. The light, easy atmosphere that had settled over the camp changed, feeling heavier and more serious now. "I hope everyone is nice an' rested up, 'cause we got a lot of work 'ta do," he said, nodding. "The plan is 'ta clear out the courtyard first, make sure it's secure. Once that's done, we'll push into that building there," he explained, turning to motion toward the brick building on the left side of the courtyard, which was labeled 'C BLOCK'. "Daryl an' I reckon that's probably one'a the cell blocks. If it's clear, we'll move everyone in," he concluded. "We should be safe in there."

"We're gonna…sleep in jail cells?" Beth asked uncertainly, not sounding overly thrilled at the idea of sleeping in a jail cell.

"That's the plan, yes," Rick answered as patiently as he could, giving Beth a look that said she shouldn't be complaining about sleeping in a safe, secure place. Beth, reading the look loud and clear, quickly pressed her lips together and looked down at her shoes.

"What if the block isn't clear?" Carol asked to draw Rick's attention, arms crossed over her chest.

Rick hesitated, then shrugged a shoulder. "Then we move on the plan b," he answered. He paused for a second, then continued on. "We do this quiet. No guns, only melee weapons. An' we're gonna need all our strongest fighters for this one," he said pointedly, his eyes jumping to those in the group he expected to help carry out this mission. Jenna stood a little straighter when his eyes met hers for a quick moment. "Any volunteers?" he asked.

"I'll go," T-Dog said without hesitation.

"Us too," Glenn said, referring to both himself and Maggie, who was nodding her head in agreement.

Jenna didn't have to think twice about her decision. "You can count me in," she volunteered, which made Rick raise his brows a bit. She glanced over at Daryl when she saw him turn to look at her from her peripheral vision. He was frowning a bit, his expression leading her to believe that he'd rather she stayed behind. "If you go, I go," Jenna said simply, leaving no room for argument.

It took a second, but Daryl finally nodded in agreement.

"I wanna help too," Carl suddenly spoke up, looking determined.

"Yeah, me too!" Chloe quickly agreed.

"No," Jenna and Rick said at the same time. The kids started to argue back, but Rick spoke over them. "There are things ya'll can help with, but this ain't one'a them," he told the two children authoritatively. "You two are gonna stay here an' help Hershel look after the others. An' that's final," he added before Carl or Chloe had the chance to say anything else.

Neither Chloe, nor Carl, seemed particularly happy about not joining them in the courtyard, but they did not protest further and very reluctantly agreed to stay behind. With that, Rick shifted his attention back to the rest of the group. "The six of us will go in an' clear out the walkers," he continued, motioning to those who'd be going to the courtyard with him. "As soon as we're in, that gate stays shut until the place is secure," he firmly instructed, pointing to the gate separating the group from the walkers. "I don't wanna risk any walkers gettin' back into the field." After a general murmur of understanding from the group, Rick nodded his head. "You've got ten minutes to get ready, then we're goin' in. The sooner we can get this done, the better."

Everyone broke off so they could begin preparing for the task at hand, talking quietly amongst themselves. As Jenna and Daryl turned to walk toward their belongings and fetch their weapons, she noticed that Chloe was looking a little grumpy about the fact that she wasn't allowed to help out. Before Jenna could go to talk to her about it, though, a voice caught her attention.

"Hey, Matthews?" Jenna stopped and looked back Rick, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. "You got a minute?"

Jenna glanced at Daryl, who had also stopped. He only shrugged a shoulder in response, though, signaling that he didn't have any clue why Rick might want to speak to her one on one.

"Sure," Jenna said. She changed directions and walked back to Rick, who then proceeded to lead her far enough away so that they would not be overheard. "What's up?" she asked once they had stopped again.

Rick glanced at the walkers in the courtyard, then looked at Jenna. "I appreciate you volunteerin' to help clear the walkers," he started carefully, "but…are you sure you're up for it?" She must have looked confused by his skepticism, because Rick quickly explained himself. "It's just…well, it's no secret you've been havin' a tough time lately. I need everyone who goes in there 'ta be on their A game." Rick reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I just wanna make sure you're ready," he told her earnestly. "I can't have ya gettin' hurt…or worse."

Jenna nodded her understanding. "You're right. Things have been tough. But," she said, her features set with determination now, "I've been sitting on the sidelines long enough. You said you need all your best fighters, and that includes me. I wanna help. I'm ready to help."

Rick's eyes searched hers for a long moment, as though trying to determine if she was telling him the truth, then he nodded. "Alright, then," he agreed. He squeezed her shoulder, then released her. "Go an' get ready."

Jenna gave a single nod, then resumed her trek toward her belongings. Daryl and Chloe were both waiting for her there, Daryl in the process of making sure his crossbow was loaded and had extra ammunition, Chloe standing with her arms cross over her chest and looking rather pouty. Daryl raised his brows at her as she approached, his eyes glancing toward Rick for a brief second.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

Jenna nodded. "Yeah. He just wanted to make sure I was ready to fight the walkers," she said, flashing a quick reassuring smile. Daryl nodded his understanding, then went back to what he'd been doing. Jenna shifted her attention to Chloe, who was still pouting. "You mad at me, kid?" she asked with an upward nod of her head.

Chloe heaved a little, but shook her head. "No," she said, though there was still frustration in her voice. "I just…wanted to help," she said with a shrug, looking discouraged.

"I know," Jenna said sympathetically. "But this is just too dangerous for you, Chloe."

"If it's too dangerous for me, isn't it too dangerous for you, too?" Chloe countered, one brow quirking upward.

Jenna walked closer and stood before her. "Yes, it is dangerous for me," she admitted honestly. "But when it comes to killing walkers, I've got a lot more experience than you do," she pointed out. Chloe, who seemed to know that Jenna was very much right abut that, just sighed and looked down at her shoes. Jenna placed a hand on her shoulder, which made Chloe's eyes drift back to hers. "The day will come when you'll be right there by my side for stuff like this," Jenna promised her. "But that day isn't today. And if I'm being honest, I hope it isn't any day soon, either," she added seriously.

Chloe looked up at her, then finally nodded. Jenna smiled, pulled her close to kiss the top of her head, then jerked her head toward the rest of the group. "Why don't you go ask Hershel what you can do to help out while we're clearing the cell block."

Chloe nodded again, then wandered off in search of Hershel. Jenna watched her go, then started preparing to go into the courtyard.


Jenna tightened her grip on the handle of the crowbar she'd picked as her weapon of choice, her eyes narrowing a bit as she peered at the walkers on the other side of the gate. T-Dog stood in front of her, while Daryl stood behind her. To her left were Maggie and Glenn, both sizing up the walkers they'd be killing in only a few moments. Hershel and Rick were standing just by the gate, waiting patiently as Beth, Lori, Carol, and the kids banged on the fences a little further down, trying to draw the bulk of the walkers inside away so that the group would be able to get into the courtyard a little easier.

"Everybody stay close," Rick said over his shoulder, his expression one of concentration. "Don't get separated from each other."

After they all nodded in understanding, Rick cast a look down at the others. Once he was satisfied that enough of the walkers were being distracted, he raised his machete defensively and nodded for Hershel to open the gate. Hershel returned the nod, then did as he was instructed. With Rick leading the way, the group quickly entered the courtyard.

The walkers came at them the instant they crossed over onto the other side. As Rick, T-Dog and Glenn cleared out the first wave to come at them, Jenna's eyes jumped toward a group of walkers stumbling in from the right. She shared a look with Daryl as they neared, then, together, they attacked. Jenna swung at the head of a tall, skinny walker with her weapon, making it fall to the ground, while Daryl grabbed the other, shorter zombie by the prison jumpsuit and stabbed it in the head with his knife. Jenna kicked the tall walker back to the ground when it tried to get up, then rammed the pointed end of her crowbar into its forehead.

A growl near her left made her look up sharply. Another walker had set its sights on her and was only moments away from trying to grab her. T-Dog saw it, however, and smashed its head with his firepoker, making it fall lifelessly to the ground. Jenna would have thanked him, but didn't have the time to when she saw yet another zombified inmate closing in. Jenna yanked her crowbar free from the dead walker's skull and raised it like a bat again, swinging hard at the incoming walker once it was close enough. Its skull caved in with the force of the blow, dark blood spattering in every direction, then it crumpled to the ground.

She felt pressure on her back as they shuffled along and realized that Daryl had a hand on her, though whether that was to make sure she was still by his side or just keep her moving, she didn't know. He let go of her to kill another walker, then hurried back to her side, never once dropping his guard. In the distance Jenna could still hear the rest of the group in the field shouting and banging on the fences, but she didn't chance a look in that direction to see how many walkers were being drawn away. She stayed alert, sticking close to the others as they chopped and hacked their way further into the courtyard, killing any walkers that came in their direction. It wasn't long at all before she lost count of how many chompers she'd taken down.

When they'd made it about halfway through the courtyard, just as Jenna and Daryl worked together to bring down a particularly hard to kill walker, a shout caught her attention. "Don't break rank!" Rick yelled.

She looked over to see that T-Dog was no longer next to her. He had spotted something off to the side and gone to retrieve it. "We need that!" he insisted.

A growl sounded in the air, and Jenna felt a flash of panic when she realized a walker that none of them could reach was headed right for T-Dog. "T, watch out!" she shouted.

T-Dog straightened back up with a riot shield just as the walker reached him. He used his new shield to ram the walker hard, making it fall to the ground. Maggie quickly jumped into action and rushed forward to kill the walker, slicing its head with her machete, before quickly scrambling back to the group when Glenn called out for her.

For a moment, all went quiet. In only about a five minute time span, they'd managed to take out most of the walkers that had been roaming in the courtyard. As they neared the back fence though, Jenna could hear the telling sounds of more walkers lurking nearby. It wasn't over yet – they were about face round number two. She held her crowbar tighter, her heart pounding with adrenaline. Daryl was breathing hard next to her, one hand on her back again as they moved forward.

"Almost there," Rick announced, glancing back for just a quick second to make sure everyone was still with him.

They neared an orange door that led into the building on the right. Rick reached it first and slowly opened it, taking a quick peak inside. When it seemed that there were no walkers to worry about within the building, he continued on toward the back fence, which was now visible. When he suddenly stopped and then jumped for cover, holding a hand up to halt the group, they all froze. Jenna dared a step to the side so she could see what Rick had seen, feeling her heart drop. The gate to another part of the prison was wide open, and standing just on the other side, no more than fifteen feet from their position, were more walkers than they would be able to handle.

"Shit," Jenna hissed, moving back when Daryl grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to where she wouldn't be seen.

For a moment, nobody did anything. They all stood there panting from exertion and from adrenaline while Rick tried to figure out what they would do next. Jenna glanced to the part of the courtyard they had not yet ventured into and frowned when, out of nowhere, she saw two walkers in full riot gear appear from around a dumpster in the distance. She then cursed under her breath when two more – also in full riot gear – walked into view only feet in front of them. Daryl released her arm and switched quickly to his bow, taking aim at one of them. Despite his impeccably precise shot, the arrow bounced pathetically off the walker's helmet, inflicting zero damage.

As the two heavily armored walkers growled and came for them, Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl all jumped into action and charged. Jenna started to join them, but let out a sound of surprise when the door that Rick had just checked suddenly opened and another walker came out, this one wearing riot gear and a gas mask. It swiped at her head, forcing Jenna to duck and then take a step back. When it started to follow her, Maggie came to her defense and whacked it on the head with her machete. The zombie's gas mask stopped the blade, protecting the skull of the grotesque walker. Maggie instead braced her hands on its torso and pushed hard, making it stumble backward and then fall to the ground.

Jenna wanted to try to kill the walker while it was still struggling to get up, but a growl behind her made her quickly turn her attention elsewhere. She whipped around and saw that two other chompers had appeared from nowhere and were coming up behind them. Jenna quickly went for the one on the right, while Glenn, who had also seen them, went for the one on the left. He whacked the zombie with the long, metal pipe he'd been fighting with, then buried the blood covered pipe right into the walker's face. Jenna ducked underneath the flailing arms of her own target, kicked out its knee, then stabbed in the back of its head with her crowbar.

"Daryl!" Rick shouted up ahead, sounding a little panicked. Jenna, thinking for a split second in time that maybe Daryl had gotten grabbed, quickly turned to see what was going on. She realized in an instant, though, that Daryl was fine, and that Rick was calling for help to shut the gate before anymore walkers could come inside the courtyard.

While Daryl and Rick rushed to the gate and made quick work of closing and locking it, Jenna and Glenn hurried to help Maggie and T-Dog, who were trying to fight off the armored walkers. The four of them kicked, shoved, and swung their weapons at the walkers, but nothing could get through the riot gear covering their heads and bodies. One of them suddenly looked like it had grabbed hold of Maggie, which sent Jenna quickly rushing to her friend's aid. She ran up behind the thing and, swinging hard, whacked out its legs with her crowbar. It dropped to the ground, landing hard on its knees. Maggie took advantage of the fact that the zombie was momentarily stunned, yanked its head back so that its neck was exposed, then jammed her knife up into the base of its skull. As the walker fell dead to the ground, Maggie's eyes went wide and she looked at Jenna, T-Dog, and Glenn with amazement.

"Did you see that?" she asked, looking quite proud of her kill.

The moment was quickly broken by more growls. Jenna jumped when she felt fingers trying to grab her shoulder from behind, but before anything more could happen T-Dog and Glenn rushed forward to intervene. Glenn grabbed the walker by the helmet, forcing its head back, while T-Dog stabbed it in the same place that Maggie had stabbed the other one, ending its pitiful existence. A third armored walker came toward her barely a second later, but Jenna forced it back with one well aimed kick to its gut. It was around that time that Daryl and Rick, who'd finished securing the gate, came back to rejoin them. As the walker Jenna had kicked stumbled backward, Daryl caught it, pulled the back of its helmet up, and stabbed it in the base of its skull. Rick quickly disposed of the walker wearing the gas mask, and then, together, Jenna and Maggie ran off to finish the last armored walker that had been knocked down by the other fence. Jenna yanked the thing's helmet back, then Maggie finished the job by stabbing it in that magic spot.

With the last walker dead, Jenna took a long look around before leaning over to brace her hands on her knees, breathing much harder than normal. It had been a good few weeks since she'd fought any walkers, let alone taken on that many all at once. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little winded in the aftermath. A hand on her shoulder made her glance up. It was Rick, and he looked a little concerned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Jenna said, panting a bit. "Just need to catch my breath."

Rick nodded, then went to check on the others. When she finally was able to catch her breath again, Jenna cast a disinterested look at the many walkers pounding on the fences just behind her before going to rejoin her friends. She patted T-Dog on the shoulder as she walked past him, then went to stand next to Daryl.

"You alright?" she asked, looking him over for any sign of injury. It didn't look as though any of the blood staining his clothes belonged to him.

"I'm good," he assured her. "You?" he asked, following her suit and giving her a once over.

Jenna nodded. "I'm fine," she said, nodding. Daryl returned her nod, looking relieved.

"Alright, everyone," Rick said to catch their attention, his eyes darting around as he checked to make sure that everything was indeed all clear around them. "That was just phase one," he reminded them, his eyes now trained on the building he wanted to infiltrate. "We've still got work to do."

He motioned for them to follow him, then started for the building labelled 'C BLOCK'. Jenna followed behind Daryl, sticking close to him as they entered the enclosed walkway leading to the door to the building. Once they reached the door, Rick looked at Daryl and nodded. Daryl grabbed the door, counted back from three on his fingers, then slid it open. They all tensed, fully expecting more walkers to be waiting on the other side. But when nothing came out at them, they all quickly relaxed again and then slowly filtered inside.

Jenna kept her grip on her crowbar tight as she walked behind Daryl, her eyes jumping all around as they walked further into the dark, stuffy building. When T-Dog, who was bringing up the rear, closed the door behind them, it got even darker and went eerily quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the sounds of their own breaths and their boots scuffing against the floor as they walked through a barred door, down a short flight of steps, and into what appeared to be some sort of common area, where former inmates of the prison used to hang out whenever they weren't in their cells.

Jenna stopped to looked around. There was a guard post straight ahead and two more barred doors on either side of it. She quietly moved away from Daryl and walked toward the door on the left, which looked as though it led to a different part of the prison. Wrapping a hand around one of the bars, she gave it a tug, breathing easier when she realized it was locked. She started to move away, but hesitated when she thought she heard something. Listening harder, Jenna realized that she was hearing the sound of walkers somewhere in the depths of prison beyond the door. Gulping, she gave the door one last tug to double check that it was indeed locked, just in case.

She turned around and saw Maggie standing behind her with a questioning look in her eyes. "Locked," Jenna told her in a whisper.

Maggie nodded, then, as Rick went past them and started up the stairs to the guard post over head, they both went quiet and watched him go. Rick went inside, then remerged about a minute later, unharmed, much to their relief, and holding a set of keys. He came back down to ground level and went to the other barred door, quickly unlocking it. They all followed him, filing into the cell block on the other side.

The row of large windows overhead ensured that the cell block was well lit, but even with the brighter surroundings, it was still spooky inside. The place was completely trashed – books that had belonged to former inmates had been ripped up and thrown in every direction. Random blood spatters could be seen in various places around the block. Bedding from the beds in the cells had been ripped off and thrown every which way, some of it covered in blood, all of it covered in a thick layer of dust. Many of the cell doors were open as well, and as Jenna moved closer to one of them to see if anything was inside, she had to press her lips together. A decaying body was lying on the floor next to one of the beds, the gaping hole in its forehead hinting that a shot to the head had been its end. There was blood all over the place, staining the walls, the bed, and the floor. She quickly decided that if and when it came down to choosing a cell to sleep in, she would not be picking this one.

Jenna moved on, her eyes following Daryl as he climbed the stairs up to the row of cells on the second level. Once he was out of sight, she helped the others check the rest of the cells on the ground level. They found a few more dead bodies, but nothing that could threaten their safety. The place seemed to be clear so far.

There was one more barred door on the opposite side of the cell block, which Jenna walked toward once they'd cleared the cells on the bottom floor. She thought she had seen Rick checking whether it was locked or not before following Daryl upstairs, but she still went to give the door a tug just to double check. It didn't budge an inch. Suddenly there were loud growls of hunger echoing down from the second floor, making Jenna jump and whirl around, eyes worried as she peered up toward where Rick and Daryl had gone.

"Everything alright?" she hissed, keeping her voice down just in case.

"It's fine," Daryl's voice filtered down. "They're all locked up."

Jenna relaxed at hearing that, then, for the first time since entering the courtyard outside, she lowered her weapon and dropped her guard. The cell block was safe, and once Rick and Daryl cleared the walkers upstairs, it would be completely devoid of walkers. As the growls of the hungry chompers died off – literally – one by one upstairs as Daryl and Rick disposed of them, Jenna went over to where T-Dog was, giving him a small smile as she came to a halt by his side.

"What'cha think?" T-Dog asked quietly, glancing around.

"Honestly?" Jenna asked. She took a long look around, then raised her brows at her friend. "This place is creepy as shit." T-Dog snorted with amusement at her blunt words and nodded his agreement. "It seems pretty safe, though," Jenna added, shrugging a shoulder. "And beggars can't be choosers, right?"

"You got a point there," T-Dog said with a sigh.

They both looked up when Rick appeared at the bannister overhead. "Jenna," he said, looking straight at her. "Why don't you take Glenn an' Maggie an' do one last sweep of the courtyard outside. If things look secure, bring the others inside," he suggested. After Jenna nodded, he shifted his attention to T-Dog. "T, we could use your help movin' these bodies up here."

"You got it," T-Dog readily agreed. "See you in a few," he said, patting her back before moving to help Rick and Daryl.

Jenna, Maggie, and Glenn left them to it and headed back out into the common area, all of them feeling much more comfortable now that they knew the place was safe. They went back on their guard for just a few seconds once they reached the door leading back outside, but when they slid it open and found the courtyard exactly as they had left it – quiet and still and littered with the bodies of the walkers they'd killed – they relaxed again. They did as Rick had said and did one last thorough sweep of the courtyard, checking every nook and cranny for any walkers they might have missed. Once they were completely certain that the area was safe and secure, they went to grab the others.

"How'd it go? Is everything alright?" Carol asked once they were approaching the gate, where the rest of the group had been anxiously awaiting their arrival.

"Everything's fine," Glenn assured them, nodding for Hershel to open the gate. "The cell block is clear and it's safe to move in."

The other lets out simultaneous sounds of relief as Hershel opened the gate, allowing Jenna and her two companions to step back into the field. Beth immediately ran up to hug Maggie, who returned her sister's hug fiercely. "That being said, there's a gate back there I suggest avoiding," Jenna added in a warning tone, motioning toward the fence in the back of the courtyard. "There's a bunch of walkers on the other side. It's locked, but it's still probably a good idea not to rile them up."

Her words were met with nods and sounds of understanding. With that being said, everyone turned and headed back toward the small campsite to collect their things and move it into the cell block. Jenna started to follow, but stopped when Chloe came up to her and wrapped her arms around Jenna's waist in a tight hug. Jenna smiled and quickly returned the hug. When Chloe finally pulled back and looked up at her, any of her previous frustration over not being able to help clear out the courtyard and the cell block was gone, replaced now by a look of great relief.

"I'm glad everything's okay," she said earnestly.

Jenna smiled a bit and patted her cheek. "Me too," she agreed.

She leaned over to kiss the top of Chloe's dark hair, then placed a hand on the girl's skinny shoulder. Together, they trailed after the rest of the group. As they walked, Chloe shot her a hopeful look. "Does this mean we can stay?"

Jenna nodded a bit. "It's looking good so far, yeah," she said.

Chloe's response was to smile brightly, her eyes filled with hope and optimism again.

They made quick work of packing up all their belongings. Because they were busy clearing out the dead bodies inside the cell block, Jenna gathered up all of Daryl and T-Dog's belongings so that she could take it to them and save them a trip out into the field. As soon as all of their things were gathered, Jenna and the remainder of the group left the field behind and headed for C Block – even though the field was cleared already and perfectly safe, Glenn still closed the gate behind them once they were all in the courtyard, just in case.

Jenna kept a hand on Chloe's shoulder as they walked into the block. The others looked around with curious eyes, taking in their new surroundings. Jenna spotted a pile of bodies in the corner that had not been there before and figured they had to be the bodies of the inmates that had been locked in their cells. Sure enough, as she continued toward the room where all the cells were they had to step out of the way to allow T-Dog, who was dragging a walker body, to pass by.

"Watch out, comin' through," he said, grunting a bit as he pulled the body along.

"I grabbed your stuff from outside," Jenna said as he dragged the body toward the pile in the corner. "It'll be waiting for you in here."

T-Dog gave her an appreciative nod. "Thanks, Jenna," he said, flashing a quick, grateful smile.

With that, Jenna led the rest of the group into the cell block. She dropped T-Dog's bag off just inside the door, then looked up at Rick, who had been up on the second level but made his way downstairs when he saw the group coming.

"Whaddya think?" he asked, waving an arm toward the vacant cells with raised brows.

"Home sweet home," Glenn said behind her, sounding only halfway enthusiastic.

"It's secure?" Lori asked, eyeing the cells for a moment before looking at her husband.

"This cell block is, yeah," Rick assured her, nodding.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked.

"Dunno yet," Rick admitted with a shrug. "Some of those walkers we killed out there were civilians, which means there might be a breach somewhere in the prison." Some of the people in the group looked a little alarmed hearing that. When Rick noticed, he quickly rectified the situation. "Like I said, this cell block is safe," he reassured them. "The doors leading into the rest of the prison are locked, an' the only people with the keys to unlock them are me an' Daryl. So long as we stick 'ta the cell block an' the courtyard, we should be alright."

Rick's words were enough to make the rest of the group relax again. "So what's the plan?" Glenn asked.

"We'll take the rest of the day to relax an' catch up on rest. Tomorrow we'll venture further into the prison, see if we can find the cafeteria an' the commissary," he informed them. "So everyone pick a cell an' get settled. It should be a quiet night tonight."

The rest of the group nodded and did as Rick had instructed, breaking away from each other so they could wander off and find a suitable cell to claim. Jenna motioned for Chloe to follow her and went up to the second level, where Daryl was. As he came to meet them at the top of the landing, Jenna handed him his bag of belongings.

"Which one is ours?" she asked, looking at the cells on the second floor.

Daryl took a moment to eye the cells, then shot her a doubtful look. "I'm not all that hot about sleepin' in a cage," he admitted, his tone hinting that he'd rather not sleep in one of the cells.

Jenna turned her eyes over to his and gave him a look. "Me neither," she said. "But at least these cages have beds," she pointed out. When Daryl still didn't look convinced, Jenna sighed and moved closer to him, her eyes pleading. "You're not really gonna make me sleep in there alone, are you?" she asked. She supposed she wouldn't technically be alone – Chloe would be there, too – but still. She slept next to Daryl every night, and had been doing so for over two months now. Jenna didn't like the thought of him not being nearby, nor did she think she'd be able to sleep very well if he wasn't with her.

Whether it was her words or the way they said them, it was enough to convince Daryl. After a moment, he sighed and nodded his head. "Alright," he said, though he still didn't look overly thrilled with the prospect of sleeping in a jail cell. "You pick," he said, leaving the decision up to her.

Jenna smiled with relief and reached out to briefly squeeze his hand. Then she moved past him and eyed the cells, before walking up to the one closest to the stairs. There was a bunk bed on the right side of the cell, a small toilet and sink toward the back, and two shelves jutting out from the left wall. The shelf closest to the cell door was about waist high and had a small stool in front of it, as though it were meant to be used as a desk – the shelf closer to the toilets was about eye level and looked as though it were be good for displaying personal effects. Just about everything was covered in a layer of dust, but she didn't see any blood anywhere, nor any signs that a walker had been there.

"This one looks good," she said, looking back at Daryl and Chloe. "You can have the top bunk," she told the girl, smiling a bit.

Chloe nodded and walked inside, tossing her bag up onto the top bed before climbing up the short ladder at the front of the bunk. Jenna followed her in and set her things down at the foot of the bed. As Chloe got settled overhead and immediately retrieved the latest book she'd been reading from her bag, Jenna sat down on the bottom bed and looked over at Daryl, who was lingering in the doorway.

"Could be worse, right?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"S'pose so," Daryl agreed, though not without some skepticism. He finally stepped further into the cell, setting his bag and his crossbow down on the ground next to Jenna's belongings. Next, he walked over to the bed and crawled in behind Jenna so that he could lay down, letting out a heave as he stretched out and wiggled around a bit, trying to get comfortable. Once he was settled, he stared up at the bottom of the top bunk for a second or two, then raised his brows at Jenna. "Bed's not bad, actually," he admitted.

Jenna nodded, then looked down at the bedcovers and swiped it with her finger, pulling a bit of a face when she saw how much dust clung to her fingertip. "The first chance I get, I'm changing these sheets," she huffed. "There's no telling who was in this cell before us…or what they did in this bed."

Daryl instantly frowned, his expression going sour. "Thanks, red," he said sarcastically. "That should make sleepin' in here much easier."

Jenna couldn't help but laugh at his dry tone. "Sorry," she apologized, smiling a bit.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and had her looking toward the entrance to the cell. She saw that T-Dog had grabbed his belongings and brought them upstairs. "How is it?" he asked, raising his brows as he peered into their cell.

Jenna looked around, then shrugged at him. "I wouldn't say it's the worst place I've ever slept in," she said. Daryl made a sound of agreement.

T-Dog pursed his lips and nodded. "Good enough for me." He adjusted the bag hanging from his shoulders, then jerked his head toward the next cell over. "I'm gonna bunk up next door, if that's alright with you guys."

Jenna smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me, neighbor."

T-Dog flashed a quick smile, then headed off to get settled. Once he was gone, Jenna sighed before finally stretching out on the bed next to Daryl. Even though they were both on the skinny side, the bed still wasn't very big and it was a bit of a tight squeeze with both of them on it. Jenna shifted around for a few moments, trying to find the most comfortable position she could. When Daryl seemed to grow tired of her rustling around, he slid an arm under her shoulders and pulled her close, until she was tucked up to his side and her head was resting on the curve of his shoulder. Jenna's body instantly relaxed within Daryl's embrace, and with a small sigh of contentment, she draped an arm over his waist and snuggled closer.

Even though it had only been a few hours since she'd woken up, Jenna could already feel exhaustion creeping back into her body. Between the ongoing lack of proper nutrition, as well as the fact that a decent night of sleep had been extremely hard to come by in recent weeks, what little energy Jenna had within had been spent helping the others clear out the courtyard. Taking a nap to recharge her body suddenly sounded very appealing.

"How you doin' up there, kid?" she asked, wanting to check in and make sure the girl was alright with their surroundings before she fell asleep.

"Fine," Chloe answered, sounding relatively at ease. "I'm just gonna read for a while."

"Okay. I'm gonna take a nap. Don't go wandering off anywhere while I'm asleep, alright?" Jenna said. Even thought the cell block and the courtyard had been deemed safe, she still didn't want Chloe going anywhere without her. Not yet. When Chloe promised her that she wouldn't be leaving the cell block, Jenna then leaned her head back a bit so she could see Daryl's face. He'd had his eyes closed, but cracked one eye open to look at her when he felt her gaze on him. "You don't go wandering off anywhere, either," she instructed, though seeing as she was practically laying on him, there was no way he'd be able to leave without her knowing about it.

"Wasn't plannin' on it," he assured her, his tone equally as sleepy as hers.

"Good."

Daryl closed the eye he'd opened, then let out a long breath through his nose, the arm he had wrapped around her tightening and pulling her even closer. Jenna watched him for one more moment, taking in the sight of his handsome, relaxed features, then closed her eyes again. She was asleep within minutes.


Elsewhere in Georgia

Sam let out a heave and lifted the hem of his shirt so he could wipe the sweat from his face and beard. Even though it wasn't even noon yet, it was already ungodly hot in the small house he and his new companions had sought refuge in the night before. He finished wiping his face and let his shirt fall back into place, then he reached out to push aside the curtain shielding the window he sat next to. He relaxed a little when he saw that the street outside was still and silent. No walkers. No people. No nothing.

Sam let the curtain fall back into place then cast a look at the group of people behind him when he heard them whispering to each other, silently observing them with his green eyes. When they'd left the forest together the night before, it had not been his intention to stay with them for long. He'd planned to bid them farewell and go his own way once the sun was up. But for reasons unbeknownst to him, he hadn't left yet. He didn't really know what be wanted to do, to be honest. There was a large part of him that didn't want to join up with them. As nice as it was to have living, breathing humans around him again, after all he'd been through he thought it better if he stayed on his own. But, admittedly, there was another part of him that thought it might not be so bad to stick with them. It was kind of nice knowing he had someone around to watch his back again, had people to fight with whenever the shit hit the fan. Because if there was anything he'd learned since the apocalypse hit, it was that no matter what, the shit always could, and always would hit the fan at some point or another. Knowing he wasn't facing said shit alone was…kind of a relief.

The woman named Sasha suddenly looked at him, which made Sam quickly look elsewhere. He'd been trying to keep his interaction with the five newcomers to a minimum while he tried to figure out what he wanted to do. He hadn't spoken more than a few sentences to them, and had chosen to eat his breakfast alone rather than sitting with them. They obviously sensed his need for space, because they had more or less just been leaving him alone.

Sam heaved again and reached for his water canteen. He unscrewed the top and went to tip a large gulp into his mouth, but frowned when only a few drops splashed onto his tongue. Tipping the canteen over, he gave it a shake. It was empty.

Approaching footsteps reached his ears, drawing his attention away from his canteen and over to the person walking toward him. It was Sasha, and when she reached him, she offered him the bottle of water she'd brought with her. "Here," she simply, extending the water bottle in his direction.

Sam hesitated, then set his canteen down and took the bottle. "Thanks," he said.

As he took a drink, Sasha grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it over so that it was a foot or so away from his, then sat down. When he finished drinking enough water to rid his throat of the dry, scratchy feeling that had been bugging him, he passed the bottle back to her. Sam eyed her as she toyed with the water bottle, noticing in that moment that Sasha was a pretty good looking woman. He couldn't help but rub his beard self-consciously, fully aware of the fact that he looked, and probably smelled, like Sasquatch.

"So," Sasha said, giving him a curious look. "What's your story?"

Sam wasn't surprised she was asking. That's what everyone wanted to know whenever they met someone new these days, right? Everyone always wanted to know how other people had made it for as long as they had. "Same as everyone else's probably," he answered vaguely.

Sasha lifted a brow, her expression turning skeptical. "I doubt that," she countered. "It's not every day that some mountain man carrying a military grade weapon comes chargin' in to save the day," she said pointedly. "So tell me…what's your story?" she repeated.

Sam sighed, then shrugged a shoulder. "I was in the army," he told her.

"I figured as much," she said either a nod, glancing at the dog tags hanging from a chain around his neck. Sam followed her gaze – he'd been wearing the dogtags for so long that he often forgot they were even there. "Where were you stationed?"

"Fort Benning…until it fell, anyway," he added without much infliction. The expression on Sasha's face let him know that she was curious to know how the base had fallen, so he continued. "We took in a lot of civilians when the apocalypse hit. There were too many people to look after, too many to keep tabs on. All it took was a couple infected people slippin' through the cracks to bring the whole place down," he explained. "When everything went to shit, a few buddies and I rounded up as many people as we could fit in one of our trucks and made a run for it. We were lucky to make it out alive."

Sasha nodded in understanding. "How did you lose your group?" she asked.

"Most were killed by roamers, but there were some who were killed by…other people," he answered, the faces of the many people he'd seen die flashing through his mind.

Sasha looked mildly alarmed at hearing that some of his group had been murdered by other survivors, but she did not ask him to divulge any details. Sam was glad she didn't. "You've been through a lot, huh?" she said instead, the question sounding more like a statement. Sam just nodded in confirmation. "How long have you been on your own?" Sasha asked next.

Sam thought about it for a second, then shook his head. "Not sure, to be honest. The days all kinda run together. If I had to guess, though, I'd say…maybe five months?" he estimated.

Sasha's brows rose on her forehead. "That's a long time to be alone."

Sam just shrugged in response. "You get used to it after a while."

Sasha didn't seem to know what to say in response to that, and, for a few seconds, silence feel between them. Eventually, though, Sam's curiosity got the better of him. "What about you guys?" he asked, nodding his head toward the rest of Sasha's group. The man named Allen was talking quietly with the other woman and the teenaged boy, whom Sam now knew where named Donna and Ben. They were Allen's wife and son, respectively. The big, burly Tyreese, however, was keeping a close eye on Sam while he talked with Sasha. "What's the story there?"

"We're from Florida, me and Tyreese," Sasha told him. "Ty had this weird neighbor living behind him, one of those crazy survivalist guys that spent tons of money building a bunker in his backyard and was always goin' on and on about the end of the world." Sasha snorted and shook her head. "Who'd've known the guy would be right, huh?" Sam flashed a quick smirk at that. "Anyway," she continued, "when the world fell, Jerry, Ty's neighbor, let us and a few other people stay in the bunker with him. We held out there as long as we could, but eventually we ran out of supplies and had to move on. We met Allen and his family not long after leaving the bunker and joined up with them," she said, glancing toward the trio on the other side of the room. "About a week later we came across a group that had made a camp out in the woods. We stayed there for a while, just toughing it out and takin' things day by day. But then the walkers came, and we got overrun."

Sam nodded, knowing all to well how a story like that one ended. "How many people did you lose?"

"Over a dozen," she said somberly. "I think a few others got away, but we never found them." She paused and glanced back at her group. "It's been just the five of us ever since," she told him. "We've been on the run for over a month now."

Sam watched as Sasha shared a look with Tyreese, who was still watching them. When the burly man raised his brows in silent question, Sasha gave him a subtle nod. Sam suddenly felt a pang in his chest as he watched the two interact, his mind filling with thoughts of the sister he had lost.

"He's your brother, right?" he asked bluntly.

Sasha looked back at him, then nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, he is," she said, sending a small smile toward her brother. "I don't know what I'd do without him. He's…he's all I got left in this crazy world."

"You're lucky," Sam said before he could give the words a second thought.

One of Sasha's brows lifted, her attractive features taking on an expression of interest. "What happened to your family, Sam?"

He turned his gaze away as that feeling in his chest grew heavier. "I wish I knew," he said, his tone betraying the sadness within. Sasha frown of sympathy was instantaneous. "My mom and sister…they left our hometown back in Texas after everything went south. They were trying to make it to Fort Benning to be with me." He paused, then shook his head. "They never made it."

Sasha nodded slowly, the sympathy in her eyes never leaving. "I'm sorry," she told him, her tone sincere.

"Me too," Sam said.

He turned his gaze away from Sasha when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Tyreese had gotten up and was walking toward them. When the man reached them, he looked at Sam before raising his brows at his sister.

"Can I talk to Sam alone for a second?" he asked.

Sasha nodded, gave Sam one last look, then got out of the chair and walked away. Tyreese eased down into her vacated spot, his expression calm and friendly. "Sasha rope you into a game of twenty questions?" he asked, smiling a bit.

"She was just curious to know more about me," Sam said with a shrug. "I didn't mind," he admitted, surprising himself a little when he realized that was the truth. He'd only had himself and the memories – sometimes hallucinations – of his loved ones to talk to for so long now. It was good to have conversations with people who were not only real, but also friendly.

Tyreese nodded his understanding. "You saved her life last night, you know," he reminded him. "Probably saved all our lives," he corrected, raising his brows. "I can't thank you enough for that."

Despite the walls Sam had built up around himself, Tyreese's sincerity and gratefulness still managed to worm past his defenses and leave him with a good feeling inside. He didn't want to make a big deal out of what he'd done though, and shrugged a shoulder. "I only did what anyone else would'a done in that situation."

Tyreese shook his head in response. "With all due respect, I think you're wrong about that," he said. "Risking your neck for people you don't know when you could have easily hightailed it outta there and saved your own skin?" Tyreese shook his head again. "There ain't a lot of people left who would'a done somethin' like that."

Sam didn't really know what to say to that, so he just nodded his head and looked elsewhere.

There was a stretch of silence between them for the next few moments, but eventually Tyreese spoke up again. "So…what's your plan?" he asked, making Sam look back to him. "Do you have somewhere you're goin'? People you're tryin' to get to?"

Again, Sam's mind filled with thoughts of Jenna and their mother. He forced their images away though, and shook his head. "Not really, man," he admitted. "To be honest, I've just been wingin' it. I go wherever my feet take me, find somewhere safe to rest my head for a while, then hightail it outta there as soon as trouble comes along. As far as plans go, the only plan I have is to just…find a way to keep living."

He thought Tyreese looked a little disappointed to hear that there wasn't some safe, untouched sanctuary out there that he hadn't previously known about, but the man quickly wiped the expression from his face and nodded his understanding. "Sounds like what we've been doin'," he said, jerking his head toward the rest of his group.

Tyreese looked at him for a long, silent second, then gave Sam a very serious stare. "Look, I haven't forgotten what ya said yesterday. I know you're not really into the group thing," he started carefully. "But what would ya say if I offered you a place with us?" Sam's expression must have betrayed his internal skepticism, because Tyreese immediately held up a hand. "Just hear me out," he said, raising his brows. Sam nodded for him to continue. "The world's crazy out there, man," Tyreese said, pointing to the window. "We're completely outnumbered by the walkers. No matter where we go, we have to keep lookin' over our shoulder an' sleep with one eye open, 'cause we never know when they're gonna show up. But they ain't the only problem. I know other people can be just as dangerous as those flesh-eatin' monsters," he said firmly, making Sam wonder if he'd been eavesdropping on his conversation with Sasha. "The point is this – there's no surviving on your own anymore. I said it last night and I'll say it again now…it's just too damn dangerous out there by yourself. People need to help each other. We need to stick together. Now more than ever."

Tyreese paused and gave him an encouraging nod. "Somethin' tells me you're one'a the good guys, Sam. If you weren't, you wouldn't have helped us last night. You also know what you're doin' when it comes to the walkers. We could help each other," Tyreese said, nodding his head as though that would help convince him.

As Tyreese finished his spiel, Sam pursed his lips and took a long minute to consider his offer. He'd avoided being in groups for so long, had been roughing it on his own for months on end. After watching everybody in his previous group die, he just…couldn't stand to go through it again. He had tried to help so many people, and had ended up failing horribly. If he joined another group and watched all of them fall victim to this horrible world, he honestly didn't think he'd be able to take it. He was so fucking done watching people die. Besides, there were only two people he wanted by his side in this cruel, new world. Jenna, and their mother.

But they were gone, Sam reminded himself. He hadn't spoken to either of them in damn near ten months. They could be literally anywhere by now, and he'd have no way of reaching or finding them…assuming they were even alive, which he was beginning to truly believe that they weren't. This group – Tyreese's group – was here now, breathing, living, surviving. And so far, they seemed like they were good people. Tyreese was friendly and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Sasha was nice, too, and there was something about the way she carried herself that told him she'd have his back in a tight spot. Sam wasn't sure about the other three yet, but they hadn't tried to kill him or anything. He supposed that was a good start, if nothing else.

So could he do it? Could he give up his life as a lone wolf and join this group? Could he risk getting close to people again, knowing all the while that they could be taken at any given moment?

Sam was still trying to decide when he heard a sudden CLANG outside. He and Tyreese both went on alert, the two of them surging to their feet almost in synch. Sam grabbed his gun and pushed the curtain aside just far enough so he could peak outside, his body going rigid when he realized a gaggle of roamers was passing by the house. The sound he'd just heard was one of them tripping over a trash can. Sam held a hand up, motioning for the others to be silent. Everyone went still and silent as statues, nobody daring to move, hardly even daring to breathe. Sam looked outside again, watching as the roamers continued on down the road. Finally, when they were no longer in sight, he relaxed again.

"They're gone," he announced.

Everyone else relaxed again too, though the atmosphere in the room wasn't quite as comfortable as it had been. Sam sat down again, setting his gun off to the side, while Tyreese did the same. The burly man, who'd quickly grabbed for the hammer he always kept close by, kept the weapon in hand but let it rest on his lap in a leisurely manner. There were a few long moments of silence, where Tyreese gave Sam a calculating look. Finally, he sighed.

"Look, you don't have to make any long term plans for now," he said, clearly sensing Sam's indecision. "How about you just stick with us for a few days, see how things go. After that, we'll just…see what happens," he finished with a shrug.

Sam thought this new proposition over, then finally nodded his head in agreement. "I can do that," he said. A few days with Tyreese's group didn't sound bad. If things went well, great. If they didn't, he could always just walk away. No harm, no foul.

Tyreese smiled, looking pleased. "Good." Tyreese then stood and clapped him on the back with his non-hammer wielding hand. "Now, how 'bout you come an' get to know everyone else? They won't bite, promise."

"That's the roamers' job," Sam commented sarcastically.

Tyreese smirked and nodded. "That it is," he agreed.

Tyreese wandered off after that and reclaimed the seat next to Sasha. Sam stood from his seat, took one more look out the window, then went to join the rest of the group.


The Prison

The rest of the day was quiet and uneventful.

Jenna slept until early afternoon, only waking up when Daryl, who desperately needed to use the bathroom, tried to crawl out of bed without her noticing and woke her in the process. Feeling refreshed from her nap, she left the cell and went downstairs to see what the others were doing. T-Dog, Hershel, Maggie, and Lori were still sleeping – Rick, Jenna was happy to see, had also dragged himself into one of the downstairs cells and was dead asleep – but the rest of the group had left their cells and were just enjoying the fact that they were able to lounge around in a safe, secure place.

They took it easy for a while, just sitting around and chatting with one another, but it wasn't long before she, Carol, and Beth decided that if they'd be staying in the cell block from here on out, then they might as well take advantage of their free time and try to make it look a little nicer. They began the tidying up process by picking up the trash that had been tossed around and stuffing it into a few trashcans they found in the common area. Once that was finished, they started going from cell to cell – excluding the ones occupied by those still catching up on rest – and gathered up all of the salvageable bedding, before piling it all in the corner of the cell block to be washed later. When that was done, Jenna and Carol started to move out the walker bodies that T-Dog had left in the corner of the common area, but when Daryl and Glenn, who'd done a quick patrol outside, came back into the block and saw what they were doing, they were quickly shooed away. Leaving that task to the men, Jenna instead trudged back upstairs to the cell she, Daryl, and Chloe had claimed and, with the beds now stripped of its previous bedding, laid out their own blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows on the beds for them to sleep on later that night.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting behind the trees and night fell over the prison. Even though their dinner that night was small and less than satisfying, it was still a happy occasion. Much like breakfast that morning, their dinner was spent in laughter and light-hearted conversation as they ate together in the common area. Everyone was in good spirits thanks to both their refreshing naps that afternoon and the comfort that came with knowing they were completely safe, which made it easy for everyone to relax and just enjoy their time together.

A little ways into dinner, however, Jenna began to notice that there were two people who did not seem to be having as good of a time as everybody else. She was sitting at a table with Daryl, Chloe, Rick, Lori and Carl, which made it easy for her to see that neither Lori, nor Rick, were really participating in conversation, nor did they seem to even be in a rush to acknowledge one another. As T-Dog made the group laugh with his story about something embarrassing that Glenn had done back when they'd all been on the farm, Jenna looked back and forth between the married couple with mounting concern. Rick was always brooding these days, so that didn't come as much of a surprise. Lori, however, she was definitely starting to worry about. There was something going on with her, there was no denying it. Only she didn't know what that something was. She was beginning to think that perhaps the time had come to figure it out, though, because whatever it was, clearly it was taking a toll on Lori.

Once dinner was finished, Rick suggested that everyone go to bed early so that they'd get plenty of time to rest up before taking on the task of venturing further into the prison. Everyone readily agreed, eager to get back in bed and catch up on the sleep that they'd all been missing out on while they'd been roughing it on the road. While Daryl wandered off to talk with Rick, Jenna started to follow Chloe and T-Dog upstairs so that she could get comfortable in bed. She hesitated, however, when she saw Carol helping Lori to their cell.

"Jenna, you comin'?" T-Dog asked when he noticed she wasn't following them.

She glanced at T-Dog, then looked back to Lori and Carol. "Yeah, I'll be there in a second."

T-Dog nodded, then continued on upstairs with Chloe. Jenna changed directions and went toward Carol and Lori, smiling as she approached the two women. "Hey, Jenna," Carol greeted, returning her smile. "You need somethin'?"

"Actually, I was hoping I could get a few minutes alone with Lori," she said, glancing at the pregnant brunette in question. Lori's expression didn't give much of her inner thoughts away, but there was a look in her eyes that hinted she might know what Jenna wanted to talk about.

Carol's smile fell a bit as she looked back and forth between Jenna and Lori. "Is…everything alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Jenna said quickly, nodding her head reassuringly. "Here," she said, moving to take the arm that Carol had been holding as she guided Lori along. "I can take over."

Carol still looked a little uncertain, but nodded anyway. "Alright. I'll just…go make sure all the plates from dinner were picked up."

With that, Carol turned and walked away, but not without shooting a few looks at them over her shoulder. Jenna ignored the questioning glances being shot in their direction and quietly guided Lori to her and Carol's cell, wanting to wait until they were alone to start asking any questions. Once they had crossed the threshold of the cell, she helped Lori ease down onto the bottom bunk, keeping a firm hold on her so that she didn't drop too fast. Lori sighed once she was seated, then flashed a brief, grateful smile.

"Thanks, Jenna."

"You're welcome," Jenna told her.

Jenna sat down on the bed next to her and turned so that she could see Lori better. The brunette wouldn't meet her gaze for a moment or two, instead watching the path of her hand as she rubbed her protruding belly. Eventually she lifted her gaze to Jenna's, though, and there was a knowing look in her eyes this time around. "Why do I get the feeling you're gonna ask me the same thing you did this morning?"

"Because I know you were lying earlier when you told me nothing was wrong with you," Jenna stated bluntly, seeing no point in beating around the bush. "Something's not right, Lori, I can feel it. And it's really starting to worry me. So please, just…tell me what's wrong," she practically pleaded, hoping her friend would open up to her. Lori sighed heavily and turned her gaze away, as though she was reluctant to admit to what was bothering her. "Lori, I'm your friend. You can talk to me," Jenna urged gently, grabbing her hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze.

Lori looked down at their clasped hands for a second, then glanced toward the cell door, as though checking to make sure nobody was there to eavesdrop. Finally, she turned her eyes to Jenna. This time there was nothing but pure fear in Lori's brown eyes, making Jenna immediately sit straighter with alarm. "It's…it's the baby," she finally confessed. "I think it's…" She closed her eyes, shook her head, then tried again. "I'm…I'm afraid that maybe I've…lost it," she admitted in a whisper, her eyes welling with tears again when she opened them to look at Jenna.

Jenna's jaw dropped, both out of shock and fear. "What do you mean?" she asked warily, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. "Why do you think that?"

Lori pressed a hand to her belly and looked down at it for a second. "I haven't felt the baby move for over a week now. With how much we've been movin' around, and with how little food we've had," she continued, her voice shaking some. Lori shook her head and released a heavy breath. "I think maybe it was just too much strain on the baby. I think…I think it might be...dead."

Jenna was so stunned by this revelation that, for a long few seconds, she didn't know what to say or do. This unborn child had become a huge part of the group's life. As hard and as scary as it was to imagine bringing a child into the uncertain world, they had all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this new, special, innocent little life. They had spent months preparing for the arrival of the baby. They'd scavenged hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices for the supplies they'd need to deliver the baby. Hershel had had countless sit downs with Jenna, Maggie, and Carol to go over, in detail, what would need to be done whenever Lori went into labor. They'd even picked up as many diapers, bottles, wipes, and clothes - and any other kind of necessities a baby might need - as they could. Rick and Lori's unborn child had become one of the biggest driving factors in their desire to find a safe place to settle down and live. Just the mere thought of losing the baby made Jenna feel as though she'd been socked in the gut.

She finally snapped out of her stupor when she realized Lori's shoulders were shaking with repressed tears. Jenna shook her head to clear her thoughts and reached for Lori, pulling her into as tight of a hug as her baby bump would allow. Lori leaned into her heavily, accepting the embrace. "It's alright," Jenna said consolingly, rubbing Lori's back. "You don't know that the baby is…" Jenna choked on her words for a second. She didn't want to say the word 'dead'. "…gone," she said instead. "Everything could be perfectly fine."

Lori pulled back from Jenna and gave her another terrified look. "But what if it isn't fine?" she countered.

Jenna gnawed on her bottom lip, uncertain as to how to answer that. "Have you talked to Hershel about it?" she eventually asked. "He knows a lot more about this stuff than I do. Maybe he could tell you what's going on."

Lori shook her head. "I've wanted to, but I could never find the right time," she excused.

Jenna gave her a look, then raised her brows. "What about Rick? Have you said anything to him?"

Lori pressed her lips together and then shook her head. "He's got enough stress weighin' him down as it is without throwin' this on top of it," Lori said, rubbing a hand over her belly. "Besides," she added, smiling wryly now, "Rick's made it pretty clear that I'm the last person he wants to talk to about anything."

Jenna frowned with uncertainty. Everyone in the group knew very well that Rick and Lori had been having serious issues for a long time now. Their problems had started before Jenna and Chloe came back to the group in the wintertime, maybe even as far as back as when they had all still been on Hershel's farm. Jenna herself had talked to both Rick and Lori – separately, of course – about their problems on several different occasions, and though she'd urged them to talk to each other and try to work things out, neither had ever really taken the steps to do that. They'd only continued to grow further and further apart. By now, their marriage was beginning to look as though it was unsalvageable. Jenna could tell that the two still cared about each other, but after everything that had happened, it was looking like they just couldn't go back to the way they used to be.

"Did something happen between you guys?" Jenna asked. "You seem more…distant than usual today."

Lori turned her eyes away, looking lost in thought for a moment, before she shook her head. "It's nothing," she denied, even though it was pretty clear she wasn't telling the truth. "Forget I said anything."

"Lori…" Jenna said, raising her brows.

"Honestly, Jenna," Lori insisted. "It's between me an' him. It's nothin' you need to worry about, okay?"

Jenna knew there was more to this story than what Lori was letting on, but the woman obviously didn't want to go into detail about it. Nodding her head, Jenna decided to drop the subject. "Alright," she conceded, which made Lori relax. Jenna sighed, then grabbed her hand again. "Look, I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to babies and pregnancy," she told Lori, getting back to the original topic of conversation. "I don't know what all this means. But Hershel might. You need to talk to him, Lori," she urged. "Sit him down and tell him what's going on. He might be able to help. I can go get him now if you like," she suggested, making a move like she was going to get up and go fetch him.

"Not tonight," Lori said, stopping Jenna with a gentle hand on her arm. "It's been a long few days. I don't wanna bug him while he's trying to rest." When Jenna gave her a look that plainly stated she was not satisfied with Lori's excuses, the brunette gave her a firm look. "I'll talk 'ta him first thing in the morning. I promise."

Lori's tone was enough to convince Jenna that she was telling the truth. "Okay," Jenna conceded. "I wish you had something sooner," she said, frowning at her friend. "This isn't something you should be keeping us in the dark about. You shouldn't have to deal with something like this on your own," she insisted.

Lori just shrugged. "I think I was afraid that if I said it out loud then...it would be real," she admitted. Jenna just nodded in understanding. Lori went quiet for moment, then turned her hand under Jenna's so she could squeeze her fingers gratefully. Her eyes were still a little glossy, but she didn't look quite as upset as before. "Thank you."

"For what?" Jenna asked.

"Being a good friend," Lori answered simply.

Jenna gave a small smile at that, a smile that Lori meekly returned before pulling her in for another hug. For a long few seconds they sat there in silence, just hugging each other. When Jenna remembered that Carol would probably be wanting to go to bed and that she was keeping the woman from said bed, though, she released Lori and pulled back. "I should probably get going now so Carol can come get some rest," she said, which made Lori nod. "Just…try not to get too worked up over anything yet, okay?" she suggested, even though she knew that would probably be easier said than done. "Not until you talk to Hershel and have a better idea of what's going on, anyway. Alright?"

Lori nodded. "I'll try," she told her, despite the haunted look still residing in her brown eyes. She patted Jenna on the shoulder and mustered up another small smile. "Thanks again. For everything."

"You're welcome," Jenna said in return. "Get some rest now, okay?"

"Okay," Lori said. "Goodnight, Jenna."

"Goodnight."

With that, Jenna stood from the bed and left the cell, smiling at Lori one last time over her shoulder as she went. Once she was alone, though, Jenna's smile fell and she rubbed a weary hand over her face, sighing heavily as their conversation replayed in her mind. Jesus, she really hoped that Lori was wrong. She hoped with every fiber of her being that the baby was healthy and alright, that the baby would not be stillborn. If Lori lost the baby, the woman wouldn't survive it. Rick wouldn't survive it. Hell, the group wouldn't survive it. Frowning a bit, she turned her eyes upward and said a quick prayer, pleading with any God still listening to let the baby live.

Jenna tried to push the conversation to the back of her mind for now as she headed upstairs and walked into her cell. Chloe had already climbed up into her bunk and was looking well on her way to sleep. Jenna decided not to bother her and went to her bag to get some clean clothes to change into. She unzipped the bag and started rifling through it, bypassing the clothes she knew were dirty in her hunt for clean clothes. When her fingers brushed something smooth and glossy she paused, knowing it was the pictures of her family that she always carried with her. Jenna had been avoiding looking at them the past few weeks, but something drove her to look at them now. She grabbed the pictures and pulled them out, frowning a bit when she saw that the picture on top was one of her and Sam.

Jenna sighed as she gazed at her brother's face. Today had been one of the few days where she hadn't thought about him, where she hadn't felt consumed with sadness and grief. Looking at his face now, she felt a tug at her heart that was all too familiar by now. Before her emotions could get the better of her, Jenna put the pictures gently back in her bag and resumed her search for her clothes, forcing thoughts of Sam away. She didn't want to think about the loved ones she'd lost - she didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted to close her mind to everything and get a good night of sleep.

Jenna pulled out the first articles of clean clothing she could get her hands on, then started undressing. She kicked off her boots then quickly pulled off her dirt, blood-stained clothes and tossed them aside before pulling on a cleaner pair of jeans and one of her t-shirts. Just as she finished pulling the shirt on, she heard someone coming up the stairs – seeing as there were only so many people staying on the second level, she could only assume it was Daryl. Sure enough, he came walking into the cell just as she turned around.

"I'm gonna take first watch tonight," he told her. "Rick looks like he'll keel over any minute. Figure the guy needs a break." Daryl suddenly frowned with what looked like concern. "Hey, you okay?"

Jenna figured she must have looked stressed or upset without even realizing it. Considering the conversation she'd just had with Lori, she wasn't surprised. For a brief moment she contemplated telling Daryl what Lori had told her, but then quickly decided against it. Lori had told her her worries in confidence, and she didn't want to say anything to anyone - not even Daryl - until they'd had the chance to talk to Hershel.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...tired," she quickly excused, forcing on a smile. Daryl looked as though he wasn't sure whether he should believe her or not, but finally he nodded in acceptance of her excuse. "You want company on watch?" she offered, wanting to change the subject.

Daryl shook his head. "What I want is for you 'ta get some sleep," he told her firmly.

"Alright, then," she agreed without putting up a fight. "But don't be up too long."

"I won't," he said with a single nod of his head. She thought he would turn to leave after that, but he lingered a little longer. "I got somethin' for you," he said, catching her by surprise.

Jenna's brows shot upward. "You did?" she asked, wondering when exactly he'd had the time to get her anything.

"Uh huh," Daryl said, nodding. He reached for something he'd tucked into the back of his pants and extended it toward her. Jenna's brows shot up as she realized very quickly that he'd managed to get his hands on a gun holster. She took it from him, admiring it with surprised eyes. "I got it off one'a the dead guards outside," he told her as she turned her gaze back up to his. "You can attach it 'ta one'a your belts. It should be the right size for your gun," he added, referring to the gun she always kept tucked in the waistband of her jeans.

"Wow. Thank you, Daryl. This is great," she said, smiling widely.

Daryl pursed his lips and shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, well…I been watchin' ya run around with that gun in your pants since the day we met. It's a miracle you ain't blown an asscheek off yet," he told her matter-of-factly. "Seein' as I'd prefer ya kept both your asscheeks, I figured it was time 'ta get ya one'a these."

Jenna laughed a bit at his bluntness and stepped closer. "Well, I love it. Thank you."

Even though he was trying not to make a big deal out of anything, Jenna spotted a telltale gleam in his eyes that said he was pleased with the fact that he'd made her happy. "S'no big deal," he grunted out.

Jenna didn't see the point in trying to correct him. Instead, she just closed the space between them, placed the hand not holding her new holster on his shoulder, and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. She pulled back to smile at him, placed one more peck on his willing lips, then stepped back. "You should get going," she suggested. "The sooner you get started on watch, the sooner you can come back."

Daryl nodded, gave her one last long look, then turned to leave.

Jenna watched his retreating back for a moment, then turned fond eyes down on her new holster. She pulled the gun from the back of her jeans and placed it its new home, nodding with satisfaction when she saw that it was a perfect fit. Jenna admired her new gear for another second, then placed it on the small desk opposite of their bunk beds.

Yawning, she turned back to the bunk bed and looked at Chloe, who was fully asleep by now. She walked up to the bed and pulled the blanket up to the girl's shoulders, tucking her in. Chloe was too high up for Jenna to kiss her goodnight, so instead she gave her shoulder a gentle, affectionate pat. Jenna then stretched her arms high over her head before sitting on her and Daryl's bed. Out of pure habit, she reached for the boots she'd kicked off and started to pull them back on. She stopped her before pulling on the first one, though, and frowned thoughtfully down at the dirty, scuffed up boot.

Try as she might, she could not remember the last time she'd slept with her shoes off. She'd been sleeping with her shoes on the entire time they'd been on the road because being out in the open like they had been, they'd never known when walkers would show up and they'd have to make a run for it. Therefore, she'd always slept with her boots on in case she found herself having to flee for her life when she least expected it. But now, here, they were safe. There was no way for any walkers to reach them. They were completely secure. There was nothing to fear. Jenna thought about it for a second longer, then slowly set her boots off to the side. She stared at them for a second, then laid down in bed and got comfortable. Sighing, she snuggled into the blankets that smelled faintly of Daryl and closed her eyes to go to sleep, feeling oddly free as she wiggled her unconfined toes.

That night, for the first time in nearly eight months, Jenna slept with her shoes off.


Thoughts?!