Chapter Forty Eight

Winter had come in full swing, and the walkers had slowed down with it. Though they didn't have to move from place to place quite as much, the group still hadn't found any place permanent. No place they could stay in for more than a week.

During their time on the road, Rick and Kylie began teaching the others how to use different kinds of weapons. Well, everyone except for Daryl, who seemed well adapted with any weapon tossed his way.

Alone time for the couples of the group was getting scarcer. Any minute they could get away from the others was a blessing they took greedily. Even if it was a simple run for supplies.

Lori's pregnancy had progressed, and with it so did the silence between her and the rest of her family. As Lori's stomach grew larger, Kylie couldn't help but wonder who's child her aunt was carrying. She wanted to believe that the baby was Rick's, but the likelihood of it being Shane's was too high.

Though Kylie and Lori still weren't speaking, Kylie would still pick up whatever baby supplies she could find. The only people who knew what she was doing were Daryl, Glenn and Maggie. Not that she could really get much and still keep it a secret. Almost every store they raided had been picked clean of formula, but Kylie was still able to pick up a package of diapers, wipes, bottles and a couple of unisex onesies.

They were going in circles. That much was obvious. Every town and neighborhood had been ransacked and food was getting harder to track down. Even hunting was poor. Daryl and Kylie made do with whatever game they could find. That was their alone time.

More than anything, the winter toughened them all.


"I don't need your permission, you know" Kylie huffed as she pulled on her dirty long sleeved shirt. "You don't have to get me naked every time you disagree with something" she added.

"You complainin'?" Daryl asked from his spot on the bed, their blankets bunched up around his waist.

"No" Kylie sighed, coming back to sit on the bed next her boyfriend. "I'd never complain" she added. "I just wanna take Carol and Maggie out for some target practice."

"After what happened the other day?" Daryl asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Daryl" Kylie sighed "It was over two weeks ago, and I had everything handled" she told him.

"Ky, the fucker had a gun to your head" the hunter reminded.

"Yea and the second the barrel hit my temple he had a hunting knife to his nads."

That ended their conversation as Kylie stood from the bed and pulled on her underwear and jeans. Daryl followed her example and began dressing as well. They had spent most of their morning in bed, which was unusual for the two hunters who were usually awake before the sun rose.

Though normally the group had never spent more than a week in one location. And they had been staying in the musty two-story house for just over two weeks. Kylie knew that their stay would be short lived, so her and Daryl were taking the privacy they were given to the fullest.

Without speaking, Kylie walked over to where her and Daryl's bags were propped against the wall and started preparing for her day. Once her crossbow, gun and knives were strapped into their rightful places, Kylie hooked her new military grade tomahawk to her belt and stood from her crouch.

"We'll be fine Daryl" she sighed, walking over and kissing him lightly. His worry was starting to aggravate her. Daryl didn't say anything, instead he simply kissed her forehead and walked out of the room.

Pleasantries were exchanged between the others as Kylie walked over to where Maggie and Carol were getting ready while Daryl went to find Rick.

"So where are we heading today?" Carol asked once she saw Kylie.

"Same as yesterday" Kylie told her. "I'm gunna grab something to munch on then we can head out." The other two women nodded and finished their tasks as Kylie went to get herself a small helping of cold oatmeal. Her stomach growled in protest, but it wasn't as if she had many options.

Not even ten minutes later, the three women said their goodbyes and left the house.

There was still snow on the ground, which was both a blessing and a curse. The walkers had slowed to the point where they could avoid them. However with the snow fall, any hostile humans could easily track them.

Thankfully, the women knew how to protect themselves. Kylie more so than the others, thanks to her lifestyle before the world ended.

"So have you heard from D-Pooly lately?" Maggie asked as the trio walked threw the thinning snow.

"Nah, not for a few weeks" Kylie shook her head, her blue eyes darting rapidly.

"Do you think he's alright?" Carol's still soft voice spoke up. Just about everyone in the group knew about the stranger Kylie had been communicating with. They just didn't really know who he was, though Kylie had a strong feeling that it was her friend.

"I hope so" Kylie sighed, her gaze snapping towards a lone walker stumbling towards them through the slush. Without blinking, Kylie pulled her pink crossbow off of her back and fired an arrow straight between the walkers eyes. Maggie and Carol weren't even phased as they continued forward, Kylie taking back the arrow as they passed by the dead walker.


AN: So first of all I want to apologize for taking so long to update. The past month has been crazy. On August 5th, I went into labor and had my daughter that night. For the following week I was taking care of both my newborn and my boyfriends grandmother who was here for doctors appointments.

And on top of everything else, the WiFi card thingy in my laptop is still refusing to work and I haven't been able to get on line for the past few months. But thankfully it was working today. So now im gunna upload every chapter that I have built up for this story to make up for that long wait.

Anyways what did you all think of this chapter? I know not much really happens but we get to see a little bit of their winter and the group training.

Originally I was going to write more of the group's winter traveling. But honestly I couldn't think of what to do that would keep the story canon. Although I have started to read the comics and I might end up adding some story arcs into 'In The End' it's just deciding which ones to use without screwing with the story line of the show all too much.

As Always, Leave Love

)0(Iris RainbowWolf)0(

PS: Since I'm uploading every chapter today, I'm not gunna bother with the 'Coming Up Next' part of the authors notes