Friend or Foe

When we emerged from the woods everyone was standing around a bunch of water jugs that were lined up neatly in the middle of the road. Rick handed Daryl a note before his eyes slide to me, a grim scowl on his haggard face. I leaned over Daryl's shoulder reading the big, block letters scrawled on the paper, FROM A FRIEND.

"It's them," I said, confirming Rick's unanswered question.

Daryl immediately went for his crossbow, eyes searching the woods, but he wouldn't find anything. They weren't nearby. Even if they were I doubted they meant to harm us. Why leave us water, something that would save our lives, if they wanted us dead? If that was their end game they could just sit back and wait another hour while nature took care of it.

"Them?" Daryl's eyes blazed with questions, and I shifted closer to Rick. "What the hell is goin' on Red?"

"I'm with Darlina on this one," Merle agreed, appearing out of thin air next to his brother.

Rick glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the group, rubbing his beard.

"We're being followed." The brother's instantly tensed, going back-to-back, waiting for the attack they feared was imminent. "Easy brother, I don't think they want to hurt us."

Merle scoffed, "Oh really? And what makes ya say that Officer Friendly?"

"The water sitting in the middle of the road," I answered. Merle shot me a nasty glare I countered. "Will you two settle down, you're making everyone else nervous?"

And they were making me downright twitchy.

Daryl lowered his crossbow, but kept his eyes alert. "How long ya know?"

"Day, give or take." His steel, blue eyes were now boring into my skull. "There's two of them. One tracks us on foot while the other stays behind in a vehicle."

"I say we hunt 'em down, and beat the shit outta 'em 'till they tell us what the hell they want."

I pointed a finger at my brother-in-law. "This is why you have no friends."

"Don't start with me Firecracker," he snarled, stepping into my personal space, and pointing his knife stub in my face. "What gives ya the right to keep that kinda information to yurself?"

I hadn't kept it to myself. I told Rick, but that wasn't the point. The point at this particular moment was his stub knife dangerously close to my cornea. I pulled a knife from my sheath, bringing it up slowly until it was inches away from his neck.

"Keep pointing that knife at me and it'll be you who gets the shit beat out of 'em."

Daryl stepped in-between us, putting a hand on his brother's chest and pushing him back.

"Enough," Rick barked. "It was my call. I told her not to say anything."

With that he turned around, walking back to the group who looked downright perplexed at our little exchange. Merle muttered something under his breath then lowered his stub knife. Only then did I put mine away, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

"He's got a point," Daryl said, shoulder brushing mine as he continued to scan the woods.

"I didn't know anything for sure until today. I felt…off…like someone was watching us." Daryl's eyebrows furrowed. He was well acquainted with my "feelings". "I found them right before you guys ate Lassie for lunch."

He squeezed my shoulder, the corners of his mouth tipping up in a barely there smile. It was his way of saying while he didn't necessarily like it, he understood.

"Come on."

We joined the group that was still debating the pros and cons of drinking the water left by an unknown source.

"But I, for one, would like to think it's from a friend."

I shook my head. Eugene had the strangest speaking cadence I'd ever heard. Did he do it on purpose or was it natural? He sounded like he was reading from the pages of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

"What if it isn't? What if they put something in it?" Carol warned.

Eugene bent down, grabbing a water bottle and hastily unscrewing the cap. There group collectively gasped in fear. Daryl even took a step forward, ready to stop him, but I didn't move a muscle. I didn't think the water was poisoned, but on the off chance it was I was willing to let Eugene take one for the team. Call it penance for lying about the cure.

"Eugene!" Apocalypse Barbie shrieked.

"What are you doing, dude?" Tara asked, clearly nervous.

"Quality assurance."

Ariel took one gigantic step forward, which equated to 15 normal steps, and slapped the water bottle out of his hand. He glowered at the man he'd once risked his life to protect for a lie, and Eugene's eyes dropped to the ground in shame.

"We can't," Rick told the fake scientist.

The sky rumbled and I looked up. The huge, white clouds blanketing the sky had turned dark, obscuring the sun from view. Shadows fell over us, a glorious reprieve from the sweltering heat, but it was the booming roll of thunder that made me swallow hard. Then I felt it, a single drop of water on my face. I spread my arms wide, laughing when the heaven's opened up like a bathtub overflowing.

Others joined in, laughing, crying, hugging, our heads tilted back, mouths opened wide. Tara and Apocalypse Barbie were even lying on the ground enjoying the impromptu bath. The only person unaffected by the rain effectively saving our lives was Sasha who continued to scowl, her dead gaze staring straight ahead.

I quickly unhooked the water bottles hanging on my pack, setting them on the ground to collect the rain water. When I stood up I was engulfed in Daryl's arms. I couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying, but I squeezed him tight, burying my head in the crook of his neck. His arms securely wrapped around me made me feel safe. His musky scent was comforting. I'd missed this, missed him.

"We're gonna make it," I whispered and I felt him nod, his arms tightening.

I saw Merle standing a few feet away, rubbing his hand on his face, trying to wash away the dirt. I held one arm out, gesturing with my hand for him to come over. He shuffled to us, trying not to appear too eager, but when he got close Daryl extended an arm as well. I swear I saw tears in the older redneck's eyes when he put an arm on both our shoulders, the three of us bowing our heads, foreheads touching.

"We're gonna make it," I repeated.

"Damn straight."

Merle and Daryl spoke in unison and I snorted, curling my hands into their shirts. These two people meant everything to me. They were my family.

"I'm sorry."

Sorry for shutting them both out after the hospital.

Sorry for not telling them about our stalkers.

Sorry for threatening Merle even though he totally deserved it.

"Love ya Red," Daryl declared.

"Me too." I turned to Merle, eyebrows raised. "A platonic, the other way kinda makes me wanna yack, sorta love."

I laughed, "Me too Captain Hook. Me too."

"Everybody, the bags. Anything you can find," Rick instructed, already pulling out water bottles, bowls, and buckets to catch water. "Come on."

A loud clap of thunder rattled directly above us followed closely by a long, crackling streak of lightening. Nugget wailed, scared of the sound, and not liking the rain one bit. Carl tried to shield her using his hat, but the rain was relentless. If anything it was raining harder, and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. I turned around, looking at the sky in the distance, cocking my head to the side. The previously gray clouds had taken on a yellow-greenish hue that made my stomach clench in fear. Clouds were supposed to be white and fluffy not green and menacing. Thunder boomed overhead so loud it made my teeth rattle, and I flinched, stepping closer to Daryl.

"Let's keep moving!" Rick yelled over the storm.

I grabbed Daryl's vest. "The barn!"

He nodded, yelling at Rick. "There's a barn!"

"Where?!"

We led the group back to the small barn in the woods where I found Daryl. The rain pelted us from all angles aided by gusts of wind that were so strong they threatened to knock us off our feet. A few of us kept watch outside while a group cleared the barn.

"I didn't know there were tornadoes in Georgia!" I screamed to Merle over the howling wind.

"This ain't a tornado!" A particularly nasty clap of thunder drew our attention to the sky. My eyes went wide watching the clouds twist and turn like water circling a toilet bowl. "Now that's a tornado!"

Fucking hell.

Rick stepped outside the barn, shielding his face from the storm while he gave us the all clear. We pushed into the relative safety of the barn which was to say it offered no real protection save keeping us dry, kind of. If a tornado really did touchdown this pile of rotten wood and rusty nails wasn't going to do shit except collapse or impale us.

Most of the group took refuge on the far side of the barn since it had the least amount of holes in the roof. Rick built a blazing fire, talking quietly while a handful slept a few feet away. Only Sasha and Abraham sat apart from everyone else, both sulking in depression for entirely different reasons. I bypassed Sasha on my way to the door. I didn't have any words that would ease the passing of her brother or her boyfriend, and even if I did the venomous glare permanently etched on her face was a gentle reminder to steer clear. I did stop next to the giant red-head, looking down at him while he took another healthy swig of liquor.

"Want some?" he offered.

"I'm driving." He snorted, chugging another gallon. "You got a plan once that's done."

I pointed at the tiny bottle of booze he was attempting to drown in. If his goal was to numb himself to the pain it was a solid plan, and I would know. My old man lived his entire life at the bottom of a bottle. Problem was it only worked so long as you had a bottle to climb into. That was a really small bottle, and there was nothing small about Ariel.

"Same plan we all got."

"And that is?"

"Die."

I shook my head in disappointment. "You're better than that…better than this."

"What the fuck do you know?"

I snorted, "Really?"

I was probably the only person left in this world who did understand what he was going through. There was a point in time where we held the same occupation. I knew he was pissed about Billy Ray Cyrus lying to him, but that was his own damn fault. Ariel was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them. He hadn't seen through the lie because he didn't want to. He needed something to live for, something to make this all worth it, and a "cure" had been perfect. That was gone now, and he was too blind to see there were two reasons for him to get his shit together sitting less than five feet away staring at him.

"Get your shit together Ariel. Those two following you around like lost, little, puppies depend on you."

"Fuck you."

I slapped the bottle out of his hand, a few drop of the amber liquid spilling onto the hay. "Fuck you right back asshole."

I left before he could respond, heading to the barn door. I didn't know why Ariel's behavior bothered me. Maybe it was because he reminded me a little of myself. Maybe it was because he was giving up. Maybe it was because he had alcohol and I didn't.

The double doors of the barn were rattling, the howling wind outside threatening to rip the fragile structure straight off the hinges. Flashes of lighting intermittently illuminated the dingy barn followed closely by loud crashes of thunder that shook the termite infested building.

I peeked through the slats in the doors, but couldn't see a damn thing before they slammed shut, wind blowing through the drafty structure. Turning to my left I scaled a ladder that led to a narrow loft where a small, rectangular hole was cut in the wood serving as a makeshift window.

"What the hell ya doin'?"

I looked down at Merle, "Exploring."

He nodded, eyeing the loft with skepticism as I tentatively placed one foot then another on the old, wet wood.

"Shit's rotten. Better be careful."

This was me being careful. I pressed my back against the wall, having to bend down slightly due to the angle of the roof. I was hoping the wood was more structurally sound near the edges, but even in my head that logic didn't hold much water.

"What's everybody else doing?"

I didn't really care, but I needed something to distract myself. I could feel the warped wood bending and sagging under my weight. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I cursed my inability to find my Zen. Now would be a perfect time to sit around and listen to Rick pontificate.

"Sittin' 'round bein' butt hurt."

I chuckled, sounded right. It was hard to keep your eye on the prize when life constantly took a shit in your backyard. We were out of food, low on water, and trapped in a building constructed completely out of tetanus while Mother Nature flexed her formidable muscles. Walking for days on end may suck, but at least it gave us something to focus on other than our misery. Waiting out this storm with nothing to occupy our minds was going to be challenging.

"See anythin'?"

Rain pelted my face when I peered through the window, and I ground my teeth in frustration. Naturally, the second I climb up here the lightening decided to take a break, and I squinted in vain against the darkness.

"I can't see shit."

There was an earsplitting clap of thunder that made me recoil, and I stepped back instinctively. My boot went right through the wood causing me to yelp while I grabbed onto the window sill to stop my fall. I pulled my foot out, my heart thumping in my chest.

"Told ya it was rotten."

"Yes, thank you Captain Obvious."

"The hell she doin' up there?" Daryl asked his brother.

"You know I can hear you right?"

They both ignored me.

"Her spidey sense is trippin' again. Tryin' to see what the fuck's out there."

I rolled my eyes at Merle's explanation, scanning the area surrounding the barn. A brilliant streak of lightening raced across the inky, black sky illuminating the immediate area. Where I could previously see nothing but darkness I could now see everything. My mouth went dry and my stomach bottomed out when I saw what was headed our way.

Walkers.

Dozens and dozens of walkers.

"Daryl, the door!" I screamed above the noise of the violent storm.

He didn't hesitate, dropping his crossbow and running for the double doors. He looked between them quickly, eyes going wide when he saw the horde lumbering out of the woods heading straight for us. He pushed both doors closed, yelling for his brother to help. Forgoing the ladder I jumped from the loft, tucking into a roll when my feet hit the ground before popping back up and slamming my back against the door. I dug my feet into the muddy soil, bracing for the impact I knew was coming while Daryl tried to fasten the chain tighter.

The growls of the dead reached us before they did. Daryl turned around, copying my stance as he braced his back against the doors, arms over his head pushing. Merle pressed a shoulder into the other door, digging his boots a few inches into the ground. The herd hit the door with enough force to send me stumbling forward. I recovered quickly, shoving my shoulder into the door, and cursing when my feet slipped in the mud coated floor.

"Push!" Merle hollered.

"Aagghh!" I bellowed, my legs burning as another wave of walkers charged the doors.

Maggie and Beth ran to the door, helping Merle keep his side closed while Daryl and I struggling with ours. Sasha joined in, shoving on the lower half of the door directly beside me. The thunder continued to clap, lightening flashing directly after signaling the storm was literally on top of us. The walkers outside snarled and I squeezed my eyes shut, ignoring the pain of nails digging into my back.

One-by-one the others came as we tried to use our collective strength to hold off the walkers. If they got inside we were dead, plain and simple. I could scarcely breathe watching Carl stand a few feet away, eyes swiveling between the door and his baby sister. When he bent down, laying her gently on the ground, the infant wailed in protest, and I pushed against the door with renewed force.

I turned around, bracing my palms flat against the rough wood. The walkers continued to shove from the other side causing the delicate wood to warp under the exertion. My eyes met Daryl's just as a flash of lightening erupted overhead making his face glow. I could see the muscles in his arms bulging, proof of his struggle. His blue eyes were dark with desperation, mouth pulled into a thin line. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite the cool temperatures brought on by the storm. Something crashed against the door and I was thrown back, my feet slipping out from under me. Daryl's reached down, pulling me up while still straining to keep the door closed. I rammed the barn door with my shoulder, ignoring the splinters with a frantic scream.

The storm raged.

The walkers pushed.

We struggled to keep them out.

I heard praying, cussing, shouting, and even crying. The wind picked up outside, a terrible noise so loud I wanted to cover my ears, but couldn't. A waterfall of whooshing air made the ground rumble, and the barn swayed back-and-forth precariously. It sounded like there was a freight train tearing the woods apart just on the other side of the door. There were so many sounds happening simultaneously it was impossible to pick out one particular noise. It was like driving down the highway with your window down and head hanging out times 1,000. It was a cacophony of chaos that caused fear to spike through my veins. You could feel the air pressure changing, expanding and contracting so ferociously it felt like every molecule was electrically charged. The hair on my arms stood up as static electricity filled the air, my ears filling with pressure to the point of pain until they finally popped.

Suddenly there was a terrible gust of wind so violent, so powerful, my bones bowed to the point of breaking and I cried out, curling into myself in an effort to find some relief. As suddenly as it started it stopped. The abrupt change of pressure on the opposite side of the door caused our group to collectively stumble, everyone panting hard. We stood back, looking at each other in confusion.

"What the hell was that?" Glenn asked, arms around Maggie who looked far too pale.

"The hand of God."

I rolled my eyes at Gabby's explanation, stepping further away from the door.

"Thank you Jesus," Ariel snorted, walking away.

Everyone slowly dispersed, making their way back to the fire or a corner to sleep for a few hours. We'd dodged a bullet or more aptly, the hand of God, but tomorrow would bring more life threatening challenges so we needed to be ready for them. I followed Daryl, sinking down to the ground, my back against the wall so I had a clear view of the front door. The hand of God may have relocated the walkers to another county, but I wasn't convinced more wouldn't be stopping by for a visit.

"Get some sleep Red."

"How could anyone sleep after that?" A loud snore drew our attention a few feet away to an already comatose Merle. "I mean besides him."

"Ain't nothin' else ya can do." I hummed in agreement, but didn't move, staring at the door like it might explode open at any moment, flooding the barn with walkers. "Ain't no more out there."

I ignored our Vulcan mind meld. "For now."

He fished something out of his pack, and I leaned over. "What is that?"

"Music box."

"Maybe I should rephrase. Why do you have a music box?"

"Carl gave it to Maggie." I looked at him expectantly. That didn't answer my question, and he knew it. The corners of his lips twitched in amusement at my agitation. "It don't work. Got some dirt in it."

He deftly moved his hands around the tiny music box and I smiled.

"You're going to fix it." He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. I leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "You old softy."

"Stop."

"I think it's really sweet." And I did.

"Ain't nothin'."

Yes it was. He was fixing the music box because Maggie had one like it when she was a child. Her mother gave it to her. She hide her disappointment fairly well when she opened the pink box earlier and nothing happened, but Daryl saw it just as I had. He was fixing it for no other reason than to make her smile. He was trying to give her a small piece of her old life back. That was what made it such a big deal. It meant we were still us. We were still human. The world might be full of dead people walking and living people who tried to kill you, but despite all that there was still good left.

"Yes it is," I said, stretching out beside him with my head in his lap.

"Night Red. Love ya."

I smiled, "I love you too Merida."

I only meant to sleep for an hour, two tops, but when I opened my eyes it was early the next morning. Daryl and Maggie were talking quietly when I sat up. I noticed Sasha lying apart from the others, curled up on a bed of hay and sighed. When I stood up their eyes followed me, and I smiled.

"Ladies room." Maggie chuckled, hands holding a small, pink box. My face softened when I looked at my husband. He shrugged, ignoring Maggie's obvious gratitude. "Get some sleep."

"We've got it," Maggie assured him.

He pushed my pack forward, settling down to rest, and I walked off, carefully stepping around prone legs and hands as I made my way out. The barn door creaked when I pushed it open just enough to slide out, and my mouth went dry when I saw more than a couple planks splintered. That was how close we came to death, a few more walkers or even a few more seconds and those boards would have shattered completely, and that would have been it, game over.

Outside I stood paralyzed for a moment, taking in the utter devastation.

Huge tree roots were completely uprooted, the trees themselves blown over and snapped in half like they were nothing more than match sticks. The strong winds stripped the bark clean off the trunks before tossing them around like children's toys.

The path of the tornado was easily 20 feet wide, passing only a few feet from the barn. I was by no means a storm chaser, but based on the blockbuster movie Twister this had to be at least an F3. It took a lot of force to completely displace huge, solid, 50 year-old trees like you were merely redecorating.

Walkers snarled and groaned, impaled on tree branches and crushed by flying debris. There were body parts lying strewn about, an arm here, a leg there. A few were missing the entire bottom half of their body while others the exact opposite.

It looked like a war zone and I would know.

"Damn."

I cautiously maneuvered my way through the obstacle course, careful to avoid walkers, marveling at the destruction capability of Mother Nature. Twenty feet, that was how close the Hand of God came to introducing himself.

I made my way deeper into the woods, the weather this morning serene compared to the intense storm we battled the previous night. The sun was out, a few clouds dotting the cerulean sky. The air was heavy with moisture; a dense pressure sitting on top of us that was a welcomed change to the oppressive heat that preceded it.

I finished quickly, intending to make my way back to the barn and hopefully a few more minutes of sleep, but froze when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. My PPQ was in my hand before I was consciously aware of it as I crouched down, slipping behind a tree.

Our uninvited guests were back.

I held my breath, listening and then…there, directly ahead of me, someone walking. I moved silently, following the sound of their sloppy steps as they inadvertently stepped on every twig and piece of debris on the ground. I wasn't surprised when I saw the familiar wind breaker, stripped shirt, and pristine dress pants standing only a few feet away.

I stayed hidden behind a tree, watching our stalker as he observed Maggie and Sasha. The two were sitting on a log, watching the rising sun. I couldn't hear what the eldest Greene daughter was saying, but I saw the music box she handed to Sasha.

I turned my attention back to our stalker, creeping forward while he eyed the pair. He looked nervous, constantly adjusting the straps on his backpack and shifting his weight. I saw no visible weapons and that made me instantly suspicious. No one traveled without some kind of protection. Hell, even Nugget had a knife.

This little song and dance had gone on long enough. I was willing to let them follow as long as they made no move against us and kept their distance. He wasn't doing either. I moved forward, positioning myself behind him. He never heard me coming, never suspected anything was amiss, and it made me furious. How could someone this careless, this unprepared, still be alive?

I knew the second he decided it was time to make his big entrance because he took a deep breath and held it in for a second before exhaling slowly. Sasha and Maggie were on their feet, backs turned to the danger they didn't know lurked only a few feet away. He stood to his full height, rolling his shoulders, intending to follow them, but the barrel of my PPQ pressing against the back of his head stopped him in his tracks.

"Top of the morning to you."

He froze, hands raised, body shaking in fear, and I amended my previous thought. Maybe he wasn't a complete idiot after all.

"Crap."


Ready or not, here comes Alexandria.