It was going good and dandy. My forehead had three stitches, courtesy of Tyreese, though he was stiff while putting them on, apologizing every time I tensed in pain. Rick, Daryl, and I talked to the cops and Noah, making a plan for how to get inside the hospital. We learned some more information about Dawn, and pieces started to fit together.
Like, why the hell were they actually wasting resources searching for Noah, and why they were kidnapping people. It seemed to me that Dawn seemed to hide behind her compassionate side while she couldn't get her people to obey. It was easier to close eyes when something terrible happened and agree when more than one cop had a different idea than she did.
What she lacked as a leader was the most important trait of one - respect. And, oh boy, it seemed like she had zero of that.
So yeah, it was dandy until the cop who seemed like the most willing to go with the plan escaped.
Lamson knocked Sasha out cold, and when we found her, he was gone. Luckily Merle, who was on watch, noticed which direction he went, and Rick and I ran after him, leaving Daryl in charge.
We got outside and ran as fast as we could, slashing at walkers that crossed our path. We finally got to the police car that was left behind and followed Lamson.
Rick was quiet, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, and I could hear his teeth when he moved his jaw. I had my Glock out, and I was ready to get out of the vehicle at any second, as long as Rick would stop.
As soon as the man was in our sight, Rick grabbed the radio and flipped it onto the speakers. "Stop! Stop right now!"
I saw that the cop didn't slow down, and Rick rolled his shoulders, the muscle above his jaw twitching rapidly, and he pressed down gas making the car go faster.
"Rick, no!" I said sternly, looking between him and the man who ran in front of us.
"I gave him a chance!" Rick spat in my direction, but I shook my head, placing my hand over his on the wheel.
"We fucking need him. We need three. Trust me!"
We were almost there; Lamson was glancing over his shoulder, panic evident on his sweaty face. Rick let out an angry groan but spun the wheel once we were side by side with the man. I pulled at the handle, opening my doors, knocking Lamson to the side, and jumping out of the vehicle as soon as Rick hit the brakes.
I jogged towards the cop, Glock trained on him, watching his heavy breathing and glistering face. His eyes jumped from me to Rick once the sheriff stood next to me.
"Just kill me," Lamson wheezed, and I gritted my teeth, holstering my weapon. With Rick's help, we got the man to the back seat, his pants lauder in the closed space.
"Why the fuck would you do this?" I snarled at the man, looking over my shoulder, through the screen that separated us.
"You gonna kill us all," His reply was short and straightforward while he looked out of the window.
"You agreed that our plan will work. What changed?"
"You. You could wipe us out, and they need to be ready."
At that, I just sighed and looked ahead of me. In silence, we drove the rest of the way until we stopped at the side of the building we occupied.
Once we got out, Rick grasped Lamson's shoulder tightly and pulled him sharply. Watching around and ensuring that there are no walkers or people, I trailed after them. We finally got to the upper floor, where others kept an eye on the two remaining cops, and I noticed Daryl pacing. When he spotted us, he quickly crossed the room, clasping his big hands over my shoulders.
"Ya good?"
"Gotta be, Big Boy," I sent him a tired smile and tilted my head, brushing my cheek over his hand. He sighed and reluctantly released me but stay close to me, like a shadow. Hm, my own personal redneck shadow, I definitely didn't object to that - as long as he didn't keep me away from the action.
Over Daryl's shoulder, I could see Rick pushing Lamson to the ground, and I straightened my back, walking briskly to where they were.
"Alrighty! Listen, assholes," I addressed to cops, and other voices getting quiet at the stern note in my voice. "We are not here to take over your fucking hospital. We got other destinations, other obligations, and more people waiting for us somewhere else. We have supplies. We are not gonna take over your stupid utopia."
I narrowed my eyes and lazily glanced over three faces on the ground. "We only care about Beth and Carol. We got them, and we're gone. Think about it. We could get in guns blazing, kill every single one of you and then take them. Fuck, that was the original plan."
I watched something like fear cross the woman's face, and she searched for confirmation with her gaze when she turned towards Rick.
"But we choose a more peaceful way. You for them. Simple. But I swear on everything that fucking still matters to you - if you gonna try to pull that stunt one more time, I'll kill you. Are we clear?"
There was no answer for a moment until Shepherd, the female cop, nodded slowly. "There are two more on patrol, and four more in hospital, except Dawn."
"Great," I tapped my fingers over the hilt of my machete and got stuck in my thoughts for a moment. Then I grabbed Shepherd and helped her to her feet. "We going to have a chat."
I told the others, and Rick looked me over with an emotionless expression before he nodded.
"We gonna make a plan how to apprehend those on patrol."
With a sharp nod, I led the woman through the long corridor until we were in the next room, where others couldn't see us and hopefully couldn't hear us. Gently, I pushed her to sit down on one of the wooden crates scattered across the room. I paced for a moment, and then with a heavy sigh, I pulled the Barrett over my shoulder and placed it on the ground. No matter what Lamson said, no matter that he seemed like he was their leader, Shepherd definitely had a brain and was more observant than they gave her credit for.
I took off my backpack and searched through it for a moment, fishing out a full bottle of water and zip-up bag with jerky that Merle produced. I crouched next to her, with Shepherd's eyes tracking my every movement.
Slowly, I took a sip of water, realizing how thirsty I was, ending up drinking some more. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and then took a bite of meat, chewing on it slowly, not looking away from her.
"I can't untie you," I told her quietly, and her eyes narrowed slightly before she nodded, her eyes glancing down to food in my hands. "What first? Jerky or water?"
"Food, please," Shepherd replied, and I outstretched my hand, letting her bite down on jerky. That's how the next five minutes looked like. I fed her and let her sip on water, watching her, and she did the same to me. Sizing each other up.
"Why do you think trade won't work?" I finally asked her, packing the zip-up bag and bottle. Shepherd cleared her throat and knitted her brows.
"She will make the trade, but I don't think it'll be enough for her," She replied slowly, thinking over her words.
"Did you mean it? That you'd take care of it?"
She scrunched her face and shook her head. "We want to, need to. She gets too much shit slip through. But I'm not sure Lamson is actually as involved as he was saying."
"Hm, I guess after he tried to escape, he lost your confidence."
"Look, I know that your leader, Rick, won't let us go. I get that, not anymore."
"That's not why we're here," I told her sternly, standing up and stretching my back a little. "What if we do the exchange and she wants something else? Will she?"
Shepherd sighed heavily and hung her head, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know."
"What about Noah? Why would you try so hard for one worker?" I asked her, probing for answers.
"He's her personal ward."
"So, she thinks she's in control, pretends to sympathize with common workers, but don't have the respect of other cops," I was summing everything that I heard of Dawn so far. "And she what? Ties a worker to herself, like a personal minion?"
"Pretty much." Shepherd shrugged one more time, and I ran a tongue over my teeth, thinking. Then I crouched down right in front of her and lowered my voice, making sure no one else can hear us.
"What about you? Do you have the respect of others?" I asked her, and her head snapped up, eyes connected with mine.
"I might have enough," The woman admitted, but that was not enough; she had to be sure.
"Then this is our plan B." I smiled slowly, and in hushed whispers, I started telling her what had to be done in case the trade would go sideways.
I pulled on the flaps of my jacket, making sure that my knives are cocealed but still easily accessible whenever I would need them. My black boots were covered in grime and dust, and I had a hole in my dark pants around my right knee. I flipped the end of my freshly braided plait over my shoulder, so it won't get in the way.
We waited patiently in the middle of the street, and I was happy that Rick trusted me enough to be there. Daryl had my sniper, and I made him promise to take good care of her. Merle, though, was incredibly disappointed I didn't trust him enough with it. It wasn't for lack of trust, simply Daryl had two operational hands, and he was a better choice for a second sniper, alongside Sasha.
"You know," Rick suddenly spoke, and I tilted my head towards him. "It's not like before. It can't be."
"Seems like we had that conversation already, Officer," I retorted with a snarky note in my voice.
"I'm serious. It can't. You saw me there in that car. You have to be my voice of reason."
I furrowed my brows and shifted, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know I'm better at following orders."
Rick snorted and cocked his eyebrow at me. "Until you disagree and then you either argue or go behind my back."
"Right. That." I averted my eyes from him and cleared my throat, but Rick wasn't finished yet.
"Last time- the burden sometimes gets too much. And I need someone strong enough to tell me when I'm wrong. If there is a better solution."
"The fact that you see it is a big improvement, Rick," I finally replied quietly. The man placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"You in?"
"Well, I guess. I hope you won't regret it."
Deep down, I already knew that this is where all my actions led. I could calm Rick down and get him to see clearly when he was overtaken by rage. And he did the same to me when needed. Between him, Daryl and Merle, those men had power over me, something I would never let anyone do before the turn.
"They're headed towards the vantage point," Tyreese announced through the radio, and I nodded at Rick, unclipping my holster, hand hovering over it.
"Okay. Copy that," Rick replied swiftly and hid the walkie-talkie in the back pocket of his pants.
"Ready for it?" I asked him, looking ahead and hoping that this plan really will work.
"As ready as I can be," Rick mumbled just as the car showed up from around the corner. Together we brought our hands up and moved forward to meet them.
"Officer Franco. Officer McGinley," Rick spoke up when two male cops exited the vehicle with guns pointed in our direction. "I'm Rick Grimes. I was a deputy in the King County Sheriff's Department."
When he glanced down at me, I wetted my dry lips and spoke up. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Elena Dixon, FBI. We have a proposal for you."
Two male officers looked at each other, seeming to communicate silently before one on the right spoke up. "Lay your weapons on the ground."
"All right," Rick answered first, bringing his hand to his Colt and slowly placing it on the ground. With one hand still in the air, I followed, and my Glock was in front of me in a matter of seconds.
Still using my right hand, I hitched the jacket, showing my middle, and spun around, so they could see I don't have any other concealed gun.
"What's your proposal?" The other cop asked. They both stepped closer towards us, with guns still trained on us.
"You have two of our people; we have three of yours," Rick explained calmly, but officers seemed confused as to whom do we speak of.
"Beth, and Carol, gray-haired woman you hit with the car yesterday and taken to the hospital," I provided, and recognition showed on the Black officer's face. They exchanged glances once again.
"We want to make an exchange. Then we'll be on our way. No one gets hurt," Rick continued, and one of the cops nodded.
"Who do you have?"
"Officer Shepherd, Licari, and Lamson."
"Noah, he's with you? That's how you know?" The other officer asked, and I clenched my jaw. They really had an unhealthy interest in the boy.
"Yes, he is."
"Where are your people?" The Black officer tried to find out, and I spotted a walker, slowly making its way towards us, behind the cops. Seconds later, it was lying on the ground after a muffled gunshot rang in the air. Both cops looked over their shoulders and then around at the surrounding buildings, concern, and uneasiness evident on their faces.
"Close enough," I replied, maintaining a blank facial expression. They had to understand that even though we layed down our guns, we still had the upper hand.
"Radio your lieutenant. We'll wait," Rick added, shifting his weight, and I clasped my hands behind my back.
And waited, we did. When officer Franco finally heard back, we loaded our truck, keeping the three cops bounded and followed their car to the hospital. We parked the vehicles just outside the chain-link fence, and they led us towards the side of the tall building.
The other policeman unlocked the door, and they stepped in. Rick held onto the Shepherd while Daryl grabbed Licari by his elbow. Lamson walked in front of me, with my hands on his shoulder and wrists. In that order.
I could feel my top stick to my sweaty skin, and my jaws were clenched tightly. One wrong move, wrong word, and it could all go sideways. And even though my face was expressionless, my heart was racing in my chest.
We climbed stairs after stairs, finally reaching the fifth floor, where everything would unfold.
"Holster your weapons," A female voice sounded through the radio once we approached the double doors, and reluctantly others followed, including the two officers that escorted us. Others pulled their rifles over their shoulders, and finally, we walked through the doors.
On the other end of the corridor, I could eventually see them. Four officers, a doctor, and Beth standing behind a wheelchair in which Carol sat. I swallowed a lump in my throat and pushed Lamson forward, standing between Merle and Tyreese at the back of our group.
McGinley and Franco walked off, standing with other cops, which gave us six against seven. I glanced down to my Glock, checking that clip is open, so I can pull it out without issues at any given moment.
"They haven't been harmed," Rick spoke first, breaking the silence that surrounded the corridor.
"One of your for one of mine," The woman standing next to Beth spoke. Like the others, she had a clean uniform on, dark hair pulled into a tight bun. Neat and tidy, just as if the world didn't end and it was a typical day at work.
"Alright." Rick nodded at that and motioned for Daryl to go first. The hunter urged Licari forward, and in the middle, he met with the officer wheeling Carol. The gray-haired woman slowly stood up and leaned on Daryl while he led her back to us.
Dawn took Beth herself, and Rick held onto Shepherd, slowly moving to the exchange point. I watched Shepherd go back to her colleagues and how her ties were cut. Our eyes met for a moment until Beth was safe next to us.
I couldn't stop the soft smile that showed on my face when I looked at her. She had stitches on her face and cast over her left wrist, but she was here. I touched her shoulder lightly when she passed by me, and there were so many emotions in her eyes.
With a deep breath, I pushed Lamson's shoulder, following him to the middle.
"As you see, it was two for three," I spoke, still holding man's shoulder when we got close to Dawn, and she tried to reach for him. "Lamson for Noah."
There was silence in the room right now, and Dawn scrunched her face at my words, her eyes darting to the boy behind me.
"He's my ward, and he still got hours to work out his debt," She said coldly, but her voice shook a little.
"He was your ward. The way I see it, the officers we returned find and take people in. Without them, you wouldn't have any wards at all."
"No, this won't work."
"Dawn!" Shepherd tried to reason with the other woman, but Dawn just shook her head, glancing over her shoulder.
"Shut up!"
"So, I can keep Lamson? You telling me that Noah is more valuable to you than a friend you have known for years?" I asked her, trying to make her see a reason in all of it.
A muscle on her face twitched, just above her eyebrow, and my heart rate shot up when I saw her hand hovering over her gun.
"Dawn," Lamson's voice was quiet but also pleading. She gazed at him, but there was something in her eyes, the way her eyebrows furrowed, and before I knew it, I was pushed to the side.
Two gunshots echoed in the corridor, and people started yelling. I stumbled, catching myself near the wall, and was ready to grab my weapon.
"Enough! Hold your fire!" Shepherd yelled, catching everyone's attention. Lamson was lying on the ground, in the spot I stood just seconds prior, and Dawn's body sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from her head. "It was just her!"
I quickly bent over Lamson, moving him onto his side, and breathed out when his eyes opened with a slight groan. I ran my fingers over his vest, pulling squished bullet that was destined for me.
"You really are a stupid son of a bitch, aren't you?" I told him with a thankful smile and helped him get to his feet. By the time I cut the ties over his wrist, Shepherd had stood next to me. My spare in her hand outstretched towards me. I took it with a sharp nod, and she looked over my shoulder.
"It's done. Go and don't come back."
"We ain't," Daryl snarled, and I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders, pulling me with him towards the entrance. I pressed myself closer to him for a second, and we followed others. Merle, Rick, and Sasha were at the back, making sure we are not followed, and soon we were jogging down the stairs, wanting nothing more than just to get out of there.
"Ya planned it?" Daryl asked me quietly when we were on the bottom floor, and I averted my eyes, moving them to the ground.
"Which part? Lamson throwing himself in front of me, or Shepherd killing Dawn?" I retorted innocently, pretending that I have no clue what he's talking about.
"Both."
"Um, no. Just the latter. When we had the talk. Didn't plan for the idiot to throw himself to protect me."
"Mm. I'm glad he did."
I looked up at Daryl and grabbed his hand, interlocking our fingers. His warm hand offered comfort, and I needed that after those couple of days we had.
Oscar pushed the door open, and I heard someone yelling Beth's name. I snapped my head ahead, noticing a big, red fire truck parked by the fence near our vehicle. Six people with rifles were making their way towards us, though Maggie dropped hers and started running towards us.
Beth broke from Sasha's arms and started forward as well, first hesitantly, then faster, until two sisters reached each other, throwing their arms around their middles. I smiled broadly at that sight and felt tears pooling in my eyes.
I slipped from Daryl's arms and hugged Glenn tightly when we reached them, and he did the same. Then I did the same to Michonne and glanced around.
"Where's Lucy and Judith?"
"Inside RV with Axel and Carl," The Black woman replied, and I sent her a grateful smile.
I get to Carol with a deep breath and gently pulled her to me, careful to not hurt her further. Hesitantly she placed her hand on my waist, and I closed my eyes for a second.
"I'm happy you're safe," I whispered and heard her choke on a sob. Her fingers dig deeper in my jacket, and I pulled away.
"I never wanted to hurt anybody," She answered, and I nodded.
"I know that now. I do. I'm so sorry."
"Don't! It's in the past. Now we need to move forward," She told me with a strained smile, and I chuckled.
"I got a bit crazy when you and Daryl disappeared," I admitted, averting my eyes in shame, and I heard her sigh heavily.
"You're stupid, Eli. I told you before. Daryl's like a little brother to me. There's no attraction between us."
"I know. I just- shit happened, and my mind went the wrong way," I told her with furrowed brows, and she laughed at that, shoving my shoulder gently.
"Yeah, you do that sometimes."
"What happened?" I heard Oscar, and I turned around to see the others. Glenn scoffed, and Red just looked ahead with a blank expression.
"Eugene lied. There's no cure. Nothing in DC," The Asian man said, and I nodded. Just as I thought, I moved my eyes and caught Rick's gaze, communicating just that. The sheriff rolled his eyes and started for the truck without a word.
"We need to regroup and make a plan. Preferably away from this shithole," I announced, and soon we were loading ourselves into the three vehicles that were parked by the gate.
I hugged Lucy tightly to my chest and lifted her up, settling on the couch with her on my lap and Daryl by my side. He was slowly rubbing the girl's back, and I smiled at him.
"We didn't talk about it," I told him quietly, wanting to keep it a private conversation. Carl, Michone, Judith, and Rick were traveling with us inside the RV. Others split in two, taking the track and firetruck. "But you know that she's ours now, right?"
Daryl didn't reply for a long moment, but his hand remained on Lucy's back, his thumb caressing her shoulder blades. She fell asleep just minutes ago, and her soft breathing was soothing.
"I know," The younger Dixon finally replied, lifting his face. Even with his eyes slightly covered by his hair, I could see emotions swirling in them. "I never wanted that. Or more- didn't know I could have it. But now with everythin'- yeah, she's ours."
I smiled and moved gently, putting my head on his shoulder. Looking over the faces of our family, scrambled in the Winnebago, I dozed off peacefully.
We stopped on the outskirts of Atlanta. It was a different city than when we were here last—definitely fewer walkers and insufficient resources.
Apparently, the church got overrun by the geeks, which meant that majority of our supplies were lost. We parked next to the gas station, one that looked the least trashed.
After moving still sleeping Lucy into Carl's hands and got out of the RV, pulling my machete out, there were a few lingering walkers around the car park, and we spread out to take them out before we would move on to the building itself.
"Michonne, Glenn, Red, take care of those," I said loud enough for them to hear but hopefully not enough to attract any more. The trio moved towards five stranglers, and Rick continued with the plan.
"Elena, Daryl, Merle circle left. Maggie, Tara, and I will take a right. Others protect the vehicles." He didn't wait for agreement, and neither did I, following behind Daryl in the direction Rick pointed out.
Daryl's crossbow shot out a bolt, and he stepped back to reload it, making a clearing for older Dixon and me. Without hesitation, I jogged forward and slashed at the walker coming in our direction from behind the corner. After a few seconds, I took the lead, and it became clear that there weren't any more geeks when we met up with Rick's group. Carefully and still on edge, we made the way back to the front. I glanced around, ensuring that everyone was accounted for, and walked briskly to speak to them.
"Sasha, I want you on top of the fire track with Merle; make sure to let us know if anyone approaches," I started, and the woman didn't reply, simply gripped her rifle tighter and walked away towards the red vehicle. Merle collected my Berrett from Oscar and followed her, sending me a mocking salute.
"Tyreese and kids will stay with Gabriel, Eugene, and Rosita inside the RV. If shit hit's the fan, you get the hell out of here and meet us of 85."
"Noone goes alone. Daryl, Elena, Glenn, Tara, and Carl will swipe the gas station. The rest will go in pairs, collect as much gas as possible, and hopefully find another vehicle. The fire truck overeats gas," Rick added, and his eyes danced around, but my focus was on Carol.
"Carol and Beth should stay around here. I know both of you are capable, but you're also hurt," I added last part when the youngest Greene opened her mouth to argue. We will have to find out what happened to her wrist and when the cast can come off—just another thing on my mental list of things to do.
"Alright, y'all know the drill, only silent weapons. Let's do it!" Rick announced for the last time, and I already unzipped my jacket, tugging the back of it inside my jeans. My eyes narrowed when Tara pushed forward, and I placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Wait, we got a system." Her eyebrows cocked, and I smirked when I heard Daryl already banging on the metal door. Glenn and Carl already stood on both of my sides, their blades out. I reattached the machete to my belt and pulled the first two knives, throwing them gently in the air and catching by the tip of a blade. "Daryl knocks because we are cultured in here; manners are important."
I winked at Tara, and she snickered at my comment. "In all seriousness, though. We attract them to the door. Daryl gets it open. I throw knives, and you guys get the other ones. Alrighty?"
"Sounds like four, ya ready, El?" Daryl asked from beside the doors, and I grinned at him, widening my stance and pushing my right leg backward.
"Go for it, Big Boy."
Was it wrong of me that I felt slight chills of excitement? Of course, it was severe, and we haven't done that in a while, but memories of being on the road before we found the prison, were actually pleasant. If you will skip walkers, lack of food and proper shelter. But that's where we started forming our relationships, got to know each other more, and when Daryl and I grew closer. This was familiar, this adrenaline rush just before getting down to the walker business.
Daryl yanked the door open. A memory of another time we did this and how he got stopped by the lock came to mind, making me smile wider. I definitely looked way too excited for this.
The second door gave three walkers stumbled out, one of them tripping and landing on the ground. I focused on the other two, swinging my body in well-known motion, bringing my right leg forward. It hit the mark right in the eye, and once I calculated the second geek movement, I pushed my left side to the front, throwing the second knife.
There were more walkers than Daryl thought; another four came from the building. The one who tripped had a bolt sticking from its ear already. I grabbed another knife, throwing it quickly, and stepped back rapidly because geeks were getting dangerously close. On my right, Glenn jogged forward, swinging his hatchet above his head, sinking it into walker's head. We really did work well together because he sidestepped right away, letting Carl push his geek backward, grabbing it by the neck and stabbing its temple. A quick glance to my left and Tara was already standing over the unmoving body.
"Check everything, between the isles, under the counter, and if there's a door, wait for the rest. We gonna take it together," I spoke up and then looked at Tara, commenting dryly. "Trust me, got caught once, wasn't a good day."
Daryl scoffed at that, and I remembered how worried and angry he was when Maggie and I came back after nearly being raped and killed. Yeah, not the best day of my life.
Once inside, we split into two groups, quickly scooping through the gas station. It was a mess, some shelf still had products on, but there was also blood and guts on the tiled floor, alongside smashed jars, empty cans, and empty packets. After checking the office and toilets, we deemed the building safe for tonight and went back outside to grab Beth and Carol, plus the others from the RV.
We grabbed blankets and sheets, pushed together all supplies we could salvage from the inside of the gas station, and made a sleeping area near the counter and the fridges, which stopped working a long time ago.
But the best discovery was near the cashier area. From the way the walkers looked and the fact that there were still items to grab, I would say that this area fell not long after the city's destruction. Therefore- cigarettes. Yes. There were pouches of tobacco, and three wagons of cigarettes, which I quickly distributed between Daryl and myself. The smirk on his face when I showed him was heartwarming, and we rushed outside to open one of the packs. Yeah, sure, at that point, we might as well quit, but if we find some, then to hell with addiction.
That evening was the time for retelling our stories to Beth, hugging her tightly, mainly done by Maggie. Red was quiet, and I felt a little bit guilty when I remembered that I called him an idiot for believing Hairdoo. I mean, sure, I was right, but he seemed so lost and without purpose.
Beth squealed and jumped for over a minute when she heard that Daryl and I sort of got married, and she admired both of our rings. It was good, we found each other again, and even the fact that we had nowhere to go didn't matter at the moment.
"So what now?" Tara finally asked the question everyone tried to avoid, and I glanced across the room at Rick. Lucy was curled next to me, wrapped in one of the blankets, and already soundly asleep. The only light in the room came from two small gas lanterns we had, casting shadows over the walls and the floor.
"I think we should leave Georgia," I voiced, and Daryl hummed in agreement from my right. "I mean, we've been here before. Between us and- Woodbury, I doubt there is a lot of shit to scavenge."
"Which direction then?" Axel asked, and Merle shifted in his spot, reaching for my pack and taking the map out. I looked at it and shook my head.
"The other one, Hook. That's just the state. We need the one of the country."
Older Dixon huffed and mumbled something about bossy lil' sister, but still, he quickly found another piece of paper, passing it to me.
"Do you have nicknames for everyone?" The question came from Rosita, and my arm hanged in the air for a moment before I placed the map on the floor in front of me. People around me chuckled, and I cleared my throat, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Not everyone."
"Just most of us," Michone grumbled, making Carl laugh and bumping her shoulder gently.
"Come one, I actually was always wondering," Beth insisted, her head on Maggie's shoulder and lazy smile over her lips.
My eyes darted around the room, and I sighed heavily. "Fine, but it's not my fault if anyone gets offended. A lot of those I use only in my head. It's a weird place." I winked at the younger Greene, and she giggled, nodding enthusiastically.
"Alright. Rick, you are Officer or Sheriff. Merle is Hook, for obvious reasons." I pointed to his knife-hand, and he indulged me by waving it a little. "Um, Michone is Katana. And just for a record, you should be proud of it, how many people carry a fricking samurai sword. Oh! Samurai-"
"Nope!" Michonne cut me off with a stern voice. "Nope. You do it, and we will have a trip outside."
I rose my arms in surrender but smirked, thinking about how to call her that without getting killed. "Alright. Carl, you're a Kiddo. Sorry, but I met you when you were that tall, and that won't change." I motioned towards my chest, and he rolled his eyes, pulling his hat over his eyes. "Carol, Merle calls you Queen and I sort of like it. I mean, you blew up Terminus. You're forever our Queen. Hm- who else. There are boring ones like Gabriel, well, you're a Priest, for obvious reasons. Then we have Red and Hairdoo, sort of self-explanatory. And Daryl here is Big Boy, or Big Guy because come one, look at those."
I tried to grab and squeeze one of his arms, but he wrapped his hand around my wrist, glaring at me with his cheeks getting redder and redder with every passing second.
"And well, that's it, sorry. Now, shall we go back to making plans?"
"And here I thought you'll have something funny for me," Beth complained, and I laughed, shaking my head at her.
"Sorry. If something comes at me, I'll let you know."
"We should go to Richmond," Noah, who sat quietly for most of the evening, finally spoke. Right, that's where he came from.
"Are you sure it's still standing?" Glenn asked him while I already unfolded the map, leaning over it. I found Atlanta's area where we were, give or take few miles, and held a finger over the spot, looking for Richmond. Something poked me between my ribs, and I squirmed away, glaring at grinning Merle. He had a marker in his hand, and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Stop going through my bag," I hissed at him, trying to split my focus between the map and the conversation that was happening around.
"I'm not sure. It was there a year ago when Dawn took me in. We had walls and gates, houses. Like real houses."
"Rick, we have to. We got nowhere to go, and if not for Noah, I'd be dead," Beth sounded confident, and there was a stubborn note in her voice. Daryl was right; she really grew up and got stronger on the road. I marked our spot and then made a dot in the middle of Richmond when I found it.
"How far?" Rick finally asked, and I lifted my head to look at him.
"Over five hundred miles. We were ready to get to Washington. It's almost the same distance," I told him, and he nodded, pressing his lips together. His eyes darted to Daryl, and the hunter shrugged, bitting on his thumb.
"El's right. We gotta go somewhere. Might as well be Richmond."
"Alright. Can you chart the route?" The sheriff pointed that question toward me, and I nodded.
"Sure. Rosita, can you help me?"
Her eyebrows rose, and she looked surprised and uncertain. "Why?"
"I want to know how you got here from Texas. Did you take main roads and interstate, that kind of thing. Yeah, we traveled, but never that far."
She shrugged, and her eyes darted to Abraham, but he was staring ahead at the wall, not acknowledging her at all, and after a moment, she stood up, walking towards me. Merle shuffled to the side, giving her space to sit down, and I caught him looking her over, his eyes lingering on her boobs. I sighed and hoped that it won't be a problem in the future. From all the storied Daryl told me, and from what I already knew myself, Merle loved sex. And unless he had a secret lady back at the prison, he didn't have any for a while.
"Don't make me hit you," I whispered harshly at him, and he shrugged, his smug smirk on his face, but his gaze moved towards his hand, readjusting the tape. Alright, note for myself. Don't put Merle in the same vehicle as Rosita. Or Tara, for that matter. Now, time to focus. Richmond, here we come.