A quick note about politics: Yes, Ana is very liberal but NO, the story will not be about that. I find the current political climate of divisiveness fascinating, and I kept thinking about how it could affect group dynamics if the outbreak started after 2020. So I'm exploring that, but this isn't a preachy liberal fic, I promise :) Ana has to learn to change, along with everyone else, and put that kind of stuff behind them. And yes, I realize not everyone from Georgia is conservative, and not everyone from the PNW is liberal (in fact, I'd say most of rural Oregon is as conservative as the rural south). Ana is flawed, sheltered, stubborn, but well-intentioned. :)

I spent the next day trying not to think about my family, and focus on getting acclimated to the new group. Daryl and Merle seemed to have agreed to stay, though Daryl was becoming more and more withdrawn and I sensed something was wrong. I'd feel him looking at me sometimes but when I turned my head he'd turn around and walk the other way and I'd only managed to say a few words to him all day. I was frustrated that they hadn't asked my opinion but didn't see the point in making a stink about a decision I agreed with.

Shane Walsh turned out to be a cop, which explained the attitude. I'm not anti-cop, exactly, but when your job is to defend folks who've run up against the law you see the problems in the criminal justice system pretty clearly, and I'd been working to change that in my little town before the fall. Cops are just flawed people like the rest of us, but they've got a level of power that can easily become a problem. Too much of an ego and they're guaranteed to be an asshole at least some of the time. Shane fit this description to a T, though he seemed to be doing his best to be friendly to everyone and I figured I could deal with him as long as it stayed that way.

Lori Grimes and her son Carl were with Shane, and apparently, Shane had been Lori's husband's partner on the force. He had been in a coma in the hospital when everything went down and hadn't made it, but Shane had gotten Lori and Carl out.

The Morales family had several kids, and there was a single guy named Jim who had lost his whole family. I found I could hardly look at him and had to push away thoughts of losing my own kids and husband. Another single guy named T-Dog was friendly and kept the kids laughing. Jacqui was alone as well, but had gotten close to a few others in the group and didn't talk much about her life before all this happened.

Carol, Ed, and Sophia kept to themselves a bit, though Carol seemed friendly enough. Her husband was clearly an asshole and it didn't take much to figure out he hit her. I hoped Shane would step in if it happened here, and I silently promised to keep a close eye on Sophia and try to figure out if she was being hurt.

The RV housed Dale, an older guy, Glenn, who was young and talkative, and sisters Andrea and Amy. Andrea was a civil rights lawyer and we chatted a bit about our practices. She seemed to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but I was chafing under the blatant gender roles that Shane seemed to have imposed on the group as well, so I couldn't blame her much.

Amy was quite a bit younger, maybe 16 or 17, and very sweet. Andrea was protective of her and let us know that they'd made it out of their hometown after their parents were bitten, and then their car had broken down on the highway. Dale had taken them in to stay in his RV along with Glenn, who'd been in the same position. They'd joined up with the others in the group and found the campsites once they saw the military drop bombs on the city.

Dale was an absolute charmer; one of those older guys who manage to be friendly and fatherly without being creepy. He shared my love of reading and learning and we chatted for quite a while during the afternoon.

Andrea, Amy, and I walked down to the lake during the hottest part of the day and cooled off with our feet in the water. They explained how bad it was in all the towns they'd seen, and I realized I'd gotten lucky being stuck in such a remote place with Daryl while the rest of the state fell under the devastating outbreak. The news hadn't shown how bad it was getting, as everyone was reporting from outside the Georgia containment zone, and I suspected the government was trying to keep folks from panicking in states that didn't yet have any cases. I prayed fervently that my family was still safe and would find a way to come through this.

Lori marched down to the lake around lunchtime and informed us that she and Carol had put together some food but she "wouldn't mind a little help from the other women in the group once in a while." Andrea rolled her eyes but Amy apologized and I stayed quiet.

Back at the campsites, I let Lori know that I was perfectly able to fix myself food, and if she wanted help with anything she just had to ask. She crossed her arms and looked at me warily. "You'll excuse me for being frustrated, but I've found that the moms around here tend to do all the work and it's getting old."

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm a mom too, though my kids are a couple of thousand miles away, and I understand why you'd be frustrated. But maybe we should divide up the chores between everyone, not just the women. That would take the burden off, right?"

She shook her head. "The men are in charge of protection and getting food from the city when we get low. They don't need any more stress. I'm sure you're well-intentioned but I'd appreciate it if you didn't make this into some feminist agenda." I didn't bother arguing any further right then, but I wasn't going to just let it go forever.

Daryl came back to camp in time for dinner, bringing a bunch of rabbits with him. I persuaded him to show me how to dress them since Merle was clearly not going to help. I'd helped my dad butcher chickens when I was younger, but I'd never done more than that. Daryl was incredibly skilled and quick but didn't seem to mind me taking my time mimicking his process.

When we were finished he left one on the table and took the rest to the bigger group, which had gathered close to the central fire pit. Everyone was thrilled with the fresh meat, and I could see Shane mentally patting himself on the back for allowing us to join the group.

I got out a pot and browned the pieces of meat in it before adding some canned tomatoes and veggies and covering it to let it cook over the fire. Daryl made his way back after shrugging off compliments and grabbed a beer from the cooler. Merle ran his mouth, as usual, and I attempted to ignore him and keep an eye on the food. Daryl sat near me and drank his beer in silence, a definite tension around his shoulders. I leaned over and spoke quietly, "Is something wrong? I mean, besides the world falling apart?" He shook his head, "Nah, Merle's just a dumbass" but I could tell that wasn't the whole story.

After he'd scarfed down a plate of food, Merle took some kind of pill and finally got quiet. I wasn't sure if he was passed out or just incredibly high and I didn't really care, the relief from his constant chatter was blissful. I settled back in my camping chair and murmured "finally", leaning my head back.

I turned to the side and found Daryl watching me, amused at my obvious delight with Merle's current state, and I let out a quiet laugh. It was the first time I'd laughed in days, the first time I'd been relaxed enough to let my guard down, and even Daryl smiled and leaned back against the truck. It was the first real smile I'd seen from him and I stared a little too long before turning back to the fire.