Falling into the Undead
Chapter Six
Arriving at Camp
Shane's going to seem a little different here. He's not as bad as he was in the show, and Remington is going to start figuring out that her being here as already started to make changes and others she's going to have to really work at it. Hopefully you like my plans for Shane! I really wanted to try something different here
Oh, I'm so far from home
I'm so far from home
Oh, not where I belong
-Far from Home by Sam Tinnesz
Merle had been smug at getting his way. There wasn't much for them to pack, what with most of it still in the car, but Remington hadn't been ready to leave that day, she needed to plan, to make sure she knew what she was doing before they took off. She had taken all but two barrels of food from their hiding places and packed it back into the car. This was going to be left as a safety net. She had decided sometime that afternoon to leave them an out if everything went south. At least then they wouldn't be losing everything. The only things left were their individual packs, and the blankets on the bed. Merle had ended up staying that night, sleeping on the couch as she squeezed onto the bed with the children. It was the first night she had slept any real amount since she had fallen into a mini coma. The idea that she wasn't the only adult had eased her mind, and without meaning to, Remington had fallen into a deep sleep.
They were well on their way to the quarry early that next morning. Inside her gut whirled with doubt, and anxiety, unsure if she had made the correct decision, but couldn't deny the excitement at the same time. She would be able to interact more with Merle and Daryl now, and she would be meeting the others. Eventually, she would even be meeting Rick. Being close to the group meant she could gauge time by the events that played out around them, and she had a real shot of changing things for the better.
As long as her interfering didn't make it worse. Remington suspected her presence would be enough to start to cause changes in this universe and so she decided to make it for the better.
Merle drove, stating that it would be faster since he knew exactly where to go, and Remington found herself not arguing. She shouldn't be driving with the random bouts of dizzy spells she still got. Not that she spoke these thoughts aloud. The last thing she needed was for anyone to try to treat her differently or keep her from doing what she needed to.
The scenery flashed by them, Remington suspecting that Merle was driving faster than the normal speed limit but wasn't bothered too much by it. If it became dangerous, she would speak up for the kids, but he wasn't worrying her.
"How are the others at the camp?" she asked, speaking up knowing she needed to pretend to know nothing about them. "You don't seem to like them much."
"Don't like much of anyone."
"So, I shouldn't have any problems with them then?" She heard him sigh deeply and decided to drop it. Interestingly he had come off as the type of person who likes to talk, mostly about topics of nonimportance, and storytelling, but this morning he seemed closed off. Remington didn't want to annoy him so early in the drive and decided to drop it. Only the silence didn't stick around for long before he broke it.
"Ta cop is a bastard," he started. "Thinks just cause he was a cop before all this that he should be in charge." This must be Shane.
"I supposed having that kind of job beforehand probably causes someone to fall naturally into that position during a crisis." Merle sent her a glare before his eyes fell back onto the road. He was not amused by her outlook.
"Doesn't change ta fact that he's an asshole. The lady he came with is a piece of work." Lori. "I'd stay as far away as yah can from that one. She's a controlling type and doesn't like nothin' outside of her little circle. Her kid seems ta like ta get himself in trouble but supposed he's not ta worst." Carl.
"You know the names of any of these people? Or do I just gotta figure out who they are by your vague descriptions?"
"Fuck if yah could miss em."
"Are there any others?"
"A blonde uppity bitch, and a fucker that likes ta beat on his wife. I got a few things ta say ta that asshole, but I've been warned ta stay away."
"By whom? And why? It doesn't seem right to just ignore that situation."
"Yah well, I supposed it's for ta best. Only make ta situation worse for her. If she don't want ta help then trying ta force it down her throat won't do any good. She'll stay and get beat more for it."
"Seems you're familiar with that type of situation." Remington hadn't been able to help the words slipping from her mouth. She immediately regretted her choice of words. Of course, she knew about his mother and their home life, but she shouldn't have said anything. The silence that fell over them was far more awkward than any she had ever experienced with the man before.
Merle didn't speak up again during the ride. Remington wasn't sure what he was thinking, or feeling, and wondered if she had messed up. Would he change into the man she had seen on TV? She had come to like the man she had visited with, who could be a jerk, and cursed far too much, but was fun to banter with. She didn't want him to change around her. She had hoped to help the man, not alienate him.
"Momma, are we almost there?" Maisie asked, speaking up for the first time since the ride started. She had heard the girl mutter quietly to Nala as she drew in the notebook that Remington had given to her, but she hadn't directed anything toward the adults in the car. Landon had been staring out the window, looking pensive, and quiet.
"I don't know," she said, not sure if they were close to the turn-off or not. Seeing it in the show made it seem like it was a bit of a drive to the quarry from the highway, but that wasn't something she had proof of.
"I gotta potty!"
Remington sighed, knowing if the girl was saying it now then she had been holding it in for a while already. It was a process trying to talk her out of doing that, the earlier being told, the better, but she hadn't caught onto it quite yet.
"Can you wait?"
"Momma, you know I can't!"
"We've talked about that Maisie."
"I know!" She began to bounce in her car seat, growing more excited as the seconds went by. As Remington was about to open her mouth to ask Merle to stop, he had begun to pull over, the car coming to a jolting halt as he put the car in park.
"Git her out there and be quick. Don't wanna fucking be standing around all day wasting daylight." Without saying a word Remington exited the car, moving to the driver's side, before helping Maisie down, and into the tree line.
Maisie ducked behind a tree and began to hike the skirt of her dress up so that she could pee. Remington stood watch, eyeing the trees carefully for danger while she listened for signs of Walkers nearby.
"Mr. Dixon is kind of mean," Maisie said, startling Remington. She wasn't sure what to say. "But I like him anyway. He taught me how to skin a squirrel. It was gross."
Remington chuckled as she leaned against the tree, finding herself growing tired as she waited.
"That's good knowledge to have."
"I won't be able to remember it though." Her voice sounded disappointed.
"That's okay, you'll just have to learn again until it sticks." There was a shuffling and Remington turned to see Maisie reaching out for a baby wipe that was brought to help clean her up.
"Do you think Mr. Dixon will teach me again?"
"I don't know."
Maisie dropped the subject as they walked back to the car. Landon and Merle were both sitting quietly when they reappeared. If Merle was showing his impatience Remington was determined to ignore it. She called it a win when he didn't start cursing, at least out loud, as his face read curses were flying around inside his mind.
Merle drove faster than before, and Maisie kept up a constant one-sided conversation with herself, as no one else in the car was willing to respond back. Remington still felt awkward about her mishap from earlier.
Remington wasn't able to think for long about meeting the rest of the camp. The anxiety that was building up began to fester inside her chest. She had never been very good with people, and meeting someone new for the first time before beginning to build a relationship of any kind wasn't easy for her. Let alone it being people you admired through a television screen. Remington was a bundle of nerves, but the only thing keeping her going was the plan that she had for while she was here. As long as she was living in this universe then she would help and protect anyone that she could. If she had anything to say about it, she'd change their fates and keep them from dying. At least as best as she could.
When the car pulled into the middle of a bustling camp Remington realized it looked bigger than she had thought it would be. There were more people. An entire group of people she had never witnessed in the show. Why she hadn't thought that there would be others was beyond her, but it only caused her anxiety to spike higher.
Maisie glanced out the window in wonder, her eyes lighting up when she saw children playing by a tree. Nala shoved herself into Landon's lap as she wagged happily at the sight of new people. Pixel sat as still as could be in the middle of the seat not looking at anyone other than Remington in the front seat. He was waiting for a command. Remington wasn't sure she wanted to get out of the car.
Not that she had much of a choice.
A familiar face appeared in the crowd of curious onlookers.
Shane.
He looked just as confused, leading Remington to believe that Merle hadn't told him his plan of bringing in three people before he went off and disappeared. His expression only tightened when Merle exited the car. His gaze flew from the redneck to her own amber eyes. Remington began to fidget in her seat as the two men began to talk. Shane's gaze stayed locked on her.
Taking in a deep, calming breath, Remington turned in her seat to look at Maisie.
"Listen to me Maisie," she said sternly, and hurriedly. "There are going to be people here you might recognize. People like Merle. I want you to keep that to yourself. All right, honey? They won't understand and we can't tell them how we know them."
Maisie frowned as she processed what her mother was telling her. Landon quietly watched from his seat. His hand was absentmindedly scratching behind Nala's ear. He had noticed the strangeness of the two. It had first become apparent when Maisie seemed to know the gruff man, know him well enough to run up to him, but Merle hadn't seemed to recognize her one bit. Then he heard Remington mutter his name. Had seen the confusion and surprise on the man's face. It wasn't that strange to think that maybe they had known of Merle, but the way Maisie reacted told him otherwise. It hadn't added up, but he trusted Remington, his loyalty lay with her, so he wouldn't question or betray that trust.
For now, he would just listen and hopefully, one day understand, but they were safe so there was no reason to feel threatened by the secret.
"Promise me, Maisie," Remington said.
"I promise, momma," Maisie replied. "I don't know why I can't, but I won't say nothin!"
"Thank you, sweet girl."
Turning back around she saw how Shane seemed to be getting agitated by whatever Merle was saying. She could tell the man wasn't doing himself any favors, and by the grin on his face, Merle was doing it on purpose. With a sigh, and mentally trying to shake off her nerves, after all, she had chosen this path, Remington slid from the car telling the kids to stay put.
"Merle, you're irritating the man," Remington said as she closed the door. "You were supposed to be sweet talking him into letting us stay." Merle stopped mid-sentence as he turned that smug smirk toward her. Whatever awkwardness they had between them from earlier had faded away for the time being.
"Now, sweet cheeks, yah know I don't do no sweet talking unless it's ta a pretty little thing like yah." Both Shane and herself ignored him as the other man cleared his throat.
"Who are you?" Shane asked, his eyes not exactly guarded, but Remington could tell he didn't quite trust her. At this point she knew they were taking in people who needed help, so she knew it wasn't because they didn't trust other survivors. No, more than likely it was because somehow, she knew Merle and seemed to be friendly with him.
"Remington Solace," she held her hand out for him to take. He did so without much restraint. She could feel his eyes digging into her, as if he was trying to dissect her, and figure out if she was going to end up being a troublemaker. Remington hated not getting along with others. She preferred to be a friend to all than to have enemies, but that didn't mean she couldn't stand her ground when needed. She was just naturally non-confrontational. Planned on keeping it that way, especially toward this man that she wanted to somehow save from himself. If she allowed her more stubborn side to come out it would potentially cause him to see her as an enemy. All she wanted to do was help. So, Remington wouldn't allow the slight irritation she felt at his blatant prejudice against whom he thought she was just because she seemed to know Merle. "Merle and his brother happened to stumble across my cabin a few weeks ago while I was sick. Gave the kids quite a scare, but I'm thankful to them for not just leaving the kids alone. When he mentioned bringing me to the safety of this camp, I was cautious, but I'd like to give it a try. If you all would allow us to. It's getting too dangerous out there to be by yourself. Especially as the only adult with young kids." Remington worded the way she had so Shane was forced to acknowledge the fact that Merle had done a good thing. Not just once but two times. He had watched over her kids and asked the family to join the camp. She wanted people to start to see the Dixons differently. To acknowledge their worth at least.
If she decided to play on the fact that she knew he was a niceish guy at this point, and not a psycho who only cared about himself, Lori, and Carl, well Remington would do anything that benefitted her family.
As expected, Shane seemed to freeze at the mention of children. Any and all doubts were softened over. The man truly was someone good deep down, who had led himself astray at one point, and couldn't shove aside children, regardless of whom they were associated with. At least for right now, Remington knew that view would change sometime soon with the arrival of Rick. He had just fallen deep after his friend joined them.
"Anyone who stays here has to pull their weight," Shane said. "We don't allow freeloaders. We all got a job to do."
"Of course," Remington nodded, a smile falling easily to her lips. "I wouldn't expect anything else. We all need to help each other survive in these times."
"She's got supplies," Merle said, speaking up. A frown had fallen to his lips now that the conversation had moved away from his fun. He knew they would have never turned her away. Even with him giving the younger man a hard time.
"I do," Remington said. Her eyes moved to where it was all crammed into the back of her car. Her mind couldn't help but think about the hidden supplies she had left behind. She'd go and get them when she believed they would be staying for good. For now, it gave her peace of mind. "We were holed up in a hotel before all of this. I managed to gather quite a bit before heading out to the cabin. I understand the food should be pooled as a resource for everyone."
"Special things like snacks can be kept," Shane said good-naturedly. He seemed to be in a much better mood now that he had deemed her not a threat, and the fact that she came with things they needed badly. "Anything the kids like that's special. All other supplies outside of food don't need to be given over, but it's always nice if you have extra for someone who's in need. We help one another here when we can, and it's encouraged during runs to keep something for yourself that's not needed for the group as a whole. We try to discourage food hoarding, but only-."
"For the good of the group. I get it." She hadn't meant to interrupt him, but she really did understand it. It was nice that he didn't seem to want to take everything as she had initially thought. She wondered how much of it was him trying to feel out her personality by giving her so much leeway. Would she be a benefit to the group or try to hoard as much as possible and be a hindrance? "I honestly don't mind pooling the food together. We truly want to be a part of this group. Whatever I can do to help."
She may have been laying it on a bit thick, but Remington was a helper. As long as it didn't cause harm to her family she didn't see why she shouldn't try her best to help.
"All right," Shane said with a nod before a grin crossed his face. "It would seem you'll fit perfectly with the group. I'm surprised Merle Dixon managed to convince you to come but we're grateful."
Remington could understand that Merle may be someone hard to get along with, but she didn't like when people put someone else down. Even if they were douchebags normally. Or maybe, she only felt that way because Merle had done so much for her small family. Regardless the words fell from her lips before she could think about them.
"Ah, well, Merle's not so bad." A smile was sent the man's way as her words took a teasing lilt to it. "He can even be nice to have around when he's not cursing around the young ones." Merle didn't comment, he seemed to be holding his tongue, as he turned back toward the car.
"I'm going out ta find mah, brother," he said. "See if he's managed to find something ta eat tonight."
Remington watched as he stalked off. She felt disappointed at his departure. She wasn't sure why she had expected him to linger around, but she knew why she wanted him to. So far he had been her only tie to the universe she had somehow joined. He had become familiar. Shane and everyone else that was part of this camp was people she hadn't met in person yet. They were unfamiliar, no matter how familiar their faces were to her. It made her uncomfortable.
"I can help with setting you guys up a place to stay," Shane said, turning her attention back to him. "Do you have tents? Most of us sleep out of them, and I'm sorry to say we don't have any extra at the moment. Glenn, one of the others we have here, plans on going on a run soon but that's two days out." Remington frowned as they walked to her car. It was the one thing she hadn't managed to find. It had slipped her mind that she might need one if she had decided to leave the cabin for this camp. If she was remembering right the only people who didn't sleep in a tent were Dale, and the two women he had become close to, Andrea, and Amy.
Shane caught the look on her face as they stopped at the back of her car.
"No, I don't but we'll manage until then," she said, her smile coming a little more forced than normal as she thought over their options. She would have to rearrange the car and make a spot for the kids and dogs in the back. They had plenty of blankets to make a comfortable spot. The thought caused her some relief. It would be hot and stuffy unless she left the windows down. She wouldn't be getting much sleep unless she knew there were those that were watching over the camp at night. A flash of Walker hands reaching through the opened windows as she slept swept through her mind. "I'd appreciate it if he kept an eye out for one."
"I'll introduce the two of you later," he said as he opened the back hatch. They were both met with the rush of the voice of children. Landon was trying to calm an overly excited Maisie who had begun to bounce in her seat once again.
"Do you think we can play with them?!" the little girl asked.
"I don't know," Landon said. "Sit still, Maisie."
Remington couldn't help the small smile that lit up her lips at the sound.
"We'll figure out somewhere for the three of you to sleep for the next couple of nights," Shane said. "We want everyone here to be and feel safe."
"I've got two dogs as well," she said, motioning toward the two heads who had popped up from behind the seats.
Shane froze, eyeing the two, his attention focused solely on the bigger of the two Nala. Remington barely kept herself from snorting as she thought that Nala wasn't the one, he should be worried about.
"It'll be fine," she said as she grabbed the first box of food. "With the food removed from the car I can manage to set up something remotely comfortable for them." Shane shook his head as he followed her example. He motioned over toward another man who walked by. He still seemed uncertain about the dogs but decided not to mention anything about it. Remington decided she would just need to prove their worth to avoid any arguments in the future.
"Help get these couple of boxes to where we keep the rest of the food," he said, before turning back to Remington. "Just show us what you don't mind giving away and I'll set you guys up somewhere. Tents are not the most comfortable way of living, but it beats sleeping in a car. Go ahead and let them out and I'll start to introduce you around."
"It's just those three boxes," she said. It didn't look like a lot, but they were packed to the rim with whatever she had been able to find. For three people she would have managed to make it hold out a for a long while but for a group this size, Remington knew it wouldn't last long. "And honestly, Shane, right, we'll be fine for a couple of nights."
He followed her around the car as the hatch was closed by a woman, who had grabbed the last box, she didn't recognize her from the show.
"Shane, that's right," he said confirming her not-so-truthful search for a name she pretended to be unsure of. "We try to make everyone feel comfortable. If we've got some spare space in the RV or somewhere more comfortable you and the kids got it. Just in case it takes Glenn a while to find one big enough for you all."
"I don't want to put anyone out." Remington had begun to unbuckle Maisie as she motioned for Landon to grab the dogs and exit the car. She felt the familiar brush of Pixel's hair as he moved to stand next to her once he was free.
"Don't worry about it." Shane sent her a charming smile before turning to the children. "Well look who've we got here. What're your names? I'm Shane Walsh, once a Sheriff's Deputy for King's County, but now just helping keep order here." His smile was bright, and casual, as he tried to put the kids at ease. Remington could tell the introduction was supposed to make them comfortable around him by introducing himself as a cop. Maisie was easily won over. Remington could tell she didn't remember the man from the show, at least not outside the fact that she recognized his face because she was instantly introducing herself and fawning over the idea that he had been a police officer.
Remington watched as the man was swept up in the conversation with her daughter. He managed to get Landon to utter his name before the boy fell silent. He drifted to her side as she watched in amusement as Maisie began to ask question after question about whether or not he caught bad guys and how exciting it probably was.
She took the moment to glance around the camp, noticing how they had become the center of attention, as all eyes were on them. Most tried to at least be discreet about it, but there were some, that openly stared. Remington caught the gaze of Lori, she, just like Shane, looked just like in the TV series. It was a bit to wrap her mind around, but Remington didn't question it. Just assumed their acter counterparts didn't exist here.
There was no way she was going to focus on that confusing fact when it hardly mattered.
Hesitantly, and a bit unsure how the woman would react, Remington, lifted her hand in a friendly wave. Lori wasn't the worst person to be around, but Remington remembered that she could be a bit difficult at times. She hoped to befriend the woman as well, knowing it was easier to be friendly with everyone, than to have enemies, after all.
"Come on," Shane said, managing to break free from the constant chatter of Maisie. "Let's go and I'll introduce you to everyone. See what we can figure out." Maisie demanded to hold the man's hand as they walked so that she could ask the occasional question in-between introductions of people. Remington let her, deciding that when Shane started to show irritation, she would step in. It was the first time in a long time that anyone in the small family had people to talk to outside of one another. Daryl and Merle hardly stopped by and when they did the kids typically didn't get the chance to speak to them. This was heaven to Maisie who loved to talk to anyone who would listen.
Remington found that most in the camp were quite nice. They were all polite and she tried to remember each and every face, along with their names. She was terrible at it and was certain to forget those whom she wasn't familiar with. Hopefully, no one caught onto the idea that there were those she seemed to remember easier than the others. Or at least didn't question it.
When they were led over toward Lori, Remington found herself growing a bit uneasy, the woman had a frown on her face, before clearing it away to a smile.
"Lori," Shane greeted. "We've got some newcomers."
"I see," she said. "You came here with Merle Dixon?" Only curiosity could be heard in her voice, but Remington knew that it was a question that dug deeper. She was trying to decide her worth and unfortunately had decided Merle Dixon might be a deal breaker. Remington wasn't sure how she felt about that but knew she wasn't going to lie.
"The Dixons found us," she said with a nod. "Thankfully. I took a nasty tumble down a hill and hit my head. Was out for over a day and the kids had been all on their own." Here Lori's lips tightened at the ends as she tried filling that away with what she had decided about the brothers.
"They helped you out of the goodness of their hearts?"
Remington wasn't going to give out more details than she needed to. After all, if she mentioned how Merle wanted to take one of the dogs, it would place a bad light on them, and Remington needed them to start to accept Merle. The man made it hard for most to like him, and she wasn't going to help by adding to that.
"I don't know about that, but they stayed with the kids until I woke up. Checked on us a couple of times before inviting us here." That may have also been a stretch. Daryl had merely tracked a deer back to them, but he hadn't needed to leave that meat behind. Nor had Merle needed to show back up. She was also still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Merle hinted at Daryl checking in on them.
"Doesn't seem like them. It was good they had done that then but it would have been nice to get some heads up that they would be bringing back people. Though I supposed Merle wouldn't think to do that."
Forcing down some snide words Remington had to remind herself to play nice. They hadn't even been here a whole day yet. She could not go off on Lori. It wasn't entirely untrue what the woman was saying, but she was purposefully being rude about it.
"Probably slipped his mind," she said, her voice turning sickly sweet. "I'm sure he was more worried about a couple of kids being left alone in the woods if something were to happen to me. I still get some dizzy spells after all." She was laying it on thick and immediately regretted letting them know that she was still feeling bad, but the look of shame on Lori's face almost made it worth it.
"We should move on," Shane said, feeling the shift in the air between them. "Should go and introduce them to Dale and get them settled in. Think the old man would have some space for them for a couple of days?"
"Don't know," Lori said, turning away from Remington. "It's pretty tight with Amy and Andrea being in there."
"Won't hurt to ask," Shane said, motioning for them to follow. "We'll let you two go play with some of the kids. That fine with you?" He turned to face Remington. "It's safe. They're not allowed out past a certain point and are always within the eyesight of an adult. We can focus on getting ya'll settled and give the kids something fun to do."
Remington found herself hesitating. There was nothing wrong with the kids being able to go be kids for a bit. Maisie was basically begging her with the big round eyes as she waited for an answer. Landon seemed like he could care less, but Remington knew he tried to act older, mature, someone she could rely on, and he would tell her he didn't want to, but he needed to be a kid too. She only wanted to keep them close because of the anxiety that crashed around her. The need to be in charge constantly, to make sure nothing would harm them, festered and pulled inside of her, but that wasn't healthy.
Eventually, she found herself nodding, and Shane swiftly marched them over to where four children were playing. Remington of course recognized them. The most familiar were Sophia and Carl, but the Morales children were there as well. Once the kids were comfortable with one another, and Remington had ordered the dogs to stay nearby, she followed Shane over to where an RV was parked. A man sat atop it, gazing out, with a gun sat upon his lap.
The greetings had gone much the same way as the rest, except Dale was joyful, causing her to feel welcome in a way that the others hadn't. She couldn't help but like the man as he told her joke after joke. He questioned her about where they came from, and Remington trying to keep as close to the truth as possible, explained how they had been in the process of moving when it happened. They stuck it out in their hotel before clearing out when it became safe to do so. Her story wasn't questioned, just hummed over, with comments of how they had gotten lucky. It ended when Dale explained how they were welcome to stay in his RV, but it would be incredibly tight, and not very comfortable, but that the children were welcome to the bed in the RV. It hadn't taken long for her to feel bad about that, and decline determined to just sleep in the car.
It hadn't taken long after they left for Shane to offer up his tent to the small family. Stating that he had a place to stay in the meantime and that it wasn't like it would be a permanent solution, and once they gained that extra tent they would just switch out.
Remington wondered if he would be staying with Lori and Carl.
The two of them together only spoke of a future where Shane died, and Remington found herself trying to decline the offer. It was best, she thought, that Shane didn't find himself any more attached to the woman than he already was. Eventually, Rick would be back, and Remington didn't want to see this nice guy in front of her change into that crazy man she had come to know in the show. She wasn't certain she could change his fate, but that wasn't going to keep her from trying at the very least.
In the end, she ended up losing the argument. The children hadn't been too keen on the idea of sleeping in the car and had loved the idea of being able to camp in the tent. Remington's weakness was the children and had ended up caving when they began to beg. Even Landon had looked pitiful as he tried to pretend that he could care less.
That's how Remington found herself spending the first night at the camp sleeping in Shane's tent while he talked Glenn into allowing him to bunk with him.
That had at least eased Remington's mind some. She knew she shouldn't be poking her nose in anyone's business but couldn't help herself in this case.
With the Dixon's not showing back up Remington was forced to talk to those in the camp during dinner. She had hoped to go sit with them and thank Daryl properly for the meat he had left. Instead, Glenn and Shane had snagged seats near the family. Remington found herself happily talking to the two men as Maisie restarted her game of twenty questions with Shane.
As the night settled in around them Remington found herself accepting her new fate. Being surrounded by everyone forced her mind to come to terms with what had happened. There wouldn't be a change, at least not one she could force, and so for now, she would have to move along with the fate she had been dealt.
That meant she enjoyed a conversation with Glenn as she giggled at the way Shane looked out of his depth as Maisie chatted his ear off. It was almost enough for her to forget the dangers around them. She wrapped an arm around Landon who had sat a little closer than normal to the woman.
She felt safe, for the time being, and knew that when the next day came that once again she would be struggling over what was to come, but for now she was determined to enjoy this moment.
Whatever tomorrow would bring Remington would make sure she was prepared for it.
