You always have to do what's right; my father always said that. It was a code I learned to live by. Every decision I faced, my father's words always echoed in my mind. No matter how scared I was, I knew I had to do what was right.

My brother was just like our father, always preaching that same code. Sometimes I felt as though he was better at following that code than our father was. He always kept his cool, even when dealing with criminals in his job as a deputy.

Despite being seven years apart, my brother and I had always been thick as thieves. I trusted him with everything, even what I was scared to say out loud. When I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter, something I hadn't planned nor wanted at the time, he was the one I told first. The moment I told him, his face lit up in a way I had so rarely seen from him. When he told me everything would be okay, I truly believed him.

There were so few moments in my life that I could remember when my brother wasn't there. I had never once thought I would face the world without him. Yet, here I was, facing a whole new world while he was gone.

I sat on the couch of my apartment, switching channels rapidly, trying to find something to watch on tv. It was my one day off this week and with Amelia in bed fast asleep, I wanted to enjoy some time for myself. There was rarely a moment in my life when I had nothing to do.

There was a light knock on my door, and at first thought, I wanted to ignore it. It was probably some sort of solicitor. Then, I heard a second knock.

Standing from my couch, I could feel my heart begin to race. To this day, I'm not sure if I was annoyed by being interrupted or if, deep down, I knew what was coming.

I swung my front door open, my brother's best friend and partner staring back at me. His eyes were sullen, though I could tell he was trying his best to keep his facial expression controlled.

"Shane?" I asked, my face falling into a frown. "What happened? Is he dead?"

Shane took a deep breath. "Georgia-"

"Is he dead?" I asked again, raising my voice. "That's why you're here, right? You wouldn't be here otherwise. Just tell me what it is."

"Rick got shot," Shane confessed. "He's in surgery right now."

I took a deep breath, fighting the tears that had begun swelling in my eyes. "How did it happen?"

"There was a car chase. They told us there were only two men in the car, but they were wrong. The third one came out of nowhere."

I stared at him, trying my best to process what he was saying. Even though my brother had joined the force, I had never allowed myself to think that this could happen. The truth is, you never think it could happen to your loved one.

"Georgia, I'm so sorry." Shane's words snapped me back to reality.

I shook my head, swallowing hard. "This wasn't your fault."

"I still wish I could've stopped it. That I had seen the guy coming out of the car."

"You did what you could with the information you had." That was something my brother had often said. "Does Lori know?"

Shane nodded. "I told her not long ago. She told Carl too. They should be at the hospital by now."

"I should go, make sure they're doing okay."

"Do you need me to stay and look after Amelia?"

I shook my head. "I'm going to bring her. I think Carl might appreciate the company… and the distraction."

Shane smiled slightly. "I think you're right."

We had thought Rick was recovering, though he was still in a coma. There was hope, and suddenly we started to feel as though things would be okay. That was until the world came crashing down.

For weeks the news has reported a mysterious illness ravaging the country. People began wearing masks, buying out grocery stores and hiding in their homes. Soon there were reports of people being shot left and right either by the authorities or by their own neighbours. Mass hysteria was my first thought; it wasn't a surprise that people were panicking with all the coverage it had been getting.

It wasn't long before I realized I was wrong. This wasn't just any illness. This was something out of a nightmare, one I wasn't even sure my brain could come up with on its own.

I was sitting at my brother's house, Amelia and Carl were fast asleep in the living room and Lori and I drank tea in the kitchen. If you asked me what we had been talking about before Shane called her, I couldn't tell you. From the moment she hung up, nothing else really mattered.

"Shane's coming to get us," Lori said, her voice shaking and her face pale.

I raised my eyebrow. "Why? Is Rick okay?"

Lori shook her head. "I don't know."

"What did he say?"

"This illness, whatever it is, it's getting worse. He wants us to pack our stuff. People are heading into the city, apparently, there's a safe zone there."

I shook my head. "We can't just leave. What about Rick?"

"We'll talk to Shane when he gets here, okay? Right now, we have to focus on getting the kids somewhere safe."

I couldn't argue. No matter how much I wanted to stick around and wait for my brother, I knew I had to protect Amelia. That was what was right.

When Shane arrived, he told us that Rick was dead. He said he'd gone to the hospital before coming to get us. I loved my brother. I never wanted to face the world without him, especially not this one. As much as I wanted to break down at that moment, I had to keep it together. I had no other choice.

It had been two months since the outbreak began. The city wasn't a safe zone, after all, the government dropped bombs as we waited to enter. Instead, we and another family found a beautiful quarry just outside of Atlanta. Over time more people joined us, and it started to feel like a little community. The dead rarely travelled up here, which almost made me forget what was happening in the world.

A small group has gone into the city for supplies, a dangerous task considering the streets were filled with the dead. It had been almost a full day since they left, and everyone was beginning to panic, especially one of the girls' sister Amy. We had gotten a radio call from one of them earlier that morning, saying they were stuck in a building surrounded by the dead. As much as I wanted to believe they'd find a way out, my hope was slowly dying.

I watched Amelia as she drew on a piece of scrap paper with some crayons one of one community members Glenn had found a few weeks ago.

"What are you drawing?" I asked, tilting my head.

Amelia stopped drawing, looking up at me. "It's you, Mommy! Can't you tell?"

I stared at the drawing for a moment, able to make out the shape of a face. "Oh yeah, it's definitely me! You're doing a great job, sweetheart."

Amelia smiled before focusing her attention back on the drawing. That was short-lived, however, the sound of an alarm blaring in the distance catching everyone's attention.

I ran towards the RV, an older man standing up there using a pair of binoculars. "Dale, you see what that is?"

The man remained quiet, continuing to stare into the binoculars.

Shane came to my side. "Talk to me, Dale."

"I can't tell yet." He finally responded.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked, an obvious hopefulness in her voice.

"I'll be damned."

"What is it?"

Dale shrugged. "A stolen car is my guess."

We waited a few minutes before a red Charger sped into our camp. Glenn hopped out of the passenger seat, smiling ear to ear."

"Hey,"

"Holy crap," Dale grumbled. "Turn that thing off!"

"I don't know how." Glenn confessed.

Shane headed over. "Pop the hood please."

Amy rushed over as well, clinging to Glenn. "My sister Andrea-"

"Pop the damn hood!" Shane snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Glenn responded, popping the good.

"Is she okay? Is Andrea alright?"

Glenn nodded. "She's okay."

The alarm stopped, Shane stepping back from the vehicle and taking a deep breath.

"She's coming back?"

"Yes."

Amy continued. "Why isn't she with you?"

Glenn sighed. "She's okay. Everybody is. Well, Merle not so much."

Shane marched over to Glenn. "Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"

Dale shook his head. "I think we're okay."

"You call being stupid okay?"

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source. I'm not arguing. I'm just saying." Dale responded before turning to Glenn. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?"

"I'm sorry." Glenn nodded. "I got a cool car though."

I nodded, folding my arms across my chest. "It is pretty sweet."

"See?" Glenn chuckled.

As everyone began to welcome Glenn back, a truck slowly pulled in behind the Charger. Andrea was the first to hop out, her legs shaking as her feet hit the ground.

"Amy." She called out.

"Andrea!" Amy cheered, rushing over to her sister and pulling her into a hug. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry," Andrea replied, pulling away and holding her sister's face in her hands. "I'm okay, I promise."

Next a man named Morales hopped out, his wife and kids running over to greet him.

Dale smiled. "I thought we had lost you folks for sure."

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?"

"New guy," Morales replied. "He got us out."

"New guy?" I asked.

"Yeah, crazy dude just got into town." Morales nodded before looking back at the truck. "Helicopter boy! Come say hello."

My eyes drifted to Amy and Andrea, still holding one another as Amy continued to ask if Andrea was okay. They made me think of my brother. I would give just about anything to see him again; to be able to hug him and know he was okay.

"Oh my god."

My eyes widened, the voice all too familiar. I slowly turned my head, my jaw just about falling to the ground.

"Rick?"

"Dad!" Carl's voice rang out as he ran towards his father.

Rick took his son in his arms, falling to his knees. "Carl." He choked, tears falling down his cheeks.

Lori ran over, joining the hug and burying his head in her husband's neck. I watched on, frozen in disbelief. I hadn't even noticed Amelia grab my hand.

The hug was over and Rick turned his attention to me, his eyes still full of tears.

"Georgia?" His eyes landed on Amelia. "Amelia… you've gotten so big."

"Uncle Rick!" Amelia cheered, running over to hug him.

I finally allowed myself to breathe again, all feeling in my body springing back to life. How was this possible? Shane had told us he was dead.

Pushing my confusion aside, I walked towards my brother, pulling him into a hug as Amelia was in the middle of us.

"I thought you were dead," I whispered in his ear, my voice breaking.

We pulled away and Rick smiled softly. "You think I'd want to miss all of this?"

I chuckled, a tear falling down my cheek. Shane caught my eye, standing behind the hood of one of the cars. I expected him to be smiling and laughing like everyone else, but instead, his face was the same as it had been the night he told me Rick had been shot.

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