Falling into the Undead

Chapter Nine

Dead Man Walking

Important Changes

Hiya guys!

So, I've been thinking long and hard about something that's been on my mind for a little while, and when a reader, and a friend, brought it up, I realized that it was something I was considering changing about the story. Before I started writing this story, I decided it was going to be a Daryl/OC and just went with it. I love the pairing and that's usually what I end up reading until, while writing, I realized I'm no longer entirely bought on the idea. Yes, it could still very much go that way, but I've decided to take down the pairing and allow the story to write itself in terms of what romance seems to naturally pop up. Lord knows what I have planned never actually happens while I write.

I know this might be upsetting for some, but please still give the story a chance. The romance was never going to happen until sometime in season two, or at the latest season four, anyway, and I felt like that had started to stifle some of the scenes between Remi and other characters as I kept reminding myself it had to be her and Daryl in the end. Again, not that there's really anything going on between her and others in the future chapters so far.

Please, let me know what you guys think about this change. Hopefully, it doesn't change anyone's views on whether they are going to stick with the story.

Please leave a review and let me know!

Oh no, things dont feel right in my head

Now I finally know

Supposed to go alone

Oh no, guess it feels right anyways

-She said by the Jins

The growl from Pixel and the sudden appearance of a face had her pulling back quickly. She blinked, a pale figure staring back at her, as his face was covered by a see-through mask. Remington blinked, certain that this was Rick she was staring at, not quite believing her eyes. She hadn't imagined that she would find him here, had always been so certain he would be gone already, and would have forced Shane to the hospital if Morgan had said they hadn't run into anyone.

It would seem as if she hadn't needed to worry about that.

It didn't stop the shock, nor did it stop her from spinning around to stare at a wide-eyed Shane. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Remington was certain he felt that way.

"You, okay?" she asked, reaching out to place a steadying hand on him, as Shane had grown quite pale. Her eyes darted back toward the man who was slowly realizing whom he had opened the door to see. Remington had to pretend like she didn't recognize any of them. Her concern was focused on Shane, who, unlike the others, she knew. "Hey, Shane. You good?"

Her grip on him tightened as she helped steady him.

"Shane?" Rick said, capturing her attention back. Pixel's hackles rose but Remington didn't motion for him to stop. "Is that you?" His voice stuttered to a stop before questions began to fall from his lips, barely giving the man in front of him a moment to respond. "Carl? Lori? Where are they? Are they safe?"

Remington could see the man struggling to form a sentence, the shock holding onto him fast, and she decided to speak up on his behalf.

"Who're you?" She stood a little in front of Shane, protecting him, knowing Rick wasn't a threat, but the man obviously needed to pull himself together.

"Hey," he said, finally seeming to realize the snarling mutt, and woman whose hand was on a machete. "I'm not a danger to you."

"What's going on?" a voice behind Rick asked. She could see that it was Morgan, standing protectively in front of his son Duane.

"I know this man," Rick said, trying to settle Remington and Morgan.

A hand came out, laying calmly on her shoulder, pulling the woman toward him, as Shane motioned for her to calm the dog. She did so quickly, and Pixel fell silent.

"Is my family safe?" Rick asked once again, desperation leaking into his voice.

Shane nodded, standing shoulder to shoulder with Remington now, and she thought that he was almost using her as comfort as he stared a dead man in the face. Remington was certain if she were looking at her best friend, a man whose wife she was fucking, she would need some comfort as well. Remington easily gave it to him in the form of a hand patting his arm, encouraging him as she spoke up on his behalf.

"Rick Grimes?" she asked. Rick turned his attention to her. "I met your wife and son." He seemed to buckle under the relief of hearing that. Remington couldn't help but reach out to him as well.

"I got them out, man," Shane said, speaking up finally. "When everything went to shit and I thought we lost you, I packed them up, and left."

"Thank you." The words came from Rick, full of relief, as Remington began to guide the men inside. There were no signs of the dead outside, but she didn't want to take that risk, and it would seem this would be a drawn-out meeting.

․° °․

It did end up being a drawn-out meeting.

The two caught up, Shane explaining everything to Rick that the man needed to know about his family, and Rick explaining what had happened to him. Remington had taken the time to introduce herself to Morgan and Duane, knowing that it would end up with them trying to push the newcomers back to camp without them.

She still needed to figure out a way for them to follow.

She was saved from having to come up with something immediately when the two police officers decided they were going to grab the guns.

"Yall should stay here," Shane said, sending a look specifically toward Remington. He was trying to keep her away from the danger. He didn't want her needlessly following them around Walkers if it wasn't necessary. Not with her having children to get back to. "We'll come back with another car and the guns."

Remington wasn't sure how she felt about missing that shower. She was in desperate need of one. However, she didn't feel that it was important enough to push and go with them. They needed to talk some things over, though she was sure Shane wouldn't mention a thing about Rick's wife, and none of that would happen in a room full of basically strangers.

"Fine," Remington said. "Don't take too long and stay safe."

"Don't try to look for that friend of yours until I get back," Shane said pointedly toward her. "We'll discuss it after." Remington nodded, not feeling the need to push the subject since the people she was truly after were already here but knew she would have to act upset later.

They disappeared in Shane's jeep down the road. Remington turned toward Morgan, smiling, as she tried to figure out a way to get them to follow.

"Looks like it's just us," she said, as he shut the door.

"Seems like it," Morgan agreed. "I'm surprised anyone came looking for him."

"We didn't," Remington lied. Even though it hadn't been her exact reason, she had planned on finding him if signs pointed to him being around. "Came looking for a friend of mine. Found you three instead."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I'm glad we ran into you. There's a family back at camp that's going to be ecstatic to see Rick. You two should come with us. It's safe there. Got kids, a little younger than your boy."

"You got kids?" he asked, noticing the way she seemed almost worried when she mentioned them.

"Yes. A boy and girl. Both are quite a bit younger than Duane."

"You left them to come here?" Remington's facial muscles tightened as she spoke.

"Couldn't exactly bring them with."

"You trust that camp so much you left your children there without you?" Remington's fingers twitched at her side. "Sorry, just trying to wrap my mind around it. The world's a scary place to live in now."

"I trust those I left them with, yes." Did she actually trust them? She knew in the future they would be people she wouldn't hesitate to have her back or keep her children alive, but they were hardly those people now. Carol was meek and timid, but she kept a close eye on Sophia. She was always a half step behind the girl, and Remington just knew she'd be the same with her children. That didn't leave her feeling any better about it, wondering if she could have done this differently, or not. She had no real connection with the people she was surrounded by. The only one she could say she had an actual relationship with was Merle.

He spoke to her on a daily basis, even going out of his way to find her during the day, especially after returning from a hunt. It was strange that he would be the first she'd make a connection with.

Did she trust him with her children?

He had already proven himself when he hadn't needed to stay before he even knew them. Granted, Remington still wasn't sure of his motives, on anything, and wondered if she was being naive.

"I had to come here. I couldn't just leave it to Shane and hope for the best."

Morgan nodded. He was watching her carefully. Remington was worried he would see right through any lie she might tell.

Duane had crouched down next to the dog, petting him behind the ears, and though Pixel was sitting straight as an arrow, he allowed the touch. He was still on guard, and normally didn't like the touch of strangers, but lately, Remington could tell he was growing fond of children. It was strange, how much they were already changing in the span of time they had been here.

"I'll tell you what I told Rick," Morgan began, his stern gaze locked on her face. "I can't leave just yet. There's still something I got to do."

Remington wasn't able to control her emotions, the ones that showed on her face, as she picked at her nails. It's not what she wanted to hear, but it's what she had expected.

The wife was still out there.

The conversation was dropped, Remington's mind whirling with the possibilities of what she could do as she flopped down on one of the pallets. She recognized it as the one Rick had used. The first episode was one that Remington had watched many times, and the only one that held the clearest of pictures in her memories. Though if she was being honest, season one, in particular, was the one she remembered the easiest.

If she allowed Morgan to do as he wished that would be it. She wouldn't get another chance to come back. Rick coming back to the group early could change things, she wasn't sure if what happened to Merle still would, nor did she know when the herd would come through. There was no way Shane would allow her to come back, and even if Rick wanted to, she knew he wouldn't risk it with the group as well.

That was another problem.

All of her planning would go to waste unless she managed to grab Rick's ear and trust. If he wouldn't listen to her then no matter how much she wanted change, it would be like trying to swim against the current. There would always be something pushing against her.

It was frustrating.

Being pessimistic was not something Remington would describe her as, but since getting sent here, she found her mind dipping toward there more often than not. She needed to be optimistic. Her grandfather had always told her that the state of her mind would be the turning point in her ability to do anything. Shaking herself Remington knew she just needed to trust in herself. She could do anything she put her mind to.

Her head tilted as she glanced around the room, she was in. It looked like they had been camping inside of it for a while. All supplies were neatly piled against one wall, and on a table, easily available, and could be grabbed if something were to happen. They were running low, she noticed. It had been the same at camp until her supplies had joined in. It wouldn't last long but it bought them several extra days. Worry began to tug at her. They would leave soon, go out and search for food, and it would cost Duane his life.

"You know a good place around here to look for food?"

"Thought that man told you to stay put." Remington couldn't help the grin that took over her face.

"He said I couldn't go looking for my friend. Said nothing about gathering supplies." She jutted her chin out toward his meager pile. "Looks like you're getting a little low. It's safer with numbers. I can watch your back, and Duane's while we're searching. I only ask for a small portion of what we find."

She still hadn't figured out a plan to get them to come with, but this at least would buy them time before they had to go out again. Perhaps it would even push them past the point of Duane's death. Maybe that would at least be enough to spare the boy. She wasn't sure, but she was going to try.

She caught the doubt in his gaze, the way he seemed suspicious, but all of that was shadowed by the realization of safety in numbers. She had used the worry of his son against him, had cast that doubt, and reassurance, and she could tell the battle inside of him was leaning toward her side. She leaned back against the couch, and allowed her head to fall, as she stared up at the ceiling and let him come to his decision.

Her thoughts had grown darker. She did not want this boy to die and condemn his father to a fate of madness before he became hell-bent on peace. She didn't mind the peace part, hoped that he may end up keeping that part of his personality, but hoped to ease some of the darkness from his life. If that meant she had to go out and kill the Walker that was his wife before she left, well Remington decided it wouldn't be the worst thing she had ever done. She wanted them to come out of pure selfishness, it would be the easiest, and meant more people she trusted around her, or could come to trust, but in reality, the father, son, duo didn't need to come with them at all.

She would only need to cut out the factor that she knew would be the death of Duane.

It helped that she knew the Walker had a habit of hanging around the neighborhood. Almost as if its instincts from before she died had stuck around. The urge to be close to her family. Remington wondered if that was possible in the early days after being turned.

"All right." The single word shocked her from her problematic thoughts. "I'll take you up on that offer while you're here, but only when the other two get back."

"Of course. I understand."

She knew this would potentially work out in her favor regardless. Shane still had things he needed to get from the house next door. She could have Rick watch the father and son, while she slipped away and dealt with the mother. She would have to be fast, and quick; Shane would have a cow once he realized she had split from the group, but this was worth it. It might be the only thing she could do for Duane and Morgan. Maybe, later, it would even be the push for them to come to find them.

Remington would just have to figure out a way to tell them where to go.

Then she realized what would have happened if she and Shane had waited another day. Rick would have been off toward Atlanta, and though these two would never end up following, it's possible they might now if everything went according to plan.

"Where was Rick planning on going?" she asked curiously. She needed to make sure they knew Atlanta wasn't safe. Morgan glanced up from where he had been, staring at the door.

"Hmm," he muttered, blinking a bit. "Ah, Atlanta, that refugee center that the broadcasts had talked about. Thought his family might have gone there."

Standing, she walked carefully over toward the window, where, using her pinky, she moved the curtains back enough to peak out.

"Smart," she muttered. "Except Atlanta is a wasteland. Nothing to find there but the dead." She realized that it may have been a little harsh, and could have softened the blow a bit, but her words usually flowed out just as they formed in her head. She knew there was never going to be any help and wanted those around her to realize sooner for themselves. It was safer living in reality, and not in some fantasy.

Silence met her reveal.

Duane pushed his face into the fur of the dog. His hands were shaking, and Remington regretted having spoken in such a way in front of the boy.

"Supposed there really is no hope." She blinked, pulling back from the curtain, as she turned to stare at Morgan. "No one to save us, no certain end to this nightmare."

"Unfortunately, I believe this is going to last a long while." What had someone mentioned sometime to her before? That season eleven had been set years in the future. Baby Judith had been all grown up and Walkers were still a problem. "Helps to have those you can trust around you. Safety in numbers."

Morgan had fallen into silence again, and Remington wondered if she was being too pushy. She hadn't been called that in the past, wasn't confrontational in the least, and avoided bugging people in general, but even she had begun to change. Had she lost her ability to speak to people without messing up? She felt confrontational recently.

"How long have you been with that group?"

"A little over a week I think." She was squinting trying to count the days, but she had never been good at keeping track of that kind of thing even before the apocalypse. She easily allowed weeks to slip by while thinking it had only been one. "Short, I know, but it's not a decision I regret, or took lightly."

Hell, she had mulled over it since the moment she had met the Dixons.

"You've got someone you trust without a doubt there?"

She could feel he was testing her. It didn't feel like his decision would change over her words, her opinions, not without his wife, he couldn't leave her behind, but it was possible they would be important in the future. Regardless of what happened Remington was certain she would meet the man again. She wanted to make sure the first impression she left with him was one that counted.

"Trust is complicated," she said, pondering over her words. "I don't trust easily, things have kept me from believing the best in people sometimes, but I like to believe, or at least my past self-liked to, that people aren't inherently horrible. There are good ones out there. I have this feeling in my gut that I've met some of those people in that group."

It wasn't exactly what he had asked, not an answer that spoke of any actual trust, but Remington knew there would be one day. One that would be binding if she, and they allowed it. As it was, she trusted her gut enough to know her children would be safe for the day. Morgan didn't look entirely pleased with her answer but accepted it for the time being.

They sat in silence until the sound of a motor had Remington jumping up. She hesitated to go outside, knowing that it was unlikely they would run into other people, but that the chances were not zero.

She shifted the curtain out of the way once more, listening as another motor could be heard with the first, before a familiar jeep, and a police car pulled in front of the house.

"Their back."

Morgan stood from his spot next to his son. They readied themselves, and Remington prepared herself to defend her case on helping Morgan. She was uncertain if the prospect of food for themselves would be enough to keep Shane around longer. He seemed both jumpy and happy to have Rick back. Understandable really. Remington truly hoped she could do something that helped change his fate and attitude.

Stepping out onto the porch she watched as Rick held a smile on his face, looking relieved, and happy, and while Shane was trying to reflect that back, Remington could see the anxiety oozing through.

"We managed to grab what was left of the guns," Rick said, his words light, with no distrust of her shining through. It would seem Shane had spoken about her. At least it hadn't seemed to be anything awful. Remington was certain she had only been nice and helpful toward the man. Only her child bugged him, but he had never asked Remington to keep the girl away, and he didn't seem the type to put up with something if he didn't want to.

"That's good," she said nodding.

"Found a pair of crap walkie-talkies," Shane grumbled as he came to stand beside her. She caught the way he looked over her. It was obvious he was making sure she had stayed put as he had hinted. "Could be useful in the future." Remington nodded easily. She brushed her long hair from her face, wondering why she hadn't brought a hair tie with her, as the wind tousled it.

"Morgan and I were talking," she said, easing into it. "He wants to stay, but I thought we could go scavenging a bit with him. It's not safe not having anyone to watch your back, and Duane is still learning to use a gun." Shane had begun to frown, his eyes drifting to the sky before they landed on the house next door. Rick looked eager to agree, and she knew he wanted to pay back the man for saving his life.

"I don't know," Shane began. "It'll be midday soon. We need to get back sooner rather than later in case something went wrong on the run." She could hear the worry in his tone, he didn't like leaving the others, and she was certain he didn't like leaving Lori, and Carl. At the reminder of the run, Remington couldn't help her own worry. Merle had left on it. She doubted this had been the one where he would be left behind, Rick wouldn't have been able to be there, but that didn't change her worry.

In those fics she had read, whether it had been time travel, or otherwise, the one thing it seemed they had in common, was how no matter how badly you tried to change something, there were always things that seemed to stay the same. What if that happened to her? What if she was fighting against something more powerful and stubborn than she was?

"Shouldn't take too long," Rick said, speaking up on her behalf. "We can give it a time limit. Whatever we find we split."

"That's what I was thinking," Remington said nodding along. "Mutual benefit and the camp could use more supplies. That case of water we found before was good, but with the quarry, we weren't exactly hurting for water." Shane could read between the lines. They needed food. Whatever the Dixons found during their hunts was only keeping them holding on. If they wanted her supplies to last, they would need to keep adding to it.

"Fine," Shane sighed. "We should stop by your house as well." He glanced over to Rick at this. "Lori wanted a few things, and I know for a fact that most people panicked and left things behind. It was crazy when it all began."

"We might get lucky and find some canned things that had been left behind," Remington said. Turning to Morgan, he nodded along with the idea, had already agreed to it, but she wanted to make sure he hadn't changed his mind.

"We'll head out right after," Shane spoke up again. "It'll be the last call to decide to go with." He pointed this directly at Morgan who only stiffened while nodding his head.

Remington was uneasy as she waited for those around her to prepare. Her machete was held tightly in her grip, she didn't like not having it ready in her hand while she was out in the unknown. Pixel stood guard at her side, his brown eyes carefully taking in the activity around him, as he kept an ear perked on his mistress for commands.

When they left, she kept close to Rick who turned to smile lightly at her.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself," he said, holding his hand out to shake. Remington took it without hesitation as she sent a stressed smile of her own back. She hoped that wasn't obvious. "I'm Rick Grimes and your Remington Solace. Shane was telling me about you."

"Hopefully all good things," she joked nervously. She really wasn't sure what the man thought about her. If it was bad that didn't bode well with her plans to help him.

"Told me you're stubborn. Yah got kids, he says your youngest has attached herself to his hip, but you seem like a good addition to the group."

"I have a feeling you will be as well," she said, happy at least with Shane's opinion of her. It wasn't much, but she had time to change that. "Your families going to be happy to see you, and that'll be good for most of the group."

They stepped into Rick's house, the group sticking close together, as Shane motioned for them to stop.

"We don't leave by ourselves. Always stay in groups. Stick close to the group as a whole. No one, even with others, do we wander too far off."

Remington felt a little miffed by this restriction but normally would have been completely fine with it. There was no way she was going to take one of the Jones with her while she murdered their wife and mother. Rick would probably stop her if she tried to do anything in front of him. He knew what she looked like. Shane was her best bet, but he'd be stubborn about going too far off.

Rick and Shane went to grab what Lori had wanted while Morgan followed her to the kitchen. Duane was only a half-step back from them the entire time. She began to search through the cupboards, knowing that there wouldn't be anything, she didn't see Shane being the type to leave any food behind. Morgan held back. She wondered if he felt awkward about snooping when he knew whose house this was. She should feel the same way, probably did, but survival was one of her topmost priorities.

"Where do you suggest we go next?" She turned her attention toward the man.

"That seems like a question for the other two, don't yah think? They lived in the area."

"True, but you've been around recently. Surely, you've scoped out some places."

"Usually the neighborhoods aren't too bad, if you stay quiet it's easy to sneak by, the dead stick closer to where the stores were."

"We're ready to head out," Shane said, interrupting them. "Got a place with potential nearby."

"Oh?" she asked moving to follow.

"Yeah, a crazy sumabitch," Shane said. "Always talking about the end of the world. A real prepper before all this went down. If he's still alive it might be a bit of a problem but if not, he's got to have a stockpile."

Remington grew excited at the prospect. She didn't want to rejoice over the death of someone, but if it benefited her group, her kids, and the Jones she would look past that. She just had to keep reminding herself that this was about survival. Nothing more.

No one spoke as they traveled. It was quiet, only the sounds of the birds, and insects for noise, and the crunching of the grass under their feet. Idly she wondered how long they had before fall. She felt pretty certain they had to be in the middle of summer. They probably had time to prepare for the harshness of winter. She filed it away in the back of her mind to bring it up at a later date. If they left the quarry and made it to the Greene farm, she would bring it up, then. Realistically she had no plans on staying at the farm until the herd tears it down, and the prison would be what she tried to push, but she was getting ahead of herself.

Shane motioned for them to slow down as they rounded into a backyard she didn't recognize. Both he and Rick eyed the house next door, and Remington realized they were scoping the place out. She could see a cellar in the backyard. The doors were against the side of the house, covered mostly in bushes, and without the sun glinting off the handle she never would have noticed it.

"We'll go first," Shane said. "Make sure he isn't hanging around, see if there's any sign he's still alive before we have the three of you join us."

"We'll keep an eye out for Walkers," Remington said. She didn't like the idea of stealing from a man that was alive and neither did the two of them it seemed. She eyed the area around them carefully as she waited for the signal. Morgan was tense beside her, a gun in his hands, while Duane held onto a shovel. She could see the boy shake, his eyes bouncing around, and she felt for him.

The idea of children in the apocalypse was horrifying, and Remington was happy that her children hadn't had to be around the scarier parts of this world. She knew it was only a matter of time. Her head hurt thinking about it all.

Promising herself Remington decided to stick close to the kid. At least until an opportunity presented itself to take care of their problem.

The signal, Shane whistling, burst through the air and had the three of them moving into action. The two hadn't found a sign of someone living, and it was time to go down into the cellar.

"Remington," Shane said. "You and the kid stay up here. Keep a watch out. The three of us can go down and make sure it's safe before searching for anything we can use."

This didn't bother Remington in the least. There wasn't anything that made her want to go down into a creepy cellar. She wasn't someone who would get upset over being kept out of dangerous situations. She really didn't want to be away from the safety of the quarry but damn her need to help people. She'd happily keep an eye on the kid, and make sure no Walkers found their way over to them. In a perfect world they would go unbothered, wouldn't have to deal with a single Walker on this trip, and would make it back to camp without any danger hitting them.

The three men disappeared into the darkness, Morgan hadn't looked happy, hugging his son, before sending a meaningful stare her way. Remington had understood, trying to form a comforting smile on her face, she was fairly certain it succeeded as he disappeared with the other two.

Her eyes kept in constant motion of moving. She knew just staring at one place would end up making her miss something. The art of catching sight of something, even something trying to hide, was better caught if she was actively searching for it. Even in the dark, it was an easy trick to use. Thank God she had the sun blazing above her. Everything was lit up around them. She only wished it weren't so hot. The way her clothes clung to her back was gross.

She had noticed that Rick had taken the opportunity for a shower, but couldn't blame him, he had been in a hospital up to this point and probably smelt worse than anyone else in this small group.

Pixel had been sent down with the men, a warning system for them in the dark, as they hopefully could find lanterns to light up the place. Remington had felt uneasy about letting them take him but understood they were at the most risk. Not that it helped her feel at ease with the situation, but she relented without any fighting. Only warned them to make sure he stayed safe.

Perhaps if she had him as an early warning system, and if she hadn't gotten lost in her thoughts, she wouldn't have heard the squeak of fear coming from Duane, who sounded farther away than he should have been.

"Duane?" she asked, turning on her heel, and coming face to face with a scene that caused her stomach to roll.

I did not mean to leave it on a cliffhanger once again, but it was just a good stopping point before the chapter got out of hand word count-wise.

I've decided to upload a random chapter in the middle of the week when I have a certain number of chapters done. Be a little treat for you guys and keep me motivated to stay on top of things!

This story really has been so easy to write. I don't think I've ever stayed this far ahead in chapters written before in my life.

So please enjoy this chapter ahead of time!

Reviews:

Trololololololol: I love talking with my readers. It's one of the many joys of writing fanfiction I think. I usually match energy so if there's a lot written I write a lot back but if it makes you feel awkward, I will calm myself! :D Just know I really adore reading your reviews and I look forward to them each time! It really is like you're reading my mind while I write though. And I enjoy seeing your take on the story and what you're reading. So please, keep spoiling me with them!