CHAPTER 5

All the navy stuff is most likely very inaccurate, but this is fanfiction, and it's there for spice and flavor. Apologies if it offends anyone.

Merle Dixon was most certainly out of his mind, and a racist.

She approached Rick's side, her hand resting on her sheathed knife. They exchanged weary glances as the group exploded into a fight. T-Dog threw the first punch after Merle used a derogatory term, but Merle Dixon was an able fighter.

Rick jumped over a pipe, intent on stopping the dangerous man, but Merle's punch landed on his jaw, disorienting him. Valerie glared at the man, but crouched at Rick's side, holding his face in her hands. The shouts and screams of the others were like a blurred background as she focused solely on Rick.

His pupils were blown, and his head kept on lolling to one side or the other. Valerie slapped Rick lightly on the cheek, trying to get him to focus. "Hey, are you okay? Rick, look at me." The redhead repeated until Rick stilled and could maintain eye contact. He nodded, "I'm okay. I'm okay." He spoke breathing harshly as she helped him stand up.

Valerie certain that Rick was okay grabbed Merle's gun, the man making some grand speech about electing himself as the leader of their group. "Hey, dickhead!" She called out, grabbing the crazed red-faced man's attention. When Merle whipped around, Valerie hit him with the butt of the rifle. Rick followed, cuffing the man to a pipe.

There was a glare on his face, true anger burning in his eyes. Rick dragged the man into a sitting position, fisting Merle's clothes in his hand. "Who the hell are you man?" The red-faced man shouted, glaring in Rick's face. The cop didn't back down, simply lowered his voice as he answered. "Officer friendly." Valerie snorted, as she stood over them with her rifle pointed at Merle. Her hands were steady and her aim fixed on his head. Merle looked over her, "And she your bitch!" The words were barely out of his mouth before Rick pistol-whipped the man, eyes dark. "She is none of your concern."

Valerie felt her heart heat up with affection for Rick, a smug smirk pulling at her mouth as she tilted her head shoulders lifting in a shrug. "What he said." Merle glared at her and then Rick. Valerie couldn't find much difference between Merle and a rabid dog. "Look here, Merle, things are different now. There are no niggers anymore. No dumb-as-shit, inbred white-trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. There's us and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart." Valerie stepped away from Rick, trusting and knowing that he had the situation handled.

She bent down next to T-Dog, lifting his head gently from the ground and cradling his face in her hands. The others looked between her and Rick, ranges of emotion crossing their features. Valerie looked up eyeing the shirt the dark-skinned woman wore. "Give me your shirt." She said, the confident and in charge tone of her voice brokered no arguments. When the woman pressed the shirt in her hand, Valerie wiped the blood from T-Dog's face before pressing down on a particularly nasty wound. "Keep pressure on it. There's nothing much we can do. Be glad you didn't lose a tooth." The redhead didn't wait for a reply, she rolled up his shirt, checking the bruise on his side. "Doesn't look like anything worse than a bruise, I'll check again later." She muttered.

The blonde woman, Andrea, someone had called her, scoffed. "Will there even be a later?" Valerie spared her a glance before patting T-Dog on his chest, "Rest while you can." When she stood up from her position near the ground, Rick and the man, Morales, stood at the end of the roof. Valerie's brows drew together in a crease, watching Rick. "He mentioned his wife and son, I thought the two of you were together," Glenn spoke, his breath touching her neck with how close he stood to her. Valerie couldn't keep her serious disposition as she faced Glenn. The boy was younger than her and more innocent than her. Though she supposed that wouldn't last long.

The redhead placed a hand on Glenn's shoulder, an amused smile tugging at her full lips. Both men moved away from the edge, Morales heading for T-Dog while Rick came to a stop in front of her. "No Glenn, we're not like that. He is… family though." Rick's eyebrows seemed to jump into his hairline, the man's mouth gaping open and closed, struggling to find the right words to say. Valerie had surprised him. The redhead rolled her eyes in response and shouldered past Rick, the small smile that had been on her face disappearing. "I know I can be a hard ass but don't be too shocked now." She mumbled, though not quite quiet enough. Rick had heard her and thrown back his head, his laughter making his entire body shake.

Valerie hoisted the rifle on her shoulder, looking through the scope to survey the area. "There's too many of them Rick, no way we're making it through that." Rick was silent next to her as the gears in his mind turned over, trying to think of a solution. Valerie knew her friend felt guilty for involving others in their mess, not that she shared his sentiment. They didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, and it wasn't like there were any signs put up to warn people away from the city.

Her thoughts suddenly turned to Morgan and Duane, the radio in the bag she dropped. If they couldn't get in contact with her, Morgan and Duane would wander into this city. Chances were that they wouldn't have a group like this to run into. They'd be dead before they got very far. "What about under the streets? Sewers?" Rick's idea brought new life to the group. "Oh, man," Morales said, turning to Glenn. "Hey, Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers."

Rick motioned for Valerie to do the same in the street. The redhead didn't argue, even though she knew they couldn't possibly reach a manhole when the walkers covered every inch of the streets. She looked, desperately for a manhole that was in an area with fewer walkers. Looking up from her scope she faced Rick, shaking her head in answer to his silent hopeful face. "No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are."

Valerie sighed, "His right. Everyone I can see is covered with walkers, and where there are less in numbers, there's nothing." The dark-skinned woman, whose name she had yet to learn spoke up. "Maybe not, old building like this was built in the '20s, big structures often had drainage tunnels into the sewers, in case of flooding, down in the subbasements."

Rick and Valerie were already on the move. They didn't have many options, there wasn't any debate that needed to happen. Valerie knew they needed to try everything they could to get out. She felt sick to her stomach as an idea floated in her head, one she hoped she wouldn't have to suggest.

Flashlights were turned out as their feet met concrete, the room where the drainage pipe sat was dark with no electricity in the building. The group stood around the hole, grim expressions all around. Valerie didn't want to suggest anyone going down there, she was all too aware of the dangers that could happen.

If there were walkers down there, they could get trapped and bit in such a large group. The group seemed to be discussing something, but Valerie's voice stopped the conversation. "All of us can't go. I'll take one of you with me." Rick grabbed at her arm, shaking his head. She cut him off before he could speak. "If something happens down there, I'll have a better shot at surviving, and there needs to be people up here." Glenn seemed to get where she was going with it. "The walkers at the entrance need to be watched, and whoever's down there needs a warning."

Valerie faced Glenn, holding her hand out to him, the gesture speaking more than her words could. Glenn groaned aloud, closing his eyes as he worked up the nerve. The young boy took her hand, giving it a single shake before he looked back at the group. "Valerie and I will go. Rick, you're a good shot, keep an eye on the walkers. Andrea, you have a gun, go with Rick. Morales and Jacqui will stay here and give us a warning if anything happens."

Valerie thought everything was figured out and she grabbed onto the yellow ladder, but Andrea let out a choked sound, scoffing. "You won't let me go with you, but you'll let her." The woman's words made Valerie tense in anger. She hadn't thought Andrea was someone who had a chip on their shoulder, but apparently, the woman was. The redhead couldn't possibly understand why Andrea would even want to descend the tunnel when she only had the use of a single arm, the other bound in a sling. "I am more experienced than you, and I can use both my arms. We don't have time for this."

Andrea glared at the woman, Valerie, a smug look on her face. "We're all experienced here; we've all been living in the same apocalypse these last two months. You're not better than us." Valerie decided then, she didn't like the woman. Instead of going along with a solid plan, she was whining about not getting to prove herself as someone tough. Not to mention what she had done to Rick.

"Lt. Commander Jensen of Seal Team 6," Valerie said, her voice deadpan as she pulled out her black dog tags, letting the others examine them. The group, Rick included, stared at her with open mouths. The glare that replaced Andrea's shock made Valerie feel smug in a childish way. The redhead gave Andrea a confident grin as she stepped on the ladder, a single word spoken before she dropped to the ground. "Hooyah!" Valerie pulled out her knife when she steadied herself, placing her flashlight in a comfortable grip around her knife that was familiar to her. Unlike her rough descent, Glenn climbed down after her.

"You're such a show-off." He said softly, a grin on his face. While Valerie was certain she wouldn't be getting along with Andrea anytime soon, Glenn was her kind of person. The redhead shrugged, "What can I say, I have a dramatic flair." They shared a laugh before stopping short, the sound echoing, bouncing off the walls. "If I'm being honest, I just wanted to shut her up." Glenn scoffed behind her, his light bouncing around the small space. "I think that worked."

They fell into silence again, as they made some headway in the tunnel. She was thankful for the quiet, for the first time since entering the city she couldn't hear the groans of the dead. Glenn's footsteps seemed louder than they were to her, though she supposed it was just that hers were almost silent.

"So, I thought only guys could be Navy Seals." Valerie knew Glenn was a talker and had seen it in the nervous way he fidgeted about. Choosing to find his quirks adoring rather than irritating she provided an answer for his curious mind. "Most all of them are. Some women make decent headway in the program, but never make it through." She knew his next question before it was out of his mouth. "So how did you make it?" He asked, predictably.

So far there had been no turn-offs, but Valerie kept a slow pace as they pressed forwards. Rick's rushing into unknown territory had gotten them in a mess once already today. She wasn't about to chance something like that again. Not with the way Atlanta looked right now, overrun with the dead. "Most of my family enlisted with the Navy Seals, not my parents though, but I had an Uncle that was my hero. I knew as a little girl I wanted to be Seal. He trained me from a young age. And the rest is history." Thinking about her family was hard enough, hashing out backgrounds was worse. She needed to focus.

Glenn seemed to pick up on her mood because he didn't ask anything more.

Rick watched as Andrea stormed towards the store, he shared a look with Morales and Jacqui before going after her. He had felt bad for what Valerie had done to her arm, seeing as the woman didn't even have the safety turned off, he wasn't in any danger. But that pity went out the window with the attitude he had witnessed at the drainage tunnel. People like her would get themselves killed or get others killed.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he leaned against the counter, watching the walkers bang at the glass, praying it would hold until Valerie and Glenn made it back.

"Your friend is something else." The woman spoke, forcing Rick to turn around and face her. He kept his expression neutral knowing that they needed to work together to get out of this city alive. "Yeah, she is something else." His words came out different than he had wanted, more threatening than intended. The blonde woman rolled her eyes, picking at the jewelry on display.

Rick joined her, eyeing a plain silver chain and a thick silver ring with an emerald in its center. The shade of green reminded Rick of Valerie's eyes. The shade he had stared into, ready to end its owner's life. He grabbed the necklace, opened the clasp, and slid the ring through it closing it once again before he pocketed the item. Andrea narrowed her eyes at him, "I thought you had a wife and a son." Rick frowned at her; face pinched in confusion his head tilted to the side. "I do. Val and I came here to find them."

Rick didn't know what Andrea was getting at but before the woman could speak again… or accuse again, he eyed her gun. "Next time you hold someone at gunpoint, take the safety off. It won't shoot otherwise." The mention of their incident and her gun distracted her from whatever she had been planning on saying. The tension in Rick's body was released, he didn't need the woman to start to question everything about him and Valerie or his family, they had bigger things to worry about.

Things that were right outside their glass doors.

Valerie stabbed into the walker's head, keeping a firm grip on her knife as she yanked it out. "You alright?" She asked Glenn, reaching for the boy. He was breathing harshly but managed to nod in response. Valerie sighed in relief; the boy had been standing right in front of the bars when the walker suddenly reached through. The remains of the rat it had been feasting on stuck all around its mouth. There was no way through this tunnel. They needed to head back, and then she needed to share her idea. The only way Valerie could see them getting through this.

The pair ran back in the direction of the ladder, shaking their heads at the expectant look on Morales and Jacqui's faces. They ran back into the store, the sound of shattering glass spurring them on. Rick and Andrea stood close together, guns raised watching the walkers as they banged on the door.

"What did you find down there?" Rick asked, keeping his gaze focused on the walkers. "Not a way out," Glenn answered, by now the despair that hung over their group was a familiar presence. The whole day had gone to shit. "We need to find a way out. And soon."

"I have a plan… well part of a plan." Valerie forced the words out, she felt like being sick.

Shane glared at the car that pulled into their camp, the alarms going off. He stomped towards Glenn, motioning for the boy to pop the hood. Amy was screaming about her sister; Dale was berating Glenn. Shane just focused on the wire, pulling it from the battery, and shutting the alarm off. "Are you crazy driving this wailing bastard up here?" Shane spoke, leaning over the car. He had always thought Glenn was smart and resourceful. The kid had gone on runs alone before and had always made it back safely with their loot. Shane had misjudged him. "Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" He expected Glenn to apologize or explain why he had been driving what was essentially a death trap. "I think we're okay," Dale spoke, drawing Shane's gaze to him.

Shane felt his anger boil, the old man had a streak of defiance in him. One he didn't like. "You call being stupid, okay?" Shane spoke, careful not to raise his voice. The people of the camp respected Dale, and if Shane was to lead them, he couldn't be shouting at the old man. It would make him look bad. He couldn't afford that, not with Carl and Lori to keep safe.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source." Shane raised his eyebrow at Dale, his arms resting on his hips. "I'm not arguing. I'm just saying." Shane nodded and faced Glenn, his anger at Dale disappearing as the older man scolded Glenn. "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?"

Shane ignored Glenn's apology in favor of eyeing the vehicle that pulled up behind their van. Shane smiled as reunions were made and people hugged. Shane slung his gun over his shoulder, watching as Lori pulled Carl aside. He knew that the boy held out hope whenever someone left on a run, that they would miraculously find his father, and they would be reunited.

He sighed as his thoughts turned to Lori. He had grown to love her; she and Carl were the last things he had of his partner. He felt bad about lying to Lori, but that hospital was so filled with walkers, Rick's chances of surviving were almost none. Lori calmed Carl down, and Shane turned to face Glenn. "How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" he asked, tongue running over his chapped lips to wet them.

The smile and blush that Glenn had on his face were confusing, not to mention the glare on Andrea's face. "Some new guys… They got us out." Shane frowned, his body tensing. With what the world had become people weren't the same anymore. He hated that they had brought back strangers, but couldn't argue now, not when a possible threat was near. "Hey, Bonnie and Clyde!" Glenn called, a laugh following.

A redheaded woman left the vehicle first, blood and gore stuck in her dark strands. Shane felt his body heat up as he examined her. He felt his palms sweat, an instant attraction making itself known. He noticed the way the pants she wore hung low on her hips, and the way the shirt she had on clung to her body emphasizing her sizable chest. He felt like he was betraying Lori, as he pictured the woman naked underneath him.

Suddenly he wasn't hot and bothered anymore. Shane felt cold, dread washing over him.

The woman smiled at a man, walking side by side with him as his arm rested over her shoulder.

Shane stopped breathing as Rick looked up and away from the woman, the smile on his face falling as he saw his former partner. The woman looked over at him, a frown on his face. But when she looked off into the distance, she smiled. Pushing Rick forward as the man began crying. She released him as Carl reached them, Rick falling to the ground his son in his arms. Shane swallowed as Lori took Rick in, glaring at him over his best friend's shoulder.

Shane felt his eyes tearing up, joy for his partner that was still alive, and sadness… and anger… for Lori who he had lost. Shane put on a happy face when Rick turned to him, smiling.

Lori eyed the woman that had been traveling with Rick, as they sat around the fire. She didn't want to doubt Rick, but if she had leaped into Shane's arms… she stopped the thought. Rick was better than her he wouldn't do that.

She focused again on Rick, as he told his story. How he had woken up in the hospital, how Valerie had saved his life, and their journey to Atlanta, the gruesome way the group had escaped the death trap of a city. Valerie was seated next to Shane, the man avoiding her gaze, focusing his attention on the new addition. She felt guilty for feeling jealous. Before the apocalypse Shane had been the definition of a ladies' man, being with her hadn't changed him.

Lori scolded herself, Rick was back, and Shane had lied about his death. She felt her anger burn hot again. She didn't want him around Carl, or herself, and if she could keep him away from Rick she would.

Lori turned to Valerie when Rick was finished. "So, Glenn says you're a soldier?" She asked, keeping her face friendly. The woman had saved her husband's life after all. Lori pushed her unfounded assumptions and feelings of jealousy aside.

Shane watched the woman seated next to him closely, as she let out a puff of air, a small reluctant frown pulling at her full pink lips. He could move on, couldn't he? Rick was back, what he had with Lori would be over. Not to mention how angry she was with him. "Uh… Navy Seals." The woman finally replied to Lori's question, making those that didn't know gasp. Shane included; he wasn't aware that a woman had succeeded at passing the Seals program. "Recon?" He spoke before he could stop himself.

Shane had not intended to insult the woman, by suggesting that the only way she could have made it as a Seal was to be part of its recon division. As he wondered if he had lost his chance with Valerie, the woman threw her head back and laughed. It sounded as if Angels were singing to Shane, not to mention the slight flush that rushed to her cheeks. So light he doubted anyone but him could see it, he was after all seated next to her. The feel of her toned, yet soft thighs against his own made him heady… not to mention aroused. Willing his body to stop reacting to every little thing the redhead did, Shane focused on her words as she spoke shaking her head, "You've got balls, man. Usually, people are too scared of being insulting." He shrugged, trying to play his blunder off. She seemed to like his attitude at least. Shane might have a shot with her… he needed someone to help him forget about Lori. Shane decided, he would make Valerie his own, no matter what it took. He needed to.

"Assault team. Sniper."

Glenn sat up straighter leaning closer in Valerie's direction. "That's why you have such good aim. I saw you in Atlanta, you weren't wasting any bullets." Valerie nodded, scratching at her head, freshly wet from the wash she had taken in the lake.

"But you took out geeks on your own, with your knife." T-Dog spoke, "Aren't snipers supposed to be bad at that stuff." Valerie shook her head, "I'm at my best with a rifle or bow, but I'm more than capable of putting a grown man on his ass with my bare hands." The camp laughed, and Shane was once again distracted by the tight bloody shirt she had on, clearly a size too small for her.

A noise to the side distracted Shane from the woman. Ed was adding wood to the fire.

"Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane called out. "It's cold man." By the man's tone and the frightened looks on the woman and child sitting near him, Valerie was quick to figure out the type of man that he was. She spared Shane a glance before she turned to Rick. There was a strange look in his eyes. "The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

The air around Shane shifted at Ed's reply. "I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once." Valerie shifted from her seated position, standing to watch Shane as he went over to the man. He leaned down to speak to the woman and child. Rick nodded to her when no fight broke out and Valerie took her seat again. Shane returned, sitting next to her even closer this time.

Shane waited for Valerie to tell him to move, but when the redhead simply glance at him before returning her gaze to the fire Shane had to keep his smirk under wraps.

Valerie would be the first one to admit that she was cold and distant until she knew someone. But the few days she spent with Rick had opened her up and made her relax. Not to mention the near-death experiences that were around every corner. Shane's warm body against hers was welcome. It had been a very long time since she had that kind of companionship. And she was under no illusions that it would be anything more than that. Rick's strange attitude coupled with Shane and Lori's fidgeting was clue enough for her.

Dale's voice brought her mind back to the group. "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear that his brother was left behind." The old man was sweet, and Valerie had bonded quickly with him in the short afternoon they had spent together.

Valerie had spoken to Dale about taking over his watch point from the RV during the day. It only made sense since she was the only trained sniper in camp. "I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." Rick protested to this and when Valerie glared at him, opening her mouth to speak, Glenn jumped in. "Guys it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

Valerie scoffed, "So the brothers are the same then?"

The discussion went on for a while, and to Valerie's surprise, Andrea had said something not stupid for a change. When the redhead voiced her agreement with the blonde's words she looked up in shock. They wouldn't ever be friends, but they didn't have to hate each other.

When only silence remained, Shane suggested that people get to sleep. Valerie stood, grabbing her gun, intent to head above the RV. Shane stopped her with a hand on her wrist. He pulled her gently behind the RV away from the other residents of their camp. "You must be tired. I'll take the first watch, you can sleep in my tent. You can take over for me."

Valerie released her grip on the rifle when Shane gently pried it from her. He slung it over his shoulder, one hand still on her wrist. Valerie looked down, watching as Shane's thumb brushed back and forth over the skin of her wrist.

"We barely know each other." She whispered but already, she felt her back resting against the vehicle. Shane's hands were gripping her chin, and then his lips were on hers. Small kisses of lips, and when he made to pull away he gripped her bottom lip between his teeth bruising it. "The blue tent's mine. I'll swap with you in a few hours." Valerie nodded, before walking away sparing him a look.

She ran chest-first into Rick as she rounded the corner. "Jesus!" She exclaimed her heart hammering in her chest. "What the hell Rick?" She slapped him on his arm. The man chuckled wrapping his arms around the redhead. "I'm sorry. I just came to make sure you had somewhere to sleep." He released her, framing her face with his hands. "Yeah." She mumbled as Rick pushed the fat of her cheeks together. "Okay, I'll see you in the morning then." Valerie sighed as Rick kissed her forehead, wrapping her arms around his waist in a quick hug.

They parted and Valerie headed to Shane's tent, which was on one end of camp.

Zipping it shut she removed her pants, settling in the blankets Shane had. With her thoughts zipping around everything that had happened for the day, she drifted off to sleep.