Clover blooms in the fields
Spring breaks loose, the time is near

Daryl never told me he was in love with me, which bothered me less than I'd expected. I wasn't sure he trusted his own feelings enough to define them, even if he'd felt comfortable saying the words, and he showed me how he felt enough that I didn't really miss them. I didn't say them often, in case it made him uncomfortable, but sometimes they'd slip out, especially when I was sleepy or coming down off a particularly intense orgasm and it didn't cause a problem as far as I could tell.

The weather gradually warmed, and we began mapping out the schedule for tilling and planting the spring crops. Herschel was sure we could grow soybeans, which could be a great source of plant protein and food for the animals, but I knew nothing about them, so he was going over their planting schedule when we heard the unmistakable "thunk-thunk" of helicopter rotors, and the wind kicked up, rattling the picnic tables in the courtyard.

I ran outside, gaping at the sight of a military helicopter landing in the bare fields. Everyone had rushed to watch, and I felt Daryl behind me, hand on my hip, fingers grazing against my knife to check it was there just in case.

Three figures in combat gear jumped out of the helicopter once it landed, two carrying semiautomatic rifles that they used to take out a few walkers who were leaning into the fence. The other, weaponless, walked toward the group, pulling off his helmet, but stopped when he realized half the group was pointing guns or bows at him. He raised his hands to show he wasn't hiding anything and smiled nervously. "We're here to help - not to cause problems. We'll only use our guns to take out the dead, I promise" he yelled over the noise of the engine and after a moment, Rick gestured to everyone to lower their weapons.

The man approached cautiously and looked at Rick, who had stepped forward. "I'm Johann," he said with a slight accent, "I'm from the United Nations. We've been planning this for months, after we flew over your settlement and realized there were people living here."

I felt my knees weaken, and I sagged slightly into Daryl as folks all around me began to cry and hug each other in relief. Daryl's hand gripped mine firmly, and he pulled us closer to Rick and Johann.

"Are you sayin' you're here to get us out?" Rick asked, and the man nodded vigorously. "Yes! The Georgia Containment Zone has been the subject of much discussion among those of us who are trying to rebuild things. We finally got permission to do an exploratory mission several months ago, and when we reported that there were clear signs of healthy humans still living here, we began working on a rescue plan."

The helicopter had turned off its engine, and the courtyard fell quiet at the word "rescue plan", no one quite daring to believe it was true.

Rick rubbed a hand over his hair. "Are you tellin' me," he said roughly, "that the world out there is . . . is fine? That we've been sittin' in here fightin' for our lives, losin' our lives, and outside you all were discussin' a rescue mission?"

Johann shook his head quickly. "No! Out there is a mess too, so much so that it took this long just to have the resources to even attempt to get people out, but it's definitely better than here. Let's go inside and I'll explain everything." Rick nodded, slowly, still stunned, and we moved as a group toward the dining hall.

Johann explained that once the military dropped bombs on Atlanta and we lost contact with the outside world, things continued to deteriorate out there. Folks rioted, local governments were under attack, and martial law was declared across the whole country. The infection kept spreading slowly, but since they knew it was coming and knew how to deal with those that turned, there weren't as many walkers that managed to attack anyone before being put down.

Unfortunately, dealing with the infection made the United States vulnerable, and the rest of the world was a long way behind in getting it. They now knew that it spread in the air, so it took a few months for it to cross oceans and by that time, China had seized the opportunity to destroy the most powerful country in the world. They dropped nuclear bombs on New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington DC, taking out the entire federal government and shutting down the whole grid.

We sat in horror as he relayed this news. I had grown used to the sight of walkers, and the violence and gore that came with them, but nuclear warfare still seemed like science fiction. "The United States lost 20 million in one day, we estimate," Johann said somberly. I could hear several women from Woodbury sobbing, and I thought of friends I had in those cities, of the culture, and the sheer number of dead that must have . . . "Wait," I said, the realization dawning on me. "All the dead people . . . they turned?"

Johann nodded grimly. "Yes. The Chinese weren't ever planning to invade. They created a land they couldn't take, by filling it with the living dead. Of course, the infected in those kinds of numbers wiped out several states, almost at the level of Georgia, but the US military is fairly spread out so many bases survived the bombs, and those troops were able to come in and take out whole areas, and eventually get it under control. There are still some dead to eliminate in the worst areas, but they've been sealed off and more or less contained."

"Those who were left figured out how to protect their communities, building walls and fences, and learning to survive without the grid. Some states were left fairly intact, and they're operating with their own governments right now since the federal government is essentially nonexistent. Canada stepped in to help the military and provide support to some extent and is working to establish some kind of national leadership and new capital, but it's slow going. The UN is working on humanitarian aid, but since all the other countries of the world are now experiencing the plague themselves, there aren't many resources out there."

The room was quiet as everyone processed the barrage of information we'd just received. A fractured country, no grid, millions and millions dead, communities and states operating on their own without a federal government. I realized I was still clutching Daryl's hand in a death grip and loosened my fingers slightly.

"Can you . . . " I spoke shakily, not sure I wanted to ask, "can you tell me how things are in Oregon?" Johann looked at me and smiled kindly. "You have family there, yes?" At my nod, he continued. "Lots of lives were lost all over the country, about half the population, but the Northwest is doing better than many places. I think there is a good chance you still have loved ones living there."

I pressed my fist to my mouth to keep from sobbing in relief, and Daryl pulled me into his arms. I cried freely, the sound lost among the babble of voices and other questions being shouted at Johann. All the feelings of grief and loss I'd buried for months bubbled up, mixed with the hope that my family was still alive and well.

After I pulled myself together somewhat, Daryl, arms still tightly around me, muttered to Rick.

"So . . . now what?" Rick nodded and stood to get the group's attention.

"So now that you've given us an overview of what happened, what can you tell us about our future?" he asked Johann.

"Our plan is to fly you to Denver, which is relatively stable," he answered, "and find places for you to resettle. If you have family, we'll help you make contact with them and figure out how to get where you need to go. Unfortunately, communication is difficult and transportation even more so. There is very little fuel in some areas, and what we do have, we generally use to move products and try and re-establish some trade. The jet fuel we'll use to get you to Denver is precious, and it took us a long time to get it secured, so there will not be multiple trips. Please understand that - this is a one-time offer and there are no alternatives. The plane is on a landing strip outside Gainesville, and we'll shuttle you there in the chopper as soon as you can pack your things."

Our lives had turned upside down in the span of an hour. There would be no soybean planting, no rebuilding of the fence supports, no need to figure out a better cooling system for the cell block this summer. We would never see this place again, after tonight, and the thought made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

I shook my head in disbelief and looked up at Daryl, whose face was unreadable. He was looking at the group, all talking excitedly and beginning to drift off to their cells to gather their things, and I couldn't tell what was going through his head. "Hey", I said, tugging on his shirt to get his attention, and he looked down at me. I put my hand up to his face and looked at him seriously. "Are you okay?" I asked, and he drew in a breath, the pensive look on his face cleared suddenly, giving way to a half-smile. "We're gettin' out" he whispered. "An' I'm keepin' my promise to yer kids."

"It's surreal," I said, walking quickly toward our cell block with his hand in mine. "I can't get my brain around it, and we don't have time to really process it."

We reached our cell and began throwing our clothes and toiletries into bags. Daryl shoved his hunting gear and various tools and weapons into his pack and I ran to the infirmary and grabbed my herbal remedies kit, and some of the more difficult herbs to get ahold of.

Johann was organizing groups to be shuttled to the airfield, and our little family offered to go last. When the helicopter pulled away with the final group before us, we stood in the center of the cell block and looked around at the place we'd made into a home. Carol had tears running down her face. "You're my family," she said, her voice breaking. "Where am I going to go, out there?"

Herschel wrapped an arm around her. "We're not leavin' each other once we get outta here, ya hear me?" The rest of us nodded our agreement. "We are a family," Rick stated firmly. "That means we stick together and no one's left to fend for themselves." He grasped Daryl's shoulder, and I reached out a hand to hold Carol's for a moment, thanking some higher power that I'd found them when I did.

We heard the engine of the helicopter and made our way to the courtyard, taking one last glimpse of the space before the door shut behind us and we ran forward toward an unknown future beyond the borders of the Georgia Containment Zone.