Falling into the Undead

Chapter Eight

This is being uploaded later at night than I was hoping for, but my weekend has been crazy.

I hope you all enjoy!

Maybe I'm reckless

But I just can't shake this

It follows me home at night

-Night Bus by Gabrielle Aplin

Remington was up before the sun.

The pack she had put together the night before was placed by the zipper of the tent. Both children were quietly still sleeping, and neither dog did more than lift their heads when she moved. They waited for a command and settled back down when one wasn't given.

Pulling herself from the tent caused her to shutter as the cool wind hit her skin. Without the protection of a pile of blankets, she left caused her to realize how cool it got without the sun. Humming to herself she wrapped her arms around her waist as she made the small trek toward the Dixons. They were both up, silently moving around, courtesy to her and the children.

She didn't regret calling Merle out on his actions yesterday, but she hated that they had seen her react in such a way. She didn't want to seem as weak. Hated to think that they might form opinions on why she reacted that way. She wished to keep her past buried there. It was no longer a part of her life. It didn't matter.

Maybe if she said it often enough that would become the truth.

"Yah up early," Merle said, his voice sounding rough, as he avoided eye contact with her.

Daryl concealed his surprise at seeing her. After yesterday he was sure the woman would have moved their tent and began to ignore them. He didn't realize how stubborn Remington could be, nor the plan she had, and was determined to succeed in.

"I'm heading out today." She hadn't meant to come off mysterious. Had simply wanted to get the conversation finished so she could find Carol and get a move on. Anxiety was tugging away at her. Today would be her first major change if she accomplished it. She didn't notice the way Merle stiffened under her words as she rubbed sleepily at her eyes.

"Yah leaving?" She blinked at his tone of voice. It was gruff but she almost believed she heard a hint of disappointment. She couldn't help the way her brows furrowed as confusion flooded her mind.

"Got a run to make with Shane."

"Yah leaving with the rest of the group?" Now it was his turn to sound confused. "Didn't hear yah was one ta go with us."

"With us?" It took far too long for her brain to catch up with what was happening. "Wait? You're heading on the run with Glenn?"

"You're not?"

"No. It's a separate deal with Shane. Looking for someone." She shook her head, trying to clear that last of the sleep, as she turned her amber eyes on him. "I don't like you going with them." Merle seemed to stumble slightly at her words as he closed the knife he had been messing with.

"Didn't think yah would care much after yesterday. Not that it's any of yah business, but I'll be fine."

Remington bit her lip. She didn't want to think of yesterday but knew there was no point in avoiding it.

"Yesterday better not happen again," she said, finally speaking, her voice hard. She wanted him to understand that she wouldn't allow it to continue. She had escaped a life with that in it and refused to be tugged back into one. She wanted to save him, but that didn't mean she would put herself, or her kids in danger over it. "I won't make excuses for it. I refuse to be around it." She didn't care if he thought it was about the drugs, or his actions, or both, because she knew it was about both.

"Shouldn't have happened," Merle said, rubbing at the top of his head. He had the decency to sound troubled by his actions. "I don't make it a habit to hurt women."

"It's not just the fact that you pushed me," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I doubt you would have if you hadn't been high." He grunted at her words, both ignoring the way Daryl hovered, as he swung the bag on his back. He didn't say anything else on it, properly abashed by her accusations, as he narrowed back in on what she had said.

"Yah leaving with Shane? Just the two of yah."

"Yeah, going back to his hometown. There's a person there, important, that we're hoping to bring back." She felt the edge of guilt tug at her stomach. It wasn't who Shane thought it was.

"I don't like yah going off on yah own. What about those two squirts?"

"Carol's going to watch over them. Doesn't matter. We can't risk bringing anyone else. Shane already pulled Morales from the run today to stay with the camp."

This had eased Remington's mind a bit. Without Morales being a part of the group then it couldn't be the time Rick came back, but that didn't stop the doubt from tugging at the back of her mind. It only worsened to hear Merle was going with them.

"Yah should wait. Just the two of yah, anything could happen."

"Shane's a good guy. I trust him to watch my back if something were to happen. We won't be gone long. Just an in and out deal."

She missed the way that Daryl bit the nail of his thumb, mulling over her words, and agreeing with his brother.

"Shane's a fucking asshole," Merle growled. "Why the hell would yah go out with him? Why not ask one of us? What about yah fucking kids? Yah think it's a good idea ta go out around potential danger. Yah shouldn't be going on any runs."

It worried her that Merle was speaking words that made sense. She was surprised to find that he cared enough to say anything and didn't just wave her off. It felt like she had already started to change him. Or maybe, this was already who he was, and he just never showed it. She wasn't for sure, couldn't see inside his mind, and no longer had a TV show that was willing to show how the character worked. It annoyed her to have it once again thrust in her face that she was potentially a bad mother for going on a run. No one had said those exact words, but she could read underneath them.

She didn't want to leave her kids. It wasn't smart to think that she could be around them all the time either. She couldn't just sit everyone down, and tell them what she knew, and how, without the knowledge that they would think she was crazy. They wouldn't want her around then.

Remington couldn't help but ask herself why she cared about these strangers' lives, and whether or not they died. Just because she had watched them, years ago, and now found herself in their world, wasn't enough of a reason to feel as if she needed to do something about it. She could have ignored it, walked away, and never gotten involved.

Except that wasn't who she was.

She had always been someone who wanted to help, to save if she could, and had never been able to walk away from someone she knew needed her help. It had led her astray in the past, but no matter how badly she had tried to squash that side of her own, it always snuck its ugly head back up.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't doubt my abilities," she muttered. "I know what I'm doing. My children are my business." She pushed past the annoyance, deciding that she couldn't let him get to her, she had come here for a reason, and after being told where he was going she needed to do more. "Why are you going on the run?"

Merle seemed put off by her words, angered, as he scoffed at her.

"What yah care for girlie?" Not sweet cheeks. She wasn't exactly disappointed to hear the name gone, but knew it meant he was feeling irritated by her. Good cause so was she.

"You don't exactly work well with others, Merle. Something happening to you is more likely to happen than it is to me."

"Go worry over someone else." He swatted in her direction, his hand making a shooing motion, but it never grew close to her. It would seem he was being careful with how close he got to her. It caused her hackles to rise as it meant he had caught onto something, even in his intoxicated state. She hadn't wanted him aware of anything, regardless of whether it was the right something.

"I'm worrying over you, idiot," she snapped. Glancing over at Daryl the scowl forming on her face deepened, causing the younger Dixon to narrow his gaze a bit as if wondering what he had done to offend her. "I'd like to talk to your brother in private please." She didn't want to be an ass to him. He wasn't causing her anxiety or worries after all. His brother just got under her skin, and she found herself directing that irritation to him by accident.

Daryl muttered under his breath but told his brother he was heading out.

Remington watched as he disappeared into the trees. She hoped nothing had changed and his trip would be safe, just like the others, before she turned her attention back to Merle. The sun was just peeking out over the horizon, and she knew she didn't have much longer before Shane would show up.

It spoke of how irritated Merle was that he didn't comment on how her gaze lingered on Daryl. Remington hadn't really realized it herself lost in her thoughts as she was.

Careful not to actually touch him Remington motioned for Merle to step further away from the rest of the camp. They were already at the edge, the Dixon's preferred to stay away from them, and Remington hadn't cared enough to ask for her tent to be set up somewhere else.

"What yah want?"

"You should be careful, Merle. Don't cause trouble, all right?"

"Fuck if I cause trouble." An edge had appeared in his voice. She could tell that their conversation hadn't been going over well, and neither of them was people willing to back down. "Why don't yah worry about yourself? Yah the idiot going off looking for somebody. Don't try ta act like yah care or something."

"You're the idiot," she said, forcing down harsher words that tried to bubble over. She needed to keep her cool. She ignored his words, the ones that jabbed at her, as he tried to force her to run off. "I do care."

"Don't know why. Most don't. What makes yah any different?"

"I can see a side of you that no one else cares to. You push away everyone, even keeping your own brother at arm's length, and I won't pretend I know why, but I'm not a fool. I want you to listen to me. Don't go and get high today, keep your mind clear, and focus on the fucking run."

Merle rolled his eyes. She could tell nothing was getting to him. He was just too stubborn.

"Ole' Merle knows how ta work with others." This was a lie, and Remington knew it. He was trying to brush aside her words. She could tell that her admission had made him uncomfortable. Not being able to help it Remington stomped her foot a little in the dirt.

"You're so frustrating." She rubbed at her face, feeling tired, and beyond stressed out. There was no working around it. Remington would just have to tell him, hope that this wasn't the time, and he happily thought she was just being crazy, but she couldn't just let him go and cut off his own hand if it came down to it. "Merle, I'm just gonna come out and say it. Please listen to me and remember this. If you find yourself handcuffed to a roof don't try to escape. All right? Don't do anything you think you need to do at that moment to save yourself. I'll come for you as soon as I'm told what happened. Just stay put, cause I promise you'll be safe, as long as you don't do anything stupid afterward."

He stared at her as if she was crazy as the last word fell from her lips. She could see as he tried working through what she had just said. The moment he dismissed it all. It read clearly on his face.

"Yah funny sweetheart," he said, chuckling, as he shook his head. "Fucking crazy, but funny. Didn't think yah were the type. Hot as hell, but got ta warn yah, Daryl ain't into none of that shit." His chuckles swam inside her ear, causing her to close her eyes, and pray that if it did happen, he would listen to her. She couldn't cancel this run with Shane, couldn't unless she knew for sure that this was the run that caused Merle to disappear. There was no way Shane, or the others, would accept the answer she could give them to explain why she dropped her current mission to go with them.

"Goddammit, Merle," she exhaled while pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not interested in your brother. Stop making him believe that. He's gonna avoid me because of your teasing."

"Daryl needs ta grow some balls," he snarked. "Take what he wants. Yah should stop denying the fact that yah do. I ain't stupid. Wasn't born yesterday. That idiot shouldn't be avoiding a fine piece of ass either. Hump one another and git it over with already."

Remington couldn't help the horrified look she was sure was plastered across her face. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that Merle implied that Daryl liked her as well, or that he told her they should, as he put it, hump one another.

"I swear to god Dixon," she threatened.

"Hey, Solace, get ready to go!" hollered out a voice, Shane's. "We head out in ten!"

She spun on her heel, watching as he made a motion to move fast, and barely frowning at the fact that she was once again talking with one of the Dixons. The others had spoken their doubts, and worries over her getting close to them, but Remington had calmly told them it was fine. Shane had been the first to quiet down about it, resigned to sending displeased glances, but not vocalizing like Lori did every time she was around the woman. Turning back to Merle she met his stare with a pleading one.

"Just remember, please. Even if you think it's stupid."

"Yah, whatever, yah crazy." He waved her off, and Remington was forced to just hope that he took her seriously if the moment came to pass. She hoped it didn't, and that she would still have time to get things ready before Rick came. She hadn't gotten close to as many people as she wanted. Amy was someone she barely spoke more than a handful of words to. Glenn and she would speak to one another at every meal, but she wanted to spend more time with him before they were in the thick of things. That of course also was the same for Shane. They spoke often, but she could tell that Shane only saw her as the mother of the little girl who insisted on stalking him around camp. They hadn't grown that close to one another. Merle was the only one she could say with confidence that she had gotten remotely close to. And after today she was sure he thought of her as a crazy person.

Feeling heavier than when she woke up Remington went to grab her bag and tell the children goodbye. They had been informed the night before that Carol would be watching over them. Maisie had cried, instantly latching herself to her mother, begging her not to go, and she could tell Landon wished to do the same, but he only stood stoic at her side. She had pulled him into a hug, along with Maisie, as she explained why she needed to go. It had taken a while, but she managed to get them both calm enough to accept it.

She kissed each of their sleeping foreheads, grabbed her bag, and motioned for Pixel to come along, while she left Nala behind. It gave her enough ease of mind to worry a little less. On her way out she caught Carol and made sure everything was still all right. The woman promised to keep an eye on the children and promised that Sophia was looking forward to the day to play with them, especially with Maisie. She had latched onto the idea of being a big sister to the little girl.

It had helped Maisie as well who was quick to point out that she had a cousin called Sophia and liked the fact that they shared a name.

They bonded quickly after that.

Remington felt they were being left in good hands, as long as nothing big happened, she felt secure in her plan of leaving them here.

As she and Shane left the quarry Remington knew that it didn't matter how she felt, not if she wanted to do what she had promised and sent a silent prayer up toward the sky to keep everyone safe.

․° °․

They had taken Shane's jeep, the car that took the least amount of gas that was available to them. As promised Remington had brought along the canisters of gas, and because she liked to be safe, she managed to get Shane to bring more than ammo for his gun and water. They each had a pack with two days' worth of rations inside. He had thought it was overkill, but the reminder of something that could happen kept him from arguing about it. She hoped it wouldn't be needed, but there was no way she would willingly walk into a situation without a backup.

At least this way if something were to happen, they would have food and water.

The ride was made mostly in silence. She wasn't sure what to talk about, and Shane seemed happy enough to keep quiet. The sound of the engine was enough to fill the quiet between them, as Remington tried to memorize the way they went. If for some reason she was separated from Shane, she would need to know it.

It wasn't until their first stop, at a random gas station, Shane wanted to try to find some gas before they used any of hers, that anything happened. He had told her they were about thirty minutes away. Her anxiety had picked up, her hands shaking lightly, as she repeated in her mind their plan. They would go to Lori's house. From there she could figure out which house Morgan would be staying in, and figure out if he were still around, or if she had been too late. Part of her hoped that Rick was there with them, but she wasn't sure if that would end up happening. It would help a lot at her end of things, but she also knew that before she could talk Morgan into leaving, no matter what, his wife had to be dealt with.

That's where she hesitated.

Going out of her way to kill the woman would not make him and his son willing to follow her. She wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Morgan wasn't ready to take care of it himself, wouldn't be, not until it was too late.

Holding her machete at her side Remington walked slowly through the small building. It wouldn't take long to search for anything they could use, but the inside was dark with only the light from the windows shining in. Dust and muck covered them, blocking even more from drifting through, forcing her to carefully make her way through the rows of shelves. Shane was at the back of the store, having already cleared his aisle and waiting for her. It didn't take long, and she was soon standing next to him. In front of them was a bathroom door, closed tightly, and more than likely held nothing that they needed, but they had both decided it was worth the try. If anything, they would manage to find that machine full of tampons and toilet paper.

Shane hadn't shied away from the word and agreed that it was at least worth the effort.

He made a move to open the handle when Remington stopped him. It amazed her that they had just barged in without checking for things like this before. They had all truly come a long way from the beginning. She reached out and knocked loudly on the door. A moment later they heard soft growling and banging coming from the other side.

"Is it still worth it?" she asked, wondering if he would decide they should leave it alone. Remington was half hoping that they would. The prospect of tampons wasn't something she wanted to risk her life for. Another part of her knew that she needed to get past the fear these things held over her.

"Naw," he said, shaking his head. "Ain't worth it. Search for leftover food and water. I think I saw something on the bottom shelves."

Feeling relieved she took a step back and did as he asked. She managed to find a few stray bags of chips on the bottom shelf, a pack of matches, a lighter, and a few candy bars. These she didn't hesitate in stashing, deciding the kids would enjoy sharing them when they got back.

Shane had gone inside the cooler and dug out a case of water that had been hidden behind a few empty boxes. She smiled at the find, willingly high-fiving him, as they began to move back toward the jeep. Out here Remington watched his back as he tried a few of the cars, trying to siphon out some of the gas, but not finding much. It would seem someone else had already made it there before them. Good for them, not so good for Remington and the others.

Soon they were on their way and as promised it hadn't taken long before they entered the unfamiliar town.

She watched idly as the houses passed, cars parked perfectly, and some crashed into poles or other cars. It would seem that panic ripped through this town like many others. Most streets felt as if nothing had ever happened, and she could see the way it affected Shane as they drove by.

"You all right?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah, fine."

"It's all right to be bothered by this. I assume it's the first time you've been back since everything happened. I bet it's weird to see it like this."

"It's not easy," he finally relented. "Sometimes, driving down these streets, it's almost like nothing happened, except it did. There should be people walking, driving by, happy."

She bit her lip. It should be like that. Nothing should be like this, and yet it was. She wondered if he still struggled with it like her. They may have gotten into this situation differently, but they were stuck in it all the same.

"Sorry I made you come here." She was sorry for a lot. Knowing that she had pushed him into this under false pretenses, it nagged at her. Hopefully, soon she would somehow find Morgan and Duane before anything bad happened, and they would be safe with them back on their way to the camp. The guilt would ease a bit then.

"You were bound and determined to come, let's just hope your reason pans out, all right?"

"Yeah." The guilt stabbed in her gut once more. He glanced over at her, his eyes flashing back to the street, as he sighed.

"I won't be upset if we don't find them. I knew it was a long shot. We can still help Lori and Carl." Remington nodded, a smile shifting to her lips, as she focused on what she could do. He reached over, and patted her arm, before turning into a new street. He came to a stop a moment later and parked in front of what Remington decided was a pretty white house. "There are other things we can grab while we're here. I couldn't grab much from the armory at my job. We'll go there when we're done here."

That caused Remington to feel happier, even though she knew that Rick probably had already picked it clean if he was awake. That would be a bummer for Shane, but only confirm something for her.

They exited the jeep, this time Remington called Pixel to follow them, as they headed for the house.

"This is Lori's place," he said, motioning toward the pretty house. "Next door is where you're looking for." His hand waved at the one right next door. She eyed this house, her memory supplying that it looked familiar, as she pictured Rick trying to take down his first Walker in the front yard.

"I'll go looking next door," she said.

"No, we shouldn't go anywhere alone." Remington frowned, knowing that it wasn't important that she went alone. It wouldn't matter, either way, they didn't know her, and she would have to convince them to leave regardless.

"Together, then," she said. Heading over she let Shane take up the rear as Pixel trotted beside her, moving as fast as she did, and making sure he stuck to her like glue. If she moved to the side, he mirrored the action perfectly.

There hadn't been any sign of Walkers, and Remington hoped that the family she wanted to find would be inside and not outside searching houses.

"Careful," Shane muttered as she raised a hand to knock on the door. She didn't want to walk in and have a gun shoved in her face, or worse, everything had gone wrong, and she was met with Walkers.

Her knuckles barely grazed wood when the door was suddenly thrust open, and her fist almost met flesh.

Merle may see her as more than a little crazy, but Remington maybe should have gone about it differently. But those two have some tempers that don't clash well together. That doesn't seem to stop him from shipping her and his brother together though. I just feel like he would be trying to push them together once that gruff side of his died down.

We get to see some more of Shane next chapter! I'm super excited about what I've got planned.

Can anyone guess who that was? I'm curious about where you guys think the story is going!

Until next week! Please leave a comment. I respond back to every one of them.

Guest Comments:

Trololololololol: Thank you so much for your review! You don't know how happy this comment made me! It made my entire day.

I've been wanting to read something like this for a while and couldn't seem to find one, so I thought to myself 'why not just write one' so I did! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Characterization is something I really enjoy in stories. Making them fleshed out and 3D, and someone you could really care about is something I just strive for in all of my stories so hearing that you love the OC's is awesome. I know sometimes people really dislike OC's in stories and well I plan to introduce a couple more later in the story. Hopefully, they come off as loved or hated like Remi, Maisie, and Landon! I was a little hesitant at first to write so much before we got to the actual plot of the Walking Dead, but I just couldn't stop and felt like the buildup and getting to know these characters on their own for a bit first was important. By the time I got to the Dixons I was also just ready to get to all the others. Maisie has been really enjoyable to write and sometimes I'll stop, glance over to my daughter, and ask myself how she would react to certain things, and it really helps when I get stuck on how Maisie and Landon would react.

I hope you continue to enjoy this story! Hopefully, I hear from you again! There will be so much more Dixon interaction. And we'll get to see some between her and Daryl within the next couple of chapters!

-Until next time,

Bakusatsou