In The R.V

Daryl was lying on the floor.

Andrea was sitting at the table, putting a gun together.

Dani was sitting on the other side of the table, looking out the window.

Ellie was at the front of the R.V, quietly sobbing.

Carol was lying on the bed at the back of the R.V, sobbing.

Daryl looked from Carol to Andrea to Ellie, sighed in annoyance, stood up, grabbed his crossbow, and looked at Andrea and Dani.

"I need my clip now." Daryl told Andrea. "I'm gonna walk the road, look for the kids." He said.

Daryl looked toward Carol.

Carol stopped sobbing, looking back at Daryl.

Dani looked up at at Daryl. "I'll go with you. I can't sleep anyway." She said

Daryl nodded

Daryl walked out of the R.V, Dani followed.

Andrea looked at Carol.

~*~ ~*~

Outside

Daryl and Dani started walking away

Dale and Marlene sat on their chairs, on top of the roof of the R.V

Andrea followed, closing the door behind her. "I'm coming too." She said.

Daryl and Dani stopped, turning to Andrea, looking up at the roof of the R.V to Dale and Marlene.

"We're just going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest." Daryl told them. "If they're out there, it'll give them something to look at." He said.

"You sure that's a good idea right now? I mean Allie and Nathan are already out there. Don't you think—" Dale asked.

"Dale." Andrea exclaimed, shooting him a slight glare before walking away.

Daryl and Dani looked up at Dale before following.

Marlene thought for a moment, got up from her chair, and looked at Daryl, Dani, and Andrea. "Hold on a sec." she said.

Daryl, Andrea, and Dani stopped, looking at Marlene.

Marlene climbed down from the roof of the R.V, walking toward Daryl, Dani, and Andrea. "I'm coming along too." She said.

"Marlene, are you sure?" Dale asked.

Marlene looked up at her father.

"I'll be fine, dad. Don't worry." Marlene said. "We won't be gone too long." She added.

Marlene turned back to Daryl, smirking at him.

Daryl nodded, then looked back up at Dale, nodding.

Daryl, Marlene, Andrea, and Dani walked away.

Dale got up from his chair, watching the four of them leave.

~*~ ~*~

The Farm

Carol's Cherokee drove up to the farmhouse.

Glenn, Jane, Tyler, T-Dog, and Kristen got out.

T-Dog looked into the car, stepping aside.

Jane, Glenn, Tyler, Kristen, and T-Dog approached the house.

Glenn looked at Tyler. "So do we ring the bell? I mean, it looks like people live here." He told her.

Tyler shrugged.

"We're past this kind of stuff, right?" T-Dog asked.

They walked up the steps. "Having to be considerate." T-Dog said.

"Just because the world ended, doesn't mean manners went along with it, guys." Jane said.

Maggie and Hope were on the porch, Hope was leaning against the wall and Maggie sat in the rocking chair, they watched as the five of them walked up the steps.

"Did you close the gate up the road before you drove in?" Maggie asked them.

Glenn, Tyler, Jane, T-Dog, and Kristen looked at them.

Glenn tilted his head slightly. "Uh Hi. Yes, we closed it. Did the latch and everything." He said.

Maggie leaned forward from her chair, looking at Glenn.

"Hello. Nice to see you again." Glenn greeted. "We met before briefly." He said.

Jane noticed Glenn being awkward when he was talking to Maggie, she smirked at him.

"Look, we came to help. Anything we can do?" T-Dog asked.

T-Dog groaned in pain.

Hope looked at the bandage on T-Dog's arm. "What happened to your arm?" She asked.

T-Dog looked at his bandaged arm.

"Oh it's not a bite." T-Dig told her. "I cut myself pretty bad though." He said.

"Yeah, that's another reason why we came here." Tyler said. "Our friend, Allie, did what she could for him, but he could use some serious patching up." He explained.

"We'll have it looked at. I'll tell them that you're here." Maggie said.

Glenn looked into his bag. "We have some painkillers and antibiotics." He told her.

"We already gave him some, if Carl needs any." Glenn added.

"Come on inside." Maggie told them. "I'll make y'all something to eat." She said.

Maggie gently took T-Dog's hand and pulled him inside the house.

Hope, Jane, Glenn, Tyler, Kristen, and T-Dog followed them.

~*~ ~*~

Inside The House

Carl was still unconscious on the bed.

Lori and Rick sat next to the bed, looking over Carl.

Hershel was checking Carl's pressure.

Erika and Patricia sat further from the bed, looking at Carl.

Maggie lead Hope, Glenn, Jane, T-Dog, Tyler, and Kristen into the room.

Glenn looked at Rick and Lori, took off his hat. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Rick greeted back.

Hershel looked over at the small group.

"Any changes?" Jane asked.

"No." Rick answered. "Not yet." He said.

Jane nodded.

"Did Dani or Allie come with you guys?" Erika asked.

"They're back at the highway with the others, why?" Tyler answered.

"No reason, just wondering." Erika stammered

Jane noticed Erika stuttering, but didn't say anything.

"But um, we're here, okay?" Glenn said, looking at Rick and Lori.

"Thank you, all of you." Lori thanked them.

"Of course." Jane said.

"Don't mention it." Tyler said.

"Whatever you need." T-Dog called

Maggie and Hope lead Glenn, T-Dog, Jane, Tyler, and Kristen out of the room.

Hershel gently moved the covers off Carl's stomach, showing it to be swollen.

Rick looked away.

Lori tried to hold back her tears, putting a hand on Rick's shoulder.

Hershel looked at Lori and Rick. "They don't get back soon, we're gonna have a decision to make." He said.

"And that is?" Rick asked.

"Whether to operate on your boy without the respirator." Hershel answered.

"You said that it wouldn't work." Lori told him.

"Technically, it can." Erika spoke up.

Lori, Rick, Hershel, and Patricia looked at her.

Erika stood. "The operation can be done without the respirator. It's incredibly risky and things could go south really quick, but it can be done." Erika told them. "And like Hershel said. We can't afford to wait any longer."

Lori stood up, walking out of the room.

Rick slowly stood up, following her.

Erika sighed, then sat back down.

Hershel sat on the bed.

"This doesn't get any easier, does it?" Erika asked Hershel.

Hershel gave Erika a look.

Erika sighed. "Figures." She said.

~*~ ~*~

The Woods - Daryl & Marlene

Daryl and Marlene were walking through the woods, both of them holding flashlights.

"So what's your take on this, Dixon? You think we're gonna find those kids?" Marlene asked.

"Well it ain't the mountains of Tibet." Daryl told her. "It's Georgia. They're probably holed up in some farmhouse somewhere." He said.

They kept walking.

"People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time." Daryl said.

"They're just kids, Daryl." Marlene said.

"I was younger than them when I got lost." Daryl told her. "Nine days in the woods eating berries, wiping my ass with poison oak." He said, causing Marlene to smirk

"Why'd you wipe your ass with poison oak?" She asked, still smirking.

"It was all I had at the time, plus I didn't know it was poison oak." Daryl answered.

Marlene held in a chuckle. "So they found you?" She asked.

Daryl shook his head. "My old man was off on some bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone." He said

"I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich." Daryl told her. "No worse for wear, except my ass itched something awful." He added.

Marlene let out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but that is just a terrible story." She said, still laughing

Daryl chuckled a little bit.

"Anyway, only difference is that those kids have got people looking for them. I call that an advantage." Daryl said.

"Yeah, but we also didn't have the dead roaming around and ripping people apart back then either." Marlene countered.

Daryl shined a light on Marlene's face. "You're starting to get that look on your face, same as everybody else." He said.

"What the hell's wrong with you people? We just started looking." Daryl said.

Marlene kept silent

"I mean, you of all people should get that." He added.

Marlene looked at Daryl, pointing her flashlight at Daryl. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Hey, ease up with that thing, would ya?" Daryl said.

Marlene moved her flashlight away from Daryl.

"Well you were a cop like Shane and Rick were before all this, right?" Daryl asked.

Marlene nodded. "Yeah, I was." She said.

"So you probably went on searches like this a bunch of times. Probably found dozens of people." Daryl said.

Marlene shook her head slightly. "Not always, Daryl. And sometimes when we did finally find them, it was already too late." She said

Daryl and Marlene were silent for a moment.

"Yeah well, let's hope we ain't too late in finding those kids." Daryl said.

~*~ ~*~

The Woods - Danielle & Andrea

Dani and Andrea were shining their lights through the trees while walking through the woods, searching for the children.

"Shannon!" Dani called.

"Shhh, Danielle. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention." Andrea scolded.

"Sorry, I just... we have to find them Andrea." Dani told her. "We have to." She said.

"I know." Andrea said.

They kept walking.

Dani wiped a few tears away.

Andrea looked at her. "You okay?" She asked.

"I promised her back at the C.D.C that I'd always be there for her, that I'd never abandon her, and yet here we are, walking through the woods in the middle of the night." Dani said. "I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. It's not the first time I couldn't keep a promise to her. Some sister I am, right?" She said.

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Andrea told her.

Dani looked at Andrea.

"I'm sorry." Dani apologized. "Here I am rambling about being scared that I might lose my little sister; that I didn't even realize who my audience was." She added.

"Hey, you're not gonna lose her." Andrea told her. "We're gonna find her, along with Sophia and Alex. We'll find them." She said.

Dani nodded.

"I hope so." Dani said.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse - Living Room

Erika was sitting on the couch, with her head buried in her hands. She took a deep breathe.

Jane approached her. "Hey." She greeted.

Erika looked up at Jane. "Oh, hey." She said back.

"You good?" Jane asked.

Erika slightly shook her head. "Not really." She said.

Jane took a seat next to Erika.

"What if we can't save him, Jane." Erika contemplated. "What if he dies during the procedure? How am I supposed to look Rick and Lori in the eyes again if that happens." She said sadly.

"You and Hershel will save him. I've seen what you can do and I trust Hershel. Don't stress yourself over it." Jane said

Erika nodded. "Thanks." She said.

"Now how about you tell me what's really going on with you?" Jane said.

Erika looked at Jane confused.

"C'mon Erika, I've known you since we were little. I can tell when something's seriously bothering you. What's up?" Jane said.

Erika sighed. "I've... been avoiding Allie." She said.

"Why? Something happened between you two?" Jane asked.

Erika was silent for a moment.

Jane nodded. "Did you two..." she started.

"We kissed." Erika admitted.

"Ok, you two kissed. What's the big deal?" Jane asked.

"You mean you..." Erika started.

"Yes, I knew. The whole team did in fact." Jane said.

"How?" Erika asked.

"Well the two of you weren't exactly subtle about it." Jane said.

"Like that one time after practice where me, Dani, and Val waited nearly an hour for the two of you to finish changing in the locker room and you both finally came out with "bruises" on your necks." She continued.

Erika and Jane both chuckled lightly.

"The two of you seemed to be at your happiest when you were with each other. Then you started dating Ian and you both just seemed... distant from each other. I didn't say anything or ask either of you about because I figured one of you would tell me when you felt ready." Jane said.

Erika nodded. "Thanks for being patient." She said, smiling.

"No prob. Now how's about you tell me why you're avoiding her." Jane said.

Erika sighed. "Back at the CDC, I was drunk off my ass and Allie tried to talk some sense into me." She said.

"She tried to take the bottle away from and before I knew it, I was on top of her. I don't know what came over me, but I just... kissed her. She kissed me back for a moment, but then she pushed me off." She continued.

"She tried to ask me about it earlier, but I acted like it didn't happen." She said.

"And why'd you do that?" Jane asked.

"Because... because after what happened to Ian, to Amy, to all the others. It'd be stupid to get involved or attached to anyone now because you never know when you timer's gonna run out." Erika said. "Anything could happen out there, and the less attached we get to each other, the better off we'll be in the end." She continued.

"So you're distancing yourself from Allie again, for what? To avoid getting heartbroken again?" Jane accusingly asked.

"No, I'm doing it for the both of us. We'll both be better off for it in the long run because when the day comes when one of us..." Erika trailed off, getting choked up. "Like I said, she's better off for it, and so am I." She said.

Jane gets ups from her seat, and stands in front of Erika.

"So let me see if I understand this. So you admit that something happened between you and Allie. You obviously feel something for her, but you're not gonna act on them because you think it won't hurt as much if one of you were to die? Am I getting puzzle pieces together here?" Jane said

"Don't patronize me, Jane. I'm doing the right thing here. For her and me." Erika said, getting defensive.

"Right, right because being a coward is absolutely the right to do." Jane accused.

"How am I being coward?" Erika asked

"You're letting your fear get in the way of what you want, Erika. You want to be with Allie, but because of what happened to Ian and the fact that you're not sure how much time you, her, or any of us in fact, have left in this world. You're not willing to take a chance." Jane lectured.

Erika stayed quiet.

"If you ask me, that's more of a reason for you to try. You don't wanna spend the rest of your life running scared, especially when you have the opportunity to be happy, right?" Jane said, before walking away.

Erika stayed seated, contemplating her thoughts

"Just think about it, okay?" Jane said.

Erika nodded.

Jane was headed towards the door to head outside on the porch

"What changed?" A voice said.

Jane stopped at door, she saw Rick and Lori talking out on the porch. She moved out of sight, next to the door and listened.

"What?" Lori asked.

"Jenner offered us a way out. You asked him to let us keep trying, you—you begged him. "For as long as we can," you said. What changed?" Rick said

"There was a moment the other day... it was just a second, but I forgot Jacqui and Hazel were dead." Lori said.

Jane felt a uneasy at the mention of her late grandmother.

"I—I turned around, I wanted to tell them something. I almost said they're names. It was just a second and then... and then I remembered. But then I realized they didn't have to see any of it." Lori said

Rick looked at her. Jane continued listening, feeling more and more anxious.

"The highway, the herds, The children, Carl getting shot— They didn't... they don't have to be afraid anymore." Lori said.

"Hungry. Angry. It hasn't stopped happening, Rick. It's like we live with a knife at our throats every second of every day, but Jacqui and Hazel don't. Not anymore." Lori said

Rick put his hands to his face in disbelief, not liking what he was hearing. "And then... I thought maybe Jenner was right." Lori finished.

Rick turned away from Lori, shaking his head.

Jane felt tears going her face and walked off.

~*~ ~*~

Hershel and Erika were in the room, watching over Carl.

Carl suddenly awoke and began coughing.

Erika quickly stood up. "Rick! Lori!" She called.

Rick and Lori quickly entered the room and went to Carl's side.

Carl was startled, breathing heavily. "Where are we?" He asked.

"Hey, little man. This is Hershel, we're in his house, you had an accident. All right?" Rick said, comforting Carl.

"It hurts a lot." Carl said, groaning.

"Oh baby, I know. I know." Lori said.

"You should've seen it." Carl told Lori.

"What?" She asked.

"The deer. It was so pretty, mom. It was so close." Carl said

Lori rubbed his head, trying to comfort Carl.

"I've never been..." Carl suddenly stopped.

Carl didn't move or speak.

"Carl?" Rick tried calling.

"What's happening?" Lori asked.

Erika looked closer at Carl, and quickly recognized the signs. "Oh no." She said.

Lori looked up at her. "What?" She asked.

Suddenly, Carl went into a seizure. Lori tried to hold him down, but was stopped by Hershel and Erika.

"Don't. It's a seizure. If you hold him down, you could hurt him." Hershel said.

"You can't stop it?" Lori asked.

"I'm sorry, Lori, but he has to just go through it. Trust me, I know." Erika said.

Rick and Lori held each other and could only just watch Carl.

Lori began sobbing.

Finally, Carl stopped convulsing.

Hershel took a look at Carl. "His brain isn't getting enough oxygen and his pressure is bottoming." He said.

"He's gonna need another transfusion." Erika added.

"Okay, I'm ready." Rick said, holding out his arm.

"Rick, if we take any more blood from you, you could go into a coma or even cardiac arrest." Erika said.

"She's right. It's risky." Hershel agreed

"Y'all are wasting time." Rick said, still holding out his arm.

Hershel and Erika exchanged a look

Erika sighed. "Okay, Rick." She said, before preparing to take more blood from Rick.

~*~ ~*~

The Highway

Dale stood in top of the R.V, still watching. He heard stairs clinking behind him and saw Carol and Ellie climbing up.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

"We're gonna wait for them to come back." Ellie said.

"You can head down and sleep if you want to." Carol said.

"No, we can all keep watch together." Dale said.

The three of them looked out into the Highway.

"Which way did they go?" Carol asked.

Dale pointed up ahead.

~*~ ~*~

The Woods

Daryl and Marlene were still walking through the woods.

Suddenly, they heard rustling footsteps nearby.

"You think it's her?" Marlene asked.

"Could be anything." He said.

The footsteps came closer. Daryl raised his crossbow and Marlene raised her gun in the direction where the footsteps were coming from.

"Sophia? Is that you?" Marlene called.

No answer.

Suddenly, Andrea and Dani came out from the woods, and approached.

Daryl and Marlene lowered their weapons.

"Oh, it's just you guys." Marlene said.

"Yep. So much for splitting up, huh?" Dani said.

"Well since we're all here together. Let's keep looking." Andrea suggested.

Daryl, Dani, and Marlene nodded and kept searching.

The four of them came across what looked to be a abandoned campsite.

They heard more rustling and followed the sound.

They soon came across a Walker that was hanging off a tree.

"What the hell?" Daryl exclaimed

"Well that's not a pretty sight." Dani said.

Marlene shined a light in the tree and saw a note attached to it. "Hey, looks like he apparently left a note here." She said.

Daryl looked at it. "Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit." He read.

"Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into swinging piece of bait." Daryl said.

"Good lord, what a mess." Dani added.

Andrea groaned in disgust.

Marlene looked back. "You okay, Andrea?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm just... trying not to puke." Andrea said.

"Go ahead if you gotta." Daryl said.

"No, I'm fine. Let's just talk about something else for a moment." Andrea said. "How'd you learn to shoot?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Gotta eat." Daryl answered. "It's one thing these walkers and us have in common." He said.

"From the way he's trying to get at us, this is probably the closest he's been to food since he turned." Dani said.

"Yeah, I mean look at him. Hanging up there like a big piñata." Daryl added.

Daryl shined a light on the walkers legs. "The other geeks came and ate the flesh off his legs." He said.

Andrea then finally puked, and it went onto Marlene's shoes. "Okay, guys. That's enough. Andrea just barfed all over my shoes." She said

"Yeah well, call that payback for laughing at my itchy ass." Daryl snarked.

Marlene rolled her eyes

"Sorry about that." Andrea apologized.

"It's fine, come on. Let's head back to the Highway. Daryl, you take point." Marlene said.

"Hold on a sec. aren't we gonna..." Andrea said, gesturing to the hanging Walker.

Marlene, Dani, and Daryl look up at the Walker.

"No, he ain't hurtin nobody. Ain't gonna waste an arrow either. He made his choice, opted out." Daryl said.

"Daryl's right. Leave it." Dani agreed.

Andrea looked at Marlene, who shrugged. Marlene, Dani, and Daryl started walking away, but Andrea stayed. She took a few steps towards the Walker and stared at it.

Marlene, Daryl, Dani stopped, looking at her. Daryl walked toward Andrea. "You wanna live now or not?" He asked.

"Daryl!" Marlene exclaimed.

"It's just a question." Daryl said.

Andrea looked back at the Walker, then at Daryl. "An answer for an arrow. Fair?" She asked.

Daryl nodded.

"I don't know if I wanna live, or if I have to, or if it's just a habit." Andrea answered.

"Not much of an answer." Daryl said.

Marlene and Dani exchanged a look. Daryl took out his crossbow and shot the Walker in the head, killing it.

"Waste of an arrow." Daryl said.

"Not necessarily." Marlene said.

She took a few steps back and aimed her rifle. Daryl tried to lower Marlene's rifle. "Whoa whoa whoa. You ain't gonna fire that thing, are ya?" He asked.

"Relax, Dixon. I gotta a silencer on it." Marlene said.

Marlene aimed her rifle carefully at the rope. She fired a shot, taking out the rope cleanly, causing the body to fall to the ground. Marlene walked over to the corpse and took out the arrow from it's skull.

Marlene walked over to Daryl and handed him the arrow, with a smug, yet flirty look on her face. "There. A bullet for an arrow. I'd call that an even exchange, don't you think?" She said.

Daryl takes the arrow from Marlene, Marlene walked away. Daryl followed. "Show off." He muttered under his breathe.

Andrea and Dani followed after them.

~*~ ~*~

The Highway

Carol, Dale, and Ellie were still sat on top of the R.V, keeping a look-out.

"You don't need to worry, they're with Daryl. If something happens he can protect them. Hear what I'm saying?" Carol said.

"Sorry, all I heard was if something happens." Dale said.

Ellie shook her head. "Marlene was right, you do worry a lot." She joked.

Dale remained silent. "Do y'all mind keeping watch?" He asked, handing his role to them.

"I don't know how to use that." Carol exclaimed.

Ellie took the rifle. "I do. The benefits of being in a military family and having a marine for a husband." She said.

"I won't be gone long. Either of you see anything, call out. I'm not going far, I'll hear y'all." Dale said, before climbing down.

Ellie and Carol stayed seat and kept watch. Ellie unloaded the rifle, then reloaded it.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse

Patricia was stitching up T-Dog's arm. Maggie held the arm down while Patricia stitched it up. Hope was wiping sweat off of T-Dog's forehead, while also comforting him.

"You got here right in time. This couldn't go untreated much longer." Patricia said.

T-Dog groaned in pain. Glenn, Tyler, and Kristen watched from the doorway.

"She's almost done. Just hang in there a bit longer." Hope reassured.

Patricia read the label on the bottle. "Merle Dixon. Is that your friend with the antibiotics?" She asked.

"No, ma'am. Merle's no longer with us. Daryl gave us those— his brother." Glenn answered.

"'Not sure I'd call him a friend." T-Dog said, still groaning in pain.

"He is today. This doxycycline might've just saved your life. You know what Merle was taking it for?" Patricia asked.

"The clap." Glenn said.

Maggie and Hope gave him a look

"Uh, venereal disease. That's what Daryl said." Glenn said.

"He was taking it for STDs essentially, ma'am." Kristen answered

"I'd say Merle's STD was the best thing that happened to you." Patricia said.

"I'm really trying not to think about that." T-Dog groaned.

"It'll be over soon T, then you'll be as good as new." Tyler said reassuringly.

Glenn walked outside, Maggie watched him go.

"I'm gonna take a nap in the living room. It's been a long day." Kristen said before exiting.

Tyler scoffed. "Tell me about it." He muttered.

"There's some water over in the fridge if you want any." Hope said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Tyler said before leaving to get water.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Outside)

Glenn was sitting outside, trying to pray. Maggie was outside as well. "You praying?" She asked him, slightly startling Glenn

"Why do you sneak up on people so much?" Glenn asked.

"You're easy to sneak up on." Maggie answered, then sat on the railing of the porch.

"I was praying. I was trying to." Glenn said.

"You religious? You pray a lot?" Maggie asked.

"Actually. This was my first try." Glenn said

"Ever?" Maggie asked.

Glenn nodded

"Wow, sorry. I didn't mean to wreck your first time." Maggie said.

"God probably got the gist." Glenn said

"Praying for what?" Maggie asked.

"My friends. Looks like they could all use a little right now." Glenn said, looking down. "...also for my sisters." He added.

"You have sisters?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, two of them. Shannon and Danielle, but she likes to go by Dani." Glenn answered. "Shannon went missing the other day, Dani and the rest of my group are out looking for her and two others right now."

"I'm sorry. I've got sisters myself, so I know what that must feel like."

"Yeah, I've been doing a decent job of keeping it together, but deep down... I'm scared as hell that we're not gonna find her." Glenn said.

Maggie stayed silent.

"You think—you think god exists?" Glenn asked.

"I always took it on faith. Lately I've wondered. Everything that's happened, there must've been a lot of praying going on." Maggie said. "It seems quite a few went unanswered." She added.

"Thanks. This jus really helping." Glenn said.

"Sorry. Go ahead. Really." Maggie said.

Glenn continued to pray. Maggie stayed seated. "You gonna watch?" Glenn asked.

Maggie got up and walked over to Glenn and picked up his cup. "I'll get you a refill instead." She said.

Maggie started to walk off, then stopped halfway, turned back, and looked at Glenn. "I know it's not my business and feel free to believe in god, but the thing is you've gotta make it okay somehow. No matter what happens." She said.

Maggie walked back inside the house. Glenn stayed seated outside.

~*~ ~*~

The Highway

Ellie and Carol were still on keeping watch at the R.V. Ellie looked up at the sky and admired the stars.

"You know, despite everything that's happened. At least we have a starry night." Ellie said.

Carol looked up at the sky as well.

"Reminds me a lot of the annual camping trips I took with Alex and my husband, Ben, back in the day. We'd always make sure to gaze at the stars every night, Ben once said that no matter how far apart you are from someone, that they're looking at the same stars you are." Ellie said.

Carol smiled slightly for the first time in a while. "Sophia's probably looking up at the stars right now, huh?" She said.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, along with Alex and Shannon too." She said.

Ellie then took Carol's hand and gave a reassuring look. "We're gonna find them, Carol." She said.

"We're gonna find them and they're gonna be okay." Ellie said

Carol nodded. "I hope you're right." She said.

Ellie sighed. "Me too." She said.

Ellie looked back for a moment and saw a flashlight in the distance. Ellie stood up and aimed her rifle. She looked through the scope and saw Nathan and Allie approaching. She lowered her weapon and sat back down.

Allie and Nathan approached the R.V. "Where's Dale and Marlene?" Allie asked.

"Marlene went with Daryl, Andrea, and Dani up ahead to look for Sophia. And Dale went a bit further to look through some of the cars." Ellie explained. "Y'all find anything?" She asked them.

"'No luck. Couldn't pick up a trail or anything. Sorry." Allie said.

Ellie and Carol nodded disappointingly.

"Let's hope the others find something. In the meantime, I'm gonna catch some shut eye T-Dog's church van. You know where to find me." Nathan said before walking away towards the van.

"Do you two want me to take watch next?" Allie asked.

"No, it's okay, hun. We'll wait till the others get back. Go ahead and get some rest." Carol said.

Allie nodded, then headed inside the R.V

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Kitchen)

Tyler was in the kitchen, leaning against a counter, reading the letter given to him by Hazel before he death. He wiped a tear from his eyes. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly put the letter back in his pocket.

Beth had entered the kitchen. "Hey." She greeted

Tyler gently waved at her. "Thought you were asleep." He said.

"I was, I just came for a glass of water then I'm heading back to bed." Beth said.

Tyler nodded. Beth poured herself a glass and was about to head back to bed, until she noticed something about Tyler. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tyler said.

Beth gave Tyler a look, then set her glass down and stood in front him from across the kitchen. "Yeah, that's what I used to say to whenever I was upset, plus I'm fairly familiar with that face." She said.

"What face?" Tyler questioned.

"The face of someone whose been crying, it's been a familiar acquaintance to me for a while now." Beth said.

Tyler lightly scoffed. "I'm that obvious, huh?" He said.

"A little, so I'll ask again. Are you okay?" Beth asked.

Tyler took out the letter from his back pocket and looked down at it. "I was just reading a letter my grandma left for me." Tyler said.

Beth nodded.

Tyler looked up from the letter at Beth. "We lost her a few days back, along with a few others. I hadn't had the chance to read it until now and uh... it's hitting me harder than I thought it would." He explained.

"I'm sorry. Probably shouldn't have asked I guess." Beth said.

"No, it's fine. It's actually helps to talk about it out loud. I haven't really talked about it with anyone yet. I mean, I have my cousin, but I have a feeling she's not ready just yet." Tyler said.

Beth crossed her arms. "Well, do you want to talk about it with me?" She asked.

"But you don't even know me." Tyler said

Beth shrugged. "And?" She said.

Tyler sighed. "The letter says." Tyler started.

"Tyler,

Ever since you were a young boy, you've always shown immense love and compassion for the people in your life. I know it's been hard for you lately because of who you've lost, but I know you can get through it because you are strong, just like your cousin. Even though I'm not there with you two. I'll be watching from up above. Always remember to live, not just survive. Even in this new world of ours, and I know that no matter what, y'all will make me and your parents proud.

With love,

Grandma"

Tyler started to tear up again reading it. Beth approached Tyler and hugged him tightly. "What's this for?" He asked.

"You just looked like you needed it." Beth answered.

Beth let go and stepped back. Tyler wiped away his tears. "Thanks. You should probably get to bed, it's pretty late." He said.

Beth nodded, she grabbed her glass and started walking back to her room.

"Hey." Tyler called.

Beth looked back at him.

"I never got your name." Tyler said.

"It's Beth, Beth Greene." Beth answered.

"Tyler Jones." Tyler said, introducing himself.

Beth nodded, then walked back to her room.

Tyler put the letter back in his back pocket, and lightly smiled after his talk with Beth. Tyler exited the kitchen.

Jimmy, who had been watching the whole exchange out of sight from Tyler, glared at Tyler with jealousy before heading for bed.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Living Room)

Erika was lying down on the couch. She felt her eyes getting heavy and started to close them.

She started to hear the echoes of the screams from the camp being attacked.

~*~ ~*~

Erika's Dream

Erika was running through the words, covered in the dirt, breathing heavily in an effort to catch her breath. She looked back and saw a huge horde of walkers coming after her.

She pulled out her gun firing, taking down a few walkers before beginning to run again. She suddenly trips, looks back at the horse and fires her gun again, killing a few more walkers, but then a Walker that's looks exactly like Ian appears.

She freezes as Walker Ian closes in on her, she snaps out of it and fires her gun, shooting Walker Ian in the head, except he doesn't go down.

Erika looks at it, horrified. "No. No, that's impossible." She said in fear

Walker Ian snarled and lunged for her, but Erika manages to out maneuver Walker Ian and runs away. She hides behind a tree, with her gun close to her, she could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She hears footsteps approaching, she covers her mouth in an effort to stay quiet, then when the footsteps begin to fade, she sighs in her relief.

She looks behind the tree and sees nothing. Then looks back in front of her and sees Walker Ian in front of her.

Erika screamed as Walker Ian lunged at her

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Living Room)

Erika shoots up, awakened in cold sweat and breathing heavily. She checks her pulse and feels it racing. She takes several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down.

She sits up and buries her face in her hands.

"Patricia! Erika! It's time." Hershel called.

Erika quickly pulls herself together and gets up from the couch

~*~ ~*~

Hershel, Erika, and Patricia wheeled out a table for Carl into the bedroom.

"Okay, get the corner of that bed. Get the sheets down everybody." Hershel ordered. "Get the I.V bad on the sheet." He added.

Rick moved the I.V bad into the sheet and gently moved the pillow out from under Carl's head.

Rick, Lori, Hershel, and Erika were at each corner of the bed, holding the bed sheet. "Okay, on three. One. Two. Three." Hershel s said before he, Lori, Rick, and Erika picked up the sheet, gently moving Carl onto the table.

Hershel, Patricia, and Erika began to prep for the surgery by getting the tools, removing the shade from the lamp so that they'd have ample light, and wetting rag

"Rick, Lori. You may want to step out." Hershel said.

Rick and Lori held each other, then the sound of an engine could be heard. Rick looked out the window, as well as Erika, and saw the truck Shane and Otis left in returning.

"They're back." Erika announced.

"Patricia, you stay here with him." Hershel told her.

Rick, Lori, Erika, and Hershel quickly ran outside.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Outside)

Shane parked the truck and came out, shaken.

Rick, Lori, Erika, Hershel, Glenn, Jane, Tyler, Maggie, Kristen, and T-Dog came out of the house.

"Carl?" Shane asked.

"There's still a chance." Rick told him.

Shane handed his bags Hershel and Glenn. Hershel then noticed that Otis wasn't with Shane.

"Otis?" Hershel asked

Shane shook his head. "No." He answered.

Everyone looked on with sad looks at Otis's death, especially Maggie.

"We say nothing to Patricia, not till after. I need her." Hershel said before heading back inside, along with Glenn, T-Dog, and Kristen.

Rick went to hug Shane, who still looked shaken by the ordeal.

"They just kept blocking us at every turn. We had nothing left. We were down to 10 rounds. Then he said— he said he'd cover me and that I—I should keep going, so that's what I did. I just..." Shane tried to explain, but had a hard time trying to.

"I kept going, but I... I looked back and he—he just... I tried." Shane kept explaining, trying not to cry.

"He wanted to make it right." Rick said to comfort Shane.

Lori and Jane comforted Maggie, who started to cry over the loss of Otis. Erika looked down, saddened by the loss.

Kristen however, crossed her arms and subtly looked at Shane with skepticism, not buying Shane's story.

Hershel came back outside. "Erika, we need you." He said.

"I'm coming." Erika told him. "Okay. Okay, I'm coming." She said, before heading inside to help Hershel and Patricia.

~*~ ~*~

The Highway

Dale, Ellie, and Carol were still keeping watch. They saw a flashlight in the distance, meaning that Daryl group had returned. Carol could see that Sophia want with them and sighed in disappointment

"Carol..." Ellie called, but Carol proceeded to head back into the R.V

Ellie sighed and exchanged a look with Dale. Before heading back down as well.

Daryl, Marlene, Dani, and Andrea approached the them.

"No luck?" Ellie asked

They all shook their heads, Dani and Daryl walked back into the R.V.

Ellie sighed, but looked at them with a thankful expression. "Thank y'all for trying at least." She said before heading back in the R.V.

Andrea was about to head inside as well. "Andrea." Dale called, stopping her

"What do you want, Dale?" Andre asked.

"To give you this." Dale said, handing the Andrea's gun to back to her. "I care about you, so I made a choice for you—choices. I know why I did it, but this is not my gun and the choices that I made for you, we're not mine to make." He said.

Andrea took back her gun from Dale

Marlene looked on with slightly proud look on her face with Dale admitting what he did wrong.

"But I can still ask, and this is not to make you feel guilty or put me ahead of you, but I can still ask. Please, don't make me regret this." Dale said.

Andrea looked down at the gun, then back at Dale. "I'll take watch." She said, before walking away.

"So do you—do you forgive for—" Dale started.

"Dad..." Marlene exclaimed.

Andrea stopped in her tracks at Dale's question

"Do you forgive me?" Dale asked again.

Andrea thought about it and then looked back at Dale. "I'm trying." She said, before walking away to take watch.

Dale shook his head, unsure if he did the right thing. Marlene put a hand on her father's shoulders. "Just give her some time, dad. She'll come around." She said.

Dale nodded.

"Go ahead and get some rest, I'll take watch with her." Marlene told him, before walking away to join Andrea on watch.

Dale nodded, then headed back inside the R.V.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Outside)

Rick, Lori, Shane, T-Dog, Kristen, Tyler, and Jane waited outside.

Hershel, Glenn, Erika, and Maggie came out from the house. The others stood up and gathered to hear the news.

"He seems to have stabilized." Hershel told them.

"He's gonna be fine, guys." Erika reassured.

Rick exhaled in relief. "Oh god." He muttered.

Rick went to hug Hershel, thanking him.

Lori hugged Erika. "Thank you. Thank you." She told her

"Don't mention it." Erika said.

Lori let go of Erika, and put her hands up to cover mouth. "I don't have words." She said.

"I don't either, wish I did." Hershel said. "How do we tell Patricia about Otis?" He asked.

Everyone looked unsure of how to break the news to her that Otis was dead.

Rick looked at Lori. "You go to Carl. I'll go with Hershel and Erika." He said.

Lori nodded. Everyone started to head inside.

Jane looked back and saw Shane limping, and went over to him. "Nah. Nah, it's all right. I'm fine." Shane said.

Jane rolled her eyes before putting Shane's arm over her shoulder and helped him to the door. "Yeah, the way you're limping right now says otherwise. Come on, tough guy. I got you." She said, helping Shane to the door and inside.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Inside)

Lori went inside and looked around the corner to see how Patricia would take the news.

Patricia collapsed into Hershel and Rick's arms, crying hysterically. Rick and Hershel sat her down at the table, Erika sat next to her, allowing Patricia to cry into her shoulder.

Lori covered her moth and walked away, feeling sorry for Patricia

Shane and Jane followed inside. They looked over and saw Patricia sitting at the table, crying over Otis's death.

"All right, I think I'm good." Shane said. Taking his arm off of Jane's shoulder.

"You sure?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He answered.

Erika got up from the table and walked up to Shane and Jane. "Is she gonna be okay?" Shane asked

"Her husband just died, Shane. I think it's gonna be a while before she's even close to okay." Erika said.

Shane looked down in guilt

"Sorry, it's just been a long day. For all of us, I guess." Erika said.

Shane nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna go ahead and check on Carl." He said, still feeling shaken from the ordeal

Jane and Erika nodded as Shane walked into the room that Carl was in.

"So, how are you feeling?" Jane asked Erika.

"Overall or..." Erika said.

Jane looked at her.

"I'm okay, or at least as okay as I'm gonna be. Never did a surgery like that before and if I'm lucky. I'll never have to ever again." Erika said.

"Yeah, let's hope so. Now, about what we talked about before." Jane said.

Erika rolled her eyes. "I know, Jane. I know. Just give me some time, and then I'll tell her." She said.

Jane nodded, then left the room, passing Kristen, who walked up to Erika. "Hey." She greeted.

Erika nodded to her.

"This day's been pretty crazy, huh?" Kristen said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Erika said.

"Yeah, and Shane, well... I don't think I've ever seen that shaken up before." She said.

"Yeah, well. Going through what he probably went through out there will probably do that to you." Erika said.

"Oh, I'm sure." Kristen said skeptically.

Erika noticed Kristen's tone and shook her head. "Okay, what's with the skeptic tone?" She asked.

"All I'm saying is that with what I've gone through personally in my life. I can tell when a story has an underlying scent of bullshit to it, and that look he had on his face earlier, I'm fairly familiar with it, so I can definitely say that it wasn't just from seeing Otis die, I'll tell you that much." Kristen said.

Erika rolled her eyes and groaned at Kristen's accusation.

"Jesus Christ, Kristen. Shane just went through hell and back to make sure we had the supplies we needed to save Carl and you're gonna stand here and try to accuse him of possibly killing Otis." Erika asked.

"Look, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. Hell, I'm not exactly sold on the idea myself, but for right now, I'll call it an intuition, or feeling, or vibe, or whatever you wanna call it. Again, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to." Kristen said.

"And I don't, so let's just drop it." Erika said.

Kristen shrugged. "Fine." She said.

Kristen was about to walk away, but stopped for a moment, turned back and walked towards her.

"However, if in the case you're feeling a little curious. Look through the bags and see what you find, or better yet. Take notice of that little bald spot at the top of Shane's head that definitely wasn't there before." She said, before walking away.

Erika had a puzzled look on her face, then she overheard Maggie and Shane talking. She looked around a corner. She saw Maggie hand Shane some clothes. "Thank you." He said to her

"They won't fit well. They were Otis's." Maggie told him.

Erika looked directly at Shane's head and saw the bald spot that Kristen mentioned.

Erika felt a chill go down her spine and she hid behind the wall, out of sight from Shane.

Shane looked in the direction that Erika was in, but he doesn't see her. He then proceeded to the bathroom upstairs to shower.

Erika looked over her shoulder, past the wall cautiously to see if Shane was still there, he wasn't. Erika then remembered the bags Kristen mentioned and went looking for them.

~*~ ~*~

Erika looked around the house and finally found the bags up against the wall, she looked through one and didn't find anything, then she looked in the 2nd bag and found the gun that Rick gave to Otis before they left

~*~ ~*~

Flashback (2x02)

Rick walked toward Otis, and handed him his revolver.

Otis looked at Hershel, looking down at the gun, taking it. "That's a fine weapon, Rick. I'll bring it back in good shape." He said to Rick.

Otis put the gun in his bag.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Inside)

Jane looked at the gun in disbelief, then quickly looked around before putting the rifle back in the bag and then heading outside.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Outside)

Erika went outside, leaned forward, holding onto the railing, breathing heavily . She then looked out into the truck and ran to it. She opened the door to the backseat and saw Otis's rifle.

~*~ ~*~

Flashback (2x01)

The deer is shot dead, carl falls to the ground with a bullet wound in his chest, Otis stands there shocked with the rifle in his hand.

~*~ ~*~

Flashback (2x02)

Shane, Jane, and Otis are running towards the house. The camera zooms in on the rifle that Otis was carrying.

~*~ ~*~

The Farmhouse (Outside)

Erika felt a sense of complete shock and horror. She walked away quickly from the truck and went to sit on the porch.

She covered her mouth and started to cry as the realization had now started to sink in.

Shane killed Otis