A/N: Hi I'm in the middle of stress studying, just wanted to drop this off real quick, pls leave me long rambly comments on all your thoughts so I can read them instead of crying over a textbook k thx

Episode #09:

Home Temporary Home

"The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come." –Confucius

There was no detail in the room that I could make it. No matter how hard I looked it was like I couldn't form a coherent thought or mental picture on it. Not that it really mattered. There was only one thing in the room I could make out and it was the only thing I truly cared about. It was a man, knelt in the center of the room, his face pointing downward. Still, I recognized his black hair, blue tie, and the bright red blood pooling on the stark white floor surrounding him.

"Cas? Cas!" I cried out to him desperately, and my voice sounded distant and warped. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor. No matter how much I tried to rush to him my body wouldn't listen. "Castiel!"

He was hurt. Badly. There was so much blood. It soaked his white button up shirt, dripped from his face. I struggled against the invisible force that held me back, and when I finally overcame it still I couldn't reach him. Every step I did manage to take Castiel got further away.

Castiel let out a pained gasp and his face lifted to stare at me. I came to a screeching halt as his eyes began to glow a blinding white blue. Suddenly, the shadow of two large, black wings unfurled from behind his back. They stretched out a good five or six feet on either side of him.

"C—Cas?" I breathed in shock. He screamed in pain and the shadows shattered and cracked into black glass that rained down around him. Castiel collapsed and barely caught himself by his hands. "Cas!" I sprinted forward and this time I made traction. When I got close, I slid to my knees to try and help him. My hands shot out to grasp his face, but he wouldn't look up, "Cas, you gotta let me look at you. Let me help you!"

Warm blood ran through my fingers as I finally got him to turn his face up to me.

"Victoria…"

When his face turned up to face me it was suddenly no longer Castiel. Instead, I held Rick's face as he bled out in front of me. My blood ran cold in shock and worry. He lifted a shaky hand to grab my wrist.

"Victoria…help…"

Rick had a large gash that cut across his left temple up to his forehead. His nose was broken and his lip busted. The discoloration and swelling of his right eye made me think his cheekbone was broken as well.

"Rick. What happened? Who did this to you?"

Rick's eyes left mine to stare at something over my shoulder. He swallowed and nodded once, "Him."

I spun around and came face to face with the black figure. It tilted it's head, a throaty growl filling the air, and before I could scream it lunged.

I sat up in bed panting. My hands clutched the sheets around me as I tried desperately to find my place. The room around me was empty. It was the same bedroom I had fallen asleep in. There was an ache that stemmed from my lower back and spread throughout the rest of my body. There was no darkness, there was no bleeding friends. I was alone, and we were safe.

It was just a nightmare.

Just a nightmare.

I wrapped my arms around myself, running my hands down my arm in a poor attempt to wipe away the goosebumps that had formed there. I knew it was just a terrible dream, but my still felt like it was getting ready to burst out of my chest. There was sunlight streaming through the sheer curtains covering my window, but the light offered no warmth. In fact, I felt colder than ever. Like there was a chill in my body that would never fade.

We had been on Hershel's farm a couple days now and ever since I woke up from the surgery I had been plagued with bad dreams and a foreboding sense of doom. Sitting alone in this tiny room did not help matters. With a grunt, I pushed myself out of bed and shakily tried to put on some clothes. I was still sore, I expected that much, but I could tell I was on the road to recovery. It didn't hurt to walk around the room and stretch as long as I was cautious. Although, the furthest distance I had moved so far was walking to the bathroom and back.

I pulled on a tank top that I think used to belong to Maggie and then tossed on a flannel over that. Pulling jeans on and bending over to tie my boots was a little more tricky, but I managed. Before I could get busted by Hershel or another Greene family member, I hurried out of the room and right out the front door into the open air. Not having walls around me helped infinitely and the smell of fresh air calmed my frayed nerves.

Across Hershel's large lawn, I could see the outline of my group milling about a few trees where they had set up tents. The RV was parked amongst the small camp. Seeing them, my people, that knocked out the rest of my worry. With a smile I quickly made my way toward them, eager to see them face to face again.

I had only gotten a few steps closer when one of the group turned and peeled away. The person was Daryl and I didn't know where he was planning on going, but the moment he turned to leave his eyes landed on me. I froze and lifted my hand in a wave that matched my sheepish smile.

"Hell no." Daryl barked and stormed toward me, "What the hell do you think you're doin'?"

"Good morning to you too." I said cheekily and tried to sneak by him. His arm snapped out to block me and I knew even in the best shape I wasn't going to outrun him. "So, is there anything I can say to make you forget that you saw me out here?"

Daryl nodded his head toward the house behind me, "Get back inside."

"I'm fine! Honestly, just peachy! The picture of health."

"The hell you are. You just got shot, sunshine."

"In my defense," I counted on my fingers briefly, "I was shot like four days ago." He narrowed his eyes at me, and I quickly rerouted my argument, "Daryl, I can't sit in there any longer. I need to see the sky and breathe fresh air and—" I didn't want to mention how desperate I was to see Castiel and Rick after last night's nightmare. Logically, I knew they were fine, but fear would nag at me until I saw them with my own eyes. "I'll be super careful. Please?"

Daryl scoffed and mumbled something under his breath before marching away. I was tempted to call out a thanks behind him, but I also didn't want to push my already thinning luck. I grinned at his back before continuing my journey to camp.

It looked like they had really settled in. Tents were made, a fire was going in the center, and Carol even had a line set up as she worked on laundry again. I frowned at the sight of her. Sophia still hadn't been found and I could see her actions were meant to be busy work. Something to keep her mind off the trauma.

I turned away from her and spotted Rick standing by the front of a blue pick-up truck looking over a map. Hershel and Maggie stood beside him. Rick looked good though. He had on jeans and a plain shirt and there was no sign of injuries or blood on him. I heaved a sigh of relief I hadn't know I was holding and Rick glanced over at me. His blue eyes caught mine before turning away, but he was quick to do a double take as he realized what he had seen.

"Victoria?" I gulped. Honestly, I should've known that Daryl wasn't going to be the only obstacle I'd have to overcome in order to get permission to stay out here.

Other eyes had drifted over to me and I lifted my hand into my second awkward wave of the day, "Morning, everyone."

"What are you doing out of bed?" Rick demanded.

Hershel was quick to jump in on the conversation, "You should be lying down still. You had surgery not too long ago."

"Really I feel fine." I replied quickly and walked closer to them.

Rick shook his head, "I'm glad, but this is too soon. You need to get back in bed now."

"I'm three days post-op which means at this point it's healthy for me to walk around a lot. Blood clot prevention and all that. Plus, as long as I don't do heavy lifting and keep my wound clean, I'm more than fine. I probably would've been discharged by now since I've had no complications."

Hershel seemed appeased by my answer, but Rick kept his level glare of concern on me. I offered him another smile. Rick raised his eyebrow at me before looking back to his map. It was his quiet way of telling me this argument was far from over.

"We're running low on supplies. I should make a run into town." Maggie spoke up, pulling all attention to her.

Rick furrowed his brow, "Not the place where Shane went?"

"No. There's a pharmacy just a mile down the road." Maggie shrugged. The pretty woman looked made for the country with her cowboy hat and boots. "I've done it before."

"Sounds dangerous." Rick thought aloud. He hummed, "What if I got one of my own to tag along?"

I leaned against the truck beside him, "Oh, how about—"

"No." Rick said firmly. He sent me a glare. Obviously, he had thought I was going to volunteer myself. As fun as a trip into town sounded, I knew it would be pushing way past my current limits.

I rolled my eyes, "I was gonna say Glenn."

"Glenn?" Hershel questioned. "The boy who was donating blood?"

Rick nodded, "He's our go-to-town expert. I'd ask him along just to be cautious."

Hershel and Maggie agreed and the conversation shifted to something else. Gradually, I began to back pedal away from the truck to explore some more. The three were too caught up with the map in front of them to notice me slip away. I turned and began to look for another familiar face.

Castiel didn't catch my eye, but Shane did as he stepped out of the RV. I hadn't seen him since I had gotten shot and my eyes widened when they landed on his shaved head. Shane had a haircut, I see. He also had on an ankle wrap and I couldn't miss the limp in his stride.

"Shane!" I hurried as quickly as I could to catch up to him.

He glanced back at me in confusion and pulled his 'sheriff' baseball cap out of his back pocket to slide onto his head, "What are you doing out of bed, Tori?"

"Long story, I'm a doctor—sort of—just trust me on this." I brushed off the question, "I wanted to say thank you though. You haven't been in the house the last few days so I haven't seen you, but Rick told me everything… Shane, I owe you my life. Thank you."

Shane stiffened and he rubbed the back of his neck with hand, not making eye contact with me. It looked like my praise made him feel awkward. Before I could apologize for that he cleared his throat, "Was nothing. You saved Carl… least I could do."

I nodded, my smile not wavering, "Is your ankle alright? Did Hershel look at it? I could take another look, maybe re-wrap it if it isn't comfortable enough or if you're feeling too much pain."

Shane glanced down at it but shook his head, "Nah. I'm fine. Take it easy today, Tori."

I called out another thank you to him, but he continued on his way to wherever he was going. Shane seemed upset, but before I could ponder on that long Glenn and Castiel stepped into my line of vision. They both stopped in shock and lifted hands to point at me.

"Yes, I know. I'm out of bed and no one is happy about it."

Glenn came over and quickly set his hand on my arm as if he was expecting me to keel over at any moment, "Of course we're happy you're out here with us and stuff, but are you sure you should be? Don't you need more rest?"

"No more than you!" I argued and lifted a hand to his face. His color had returned a couple days ago, "How do you feel?"

"Tori, I donated blood. You got shot."

"Yeah, but you had to donate a lot. Castiel told me you passed out the day after my surgery." I said in worry.

Glenn shot Castiel a non-intimidating glare and Castiel just shrugged in response, "She asked about you. I couldn't lie."

"I'm fine now." Glenn shook his head, "Hershel pumped me full of food and juice and I got rest. Honestly, I feel great."

"Good. I feel great too!" I argued my point. "Besides, this isn't even my first time getting shot so—"

Glenn scoffed, "You don't build up an immunity to it and wait—you were shot before?!"

I hadn't meant to let that tidbit slip. Castiel already knew about it. After talking more about the shit show we had in common I had told him about my coma induced memory. Luckily, Glenn didn't have the time to press further because Maggie walked up to us and tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped and spun around right as she began to speak with a smirk on her lips, "I hear you're fast on your feet and know how to get in and out."

"Uh—" Glenn eloquently replied.

"Got a pharmacy run. You in?" Maggie asked. Castiel and I shared a glance before looking back to Glenn. He nodded once, stuttering out a confirmation, and I chuckled in amusement. "Great, we'll leave in twenty. I'll get the horses ready."

Dale came over to ask Maggie about where he could get some water, and he gave me a warm smile before she led him away. Glenn slowly turned to face Castiel and I as her words finally clicked in his brain, "Horses?"

"Hah." I snorted, remembering the last time I was on a horse, "Have fun with that, Casanova."

"Who is Casanova?" Castiel leaned over and asked me.

I chuckled and turned to leave. Castiel asked the question again to Glenn this time. I got a couple feet away from the duo when Rick stepped out from the RV and directly into my path with his lips drawn in a tight line of disappointment.

"You gonna arrest me?" I smirked and lifted my hands up to him.

"You're pretty cheeky for someone who nearly died a few days ago."

"Well, I didn't—die that is." I shrugged, "I'm alive and as it turns out that makes me very cheeky. A celebration of life, if you will."

Rick couldn't help but chuckle and the laugh melted away the tired, disappointment he had been wearing previously, "Come on."

He led me back to the house and my first instinct was to dig my heels into the ground and argue, but Rick had a vibe about him that made me think this walk wasn't just about me. As we got to the house, I sat down on the porch steps. Rick eyed me warily but sighed and settled down on the step beside me. We both sat silently, just looking out over the camp.

Shane and Andrea were sitting at a picnic table cleaning guns. Last I heard, Hershel didn't want anyone carrying while on his property, so I bet they were cleaning them up one last time before putting them away. I'm sure Andrea was just thrilled about that. Lori and Carol were folding clothes while Carl read a book beside his mother. T-Dog, Glenn, and Castiel were working around the fire pit on something.

"Maybe it's a good thing I got shot."

Without looking, I could feel Rick's gaze snap to me in surprise, "Why would you say that?"

"I mean, look around." I shrugged. "Carl is safe, we found a camp ground that isn't infested, we have an actual home base to get this search for Sophia organized… This is the best things have been. Right?"

"Doesn't mean we should be happy you got shot." Rick mumbled in disagreement.

I laughed and faced him, "I'm not saying we should throw a party about the fact. I'm just saying that… the good outweighs the bad. Plus, I'm not dead so honestly it all worked out."

Rick's eyes softened at my words. He just sat there staring intensely and having his full attention like that made me squirm in my seat. Rick cleared his throat, "That's why I like talking to you."

"Huh?"

Rick smiled, "The world's gone to hell in a handbasket, but you only have positive things to say. You don't linger on the unavoidable. You just move on and start working on a solution. I didn't think it was possible anymore, but you see the bright side."

"Well, someone has to." I joked and tried not to blush at the compliment.

"That's why Lori wasn't your fan, you know?" Rick chuckled.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, "She wasn't my fan because, as Daryl so aptly puts it, I'm a ray of walking sunshine?"

"No." Rick laughed again. "She sees me smiling when I'm around you. She thinks you flirt with me." My thoughts ricocheted back to the conversation I had with Lori. Was that seriously the issue here? "As if I'd ever cheat on her… I know we've had out share of rough times, but I would never—I couldn't—"

"Please." I scoffed and quickly tried to veer us away from that topic, "As if I'd flirt with you. I'd like to think I could do a little better."

Rick chuckled and set his hand on the back of my neck in a comforting squeeze, "You could do a lot better, trust me."

His hand slipped away, and I felt my throat tighten. Now seemed like a good time to mention that his wife and his best friend had something going on. As good as a time as any at least. It wasn't like that news ever had an ideal time to be shared. We still hadn't found Sophia yet though and Shane… Well, if Shane was a good enough man to risk his life to save me, a virtual stranger, then that changed things a little too. Maybe there was more to this? Maybe I should confront Shane or Lori first and tell them to tell Rick.

At least then I wouldn't have to be the one to hold the awkward conversation.

"Daryl?" Rick stood up and I shook my head to focus.

Daryl had been walking toward the forest line, but when Rick called out to him he stopped long enough to glance in our direction. In his usual, cheerful manner he snapped, "What?"

"You ok on your own?" Rick asked.

"Didn' we already have this talk?" Daryl scoffed, "I'm better on my own. Be back before dark."

Rick stepped off the porch so he'd be closer, "Hey, we got a base. We can get this search organized properly now."

Daryl met him forward with a step, a sneer drawn on his face, "You got a point or are we just chattin'?"

"My point is," Rick shook his head, "It lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything."

Daryl shifted his weight from foot to foot before shrugging, "My other plans fell through."

A slow smile crept on my face at his words. He started to walk off again and I stood and called out to him, "Careful, Daryl! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Daryl tossed me a light glare over his shoulder, but still raised one hand in slight confirmation. I sat back down and leaned my arms against my knees. Rick turned so he stood in front of me now. I grinned at him, "I could've told you he wasn't just gonna stop."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He's a good guy." I replied. "You just gotta dig. Deep, deep, deep down."

Rick glanced back at Daryl before returning his eyes to me. There was amusement in his gaze now though, "So, you and Daryl?"

As often as T-Dog teased me about this, you'd think I'd be used to it, but Rick's words caught me off guard entirely. I hadn't expected the teasing to come from the deputy sheriff of all people. I opened my mouth and closed it a few times, like a fish out of water, and I was sure it did nothing to help my case. Rick laughed and I finally managed to get a handle of my words, "No! We're just friends—and barely even that. I think he's still on the fence of trying to decide to hug me or stab me." Despite my words, Rick's smile grew even more smug. I pointed at him as threating as I could, "This is harassment. I could take you to court, Officer Grimes."

"I hear Andrea used to be some kind of lawyer. You could always try it."

I snorted, "Yeah, because Andrea's gonna wanna help me with anything."

Rick let out a loud laugh and it made me happy to see him not so tense. The guy really did take on too much stress and guilt. It wasn't healthy to put that much weight on your shoulders alone. Seeing him smile and laugh though, it was like watching Atlas set down the weight of the world. Our fearless leader turned into just a normal friend, "You're right. Maybe steer clear of her, Victoria."

"Why do you call me Victoria?" I blurted.

Rick paused in thought, "I… I don't know. Sorry, would you prefer Tori?"

"No." I shook my head, "Victoria is fine I just… was curious. It's nice. Suits you, to call me Victoria instead of Tori."

"Not as nice as when Daryl calls you sunshine though?"

"Oh my God." I scoffed and he chuckled again. A small smile slipped onto my own lips, "Where is this even coming from? You're as bad a T-Dog."

The screen door behind me swung open with a screech and I jumped up in surprise. Unfortunately, I also twisted in a way that caused a sharp pain to shoot up my back. Hershel had been the one to storm out, impatience and irritation drawn across his older features, and he walked across the porch to stop at the top of the stairs. I grimaced at the pain that was now ebbing away and took the final step down so I was standing beside Rick in the dirt.

Rick followed Hershel's gaze across the lawn to the camp and cleared his throat, "We could give you more space."

I glanced at Rick, his hands on his hips and a twinge of desperation in his eyes, and quickly caught onto the game we were playing here. I hummed in agreement and motioned out in the distance to where a rundown barn was located, "We could set up by the barn. It's a lot further out so you wouldn't have to hear our camp or anything like that."

"No, no need for that." Hershel axed the plan as swiftly as we had come up with it.
"Better you stay close to the house. I don't say this easily, Rick. We don't normally take in strangers. I can't have your people thinking this is permanent." He nodded toward me, "Once you find this girl and Tori is more fit to travel, I expect y'all to move on."

Hershel brushed past us in the direction of his horse stables while Rick and I just stood there shocked at the news. We may have had a good home base and safe camp now, but it was temporary. Damn, maybe I should've stayed in bed longer. As much as I hated the thought, if part of our stay here was centered on my injury then I would've milked it for all its worth. I glanced over at Rick to see the relaxed, laughing friend I had been talking to was gone. Atlas was back, and Rick had taken on yet another weight to the many he was already juggling.

"We're gonna be fine." I said as firmly as I could.

"Yeah. You're right." Rick replied, but it was halfhearted and hardly believable. "I gotta go, don't stress your injury today."

Without a parting glance, he walked away the task of getting me back into bed completely forgotten. I sighed and began the slow trek back into camp. When I finally got to the outskirts, I noticed a few people were missing. Glenn was still here though so I veered toward him with the plans to find out what was going on.

He stood by a picnic table using a pair of binoculars to stare out across a field. Worry plagued me at the sight. People were missing and was he on look out? Was something happening? I glanced out over the field straining my eyes, but all I saw was a figure that looked like Maggie riding a horse while leading another toward camp.

"Hello, farmer's daughter." Glenn mumbled. Relief hit me like a brick wall and I smirked in amusement before side stepping so I was directly in his view. Glenn squealed and jumped back in surprise, dropping the binoculars, "Tori!"

"Really, Glenn?" I chuckled, "You're stalking the poor girl now?"

"No." He bent over to scoop up the binoculars and began to clean the glass with his shirt, "I was just—you know… keeping watch."

I smirked, "Mhmm, I'm sure." Glenn gave me a sheepish smile in return. I had more to mock him for, but Lori sauntered up with a piece of paper in her hand. She glanced at Glenn nervously before looking back to me. "Hey, Lori."

"Hi, mind if I talk to Glenn alone?"

"Sure. He's a little busy keeping watch though." I winked at Glenn who blushed. Lori obviously didn't want me around for the conversation, but I was happy to oblige. Things had felt awkward since she came to talk to me while I was laid up in bed.

I poked my head into the RV, still trying to find T-Dog or Castiel, but they weren't in there either. The plan had been to find a friend and relax with them, but I guess I could relax on my own. Just as I settled with my back up plan, Castiel came jogging past the RV into my line of sight. I called out to him and he skidded to a stop before rushing to me.

"Tori we have a problem. Where is Rick?"

My pulse quickened, "He's with Hershel still I think, what's going on?"

"We found a walker."

"Well, did you kill it?"

Castiel's mouth tightened in a line of concern, "Perhaps you should just come with me."

He began to lead me out of camp answering every question I had about if everyone was safe and unharmed. About halfway out to where I could see a small group gathered, Lori and Glenn caught up to us trying to figure out what was happening as well. When we got closer, I could see the group consisted of Shane, Dale, T-Dog, Andrea, and Maggie. They stood around a hole in the ground that looked like some sort of well based off the water pipe sticking out of the ground near it and the wooden pallet cover thrown off to the side.

"Cas, T-Dog, and I noticed it while gathering water." Dale explained loudly. Like the others who had just arrived on scene, I stepped forward and took a peek down into the dark hole. A groan lifted up to meet my ears and I grimaced at the sight of a bloated walker clawing the air while standing in dark water that came up to its mid chest. "It seems we have a swimmer on our hands."

"He doesn't seem to be a very good one." Castiel murmured. He had one hand on my shoulder as if ready to yank me back if I got too close to the edge.

Glenn made a face of disgust, "How long do you think it's been down there?"

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea snorted.

Lori sighed and motioned to the well, "We can't leave it down there. God knows what it's doing to the water."

Shane readjusted the hat on his head with a shrug, "So we get it out."

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head." T-Dog scoffed. Shane clapped his hands and offered to get a rope.

Maggie jumped forward and stuck her hands out, "Whoa, whoa, guys, no."

Both men stopped to glance at each other. Glenn rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, why not? It's a good plan."

"It's a stupid plan." Andrea scoffed and looked into the well again.

She didn't seem like she was going to elaborate for them so I gave them a tight lipped smile, "If the walker hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will definitely finish the job."

Shane rubbed his jawline, "Damn, they're right. Can't risk it."

"So the ugly mofo has to come out alive." T-Dog groaned. I couldn't help but agree with his sentiment. That little detail made this whole ordeal 100 times harder.

Glenn glanced around, "So how are we gonna do that?"

Everyone paused in silence to think. I leaned forward a bit again to look at the walker who was trying to grasp the stone walls of the well as if it could possibly climb up. It didn't even look human anymore. The water had caused its face to swell to something unrecognizable. I let out a low whistle and eyes began to pull back to me.

"We could always go fishing." I offered.

The idea was quickly put into place as Maggie ran back to her house for bait. She came back with a large chunk of canned ham. Dale tied it to the end of his rope, which would be the fishing line, and Shane tied another rope into a noose so they could connect that one to the 'fish' in question.

Both men lowered their ropes into the well and everyone else gathered around to eagerly watch. Dale got the ham at eye level, and the walker pawed at it once, but then it turned its attention back to trying to scale the walls to us.

"He's not going for it." Dale groaned.

T-Dog raised an eyebrow with a scoff, "Maybe because canned ham don't kick and scream when you try and eat it."

"He's right." Lori leaned back onto her heels, "There's a reason the dead didn't come to life and start raiding out cupboards."

I crossed my arms, "Guess that ideas sunk too. What's plan C?"

"No, no." Andrea argued, "Plan B is still viable, we just need live bait."

Slowly, the eyes of the group began to lock onto Glenn who was still looking down into the well curiously. He glanced up at us with a smile, but when he noticed all the looks his smile quickly turned into a tired sigh. I shoved forward to stand in front of him, in shock that they could even think this was a good idea, "Hell no. This is a stupid and reckless idea!"

"All he needs to do is get the noose around the walker's neck." Andrea shrugged.

I leveled my glare at her, "Oh, is that all? Then how about you do it, Andrea."

A hand settled on my shoulder and I glanced back to see Glenn shaking his head. I turned and he shrugged, "It's fine. Someone needs to do it." He glanced over at Shane, "Get the rope ready."

Shane nodded and I stepped closer to whisper, "This is a terrible idea. You don't have to do this, Glenn. We can spend the time to think of something else."

"Thanks, Tori." Glenn smiled and took his hat off. He set it on top of my head, "Watch my hat while I'm down there?"

"As long as you promise to watch your ass." I readjusted the ballcap he had put on me and crossed my arms again. I didn't like any part of this. The walker may have been bloated and slow, but there were too many variables to bet on a plan like this working. There were way too many things that could go very, very wrong. My worry didn't come from a lack of faith in Glenn's skills. It came from knowing that the universe liked sticking us with the short end of the stick.

I followed Glenn to the edge and watched as Shane began to tie the rope around Glenn's body. He wrapped it around the Korean's thighs and then waist. Just as if he was about to go rock climbing rather than diving into a walker ridden well. Glenn sat down, his legs dangling into the well, while Shane tightened the last few knots.

"Have I mentioned that I really like your new haircut?" Glenn said nervously. Sometime in the talk, Shane had stripped out his baseball cap as well. "You have a nice shaped head."

"Don't worry, buddy." Shane assured, "You worry about getting that noose around the walker's head and we'll get you out in one piece." Shane clapped him on the shoulder before standing to wrap the rest of the rope around the pipe a few feet off so it'd work like a pulley system.

Glenn cleared his throat, "Living piece. The living part if important."

The others began to grab the rope and I reached out for it only to have Castiel stop me before I even got close. He shook his head firmly and I gave him a hard look. Shane was the one to speak up though from behind me, "Don't touch that rope, Tori. We don't need you poppin' stitches today. We got this."

They were right. I knew pulling on a rope in my condition was just as terrible of an idea as lowering Glenn into the well, but the thought of standing by and just watching as my best friend risked his life made me feel sick to my stomach. Dale set his hands on my shoulders and steered me toward the well, "Why don't you and Maggie keep an eye for us?"

I nodded once, feeling somewhat better, and stood beside the cowgirl as this awful adventure began. Glenn called out nervously, "Nice and slow please."

"We got you." Andrea replied.

Shane was at the front of the rope with Andrea, Castiel, Lori, T-Dog, and then Dale behind him. They slowly began to lower Glenn in following Shane's lead as he controlled the speed of the descent.

Maggie shook her head, her arms crossed tightly around her, "Oh, you people are crazy."

Shane grunted, "You wanna get this thing outta your well or not?"

Maggie leaned forward, "Doing ok?"

"Doing great!" Glenn chirped followed by a quiet murmur, "Living the dream."

"Just a little lower." I said firmly. "Couple more feet at the most."

The walker's groans got louder as Glenn got lower. In fact, the walker's groans were so loud and prominent, and I was so focused on Glenn, that I didn't hear the creaking of metal until it was far too late. I glanced up just in time to see the metal pipe the rope was around bend in half then get ripped out of the ground.

"Glenn!" I screamed as he suddenly dropped toward the walker with a cry of his own.

Castiel dove on top of the pipe at last minute and planted his feet against the rim around the hole in the ground. Shane, T-Dog, and Dale were quick to wrap their arms around him. I didn't hesitate to do the exact same thing and suddenly we were all wrapped around one another trying to give Castiel the strength to pull the pipe back. The sound of water sloshing and Glenn screaming to be pulled back up mingled with the groans of the dead man.

The group struggled with the pipe, but eventually manged to pull it back far enough that Glenn could grab the rim with his hands. T-Dog broke free of the group to hurry forward and grab Glenn's hands. He yanked him onto solid ground, and everyone collapsed with the weight of the pipe gone. I felt a sharp pain in my back, but ignored it and rushed to Glenn to wrap him in a quick hug. Glenn barely had time to reciprocate it before I pulled away to look for bites or scratches, "Are you ok!?"

He nodded once but bent over on his knees to try and catch his breath. I left one hand on his back. Dale threw his hands up, "Well, back to the drawing board."

Glenn's head snapped up at the words and he pushed himself off his knees. I took a step back at the sudden motion and watched as Glenn marched forward to shove a rope into Dale's open hand, "Says you."

Dale tugged on the rope once and we all realized it was tied successfully around the walker's neck. I slapped him on the back lightly with a laugh, "My badass Korean!"

Glenn grinned at me and then leaned against me with a tired, yet accomplished look on his face. I chuckled and held his weight as best I could while also taking the hat off my head to place back on his own.

"You were quick on your feet there, Cas." Shane noted. There was still an air of distrust around Shane, but I could see this had done a lot to bridge that gap.

"Of course." Castiel nodded.

Andrea gushed over his bravery, batting her eyes at him, but Glenn interrupted her flirting to wrap Castiel in a hug that Castiel obviously didn't know what to do with. I chuckled at the sight until T-Dog called out that we needed to get this over and done with.

The group grabbed the rope again, this time the one connected to the walker, and began to pull the creature up. I steered clear of rope noticing that my back was aching something awful after the incident before. When I reached back I didn't feel any warm, wet blood though so that was a plus.

With another heave, the group dragged the animated corpse half out of the well. Its head was peeking up and out now and it used it's enlarged arms to try and grab at the ground. Seeing the horrific thing in broad daylight was worse than seeing it at the bottom of the well. Its skin was a disgusting pasty blue and the skin seemed to almost slough off as it was pulled against the edge of the well.

"It's stuck!" T-Dog barked and I realized despite the group pulling on the rope with their whole strength combined, the walker wasn't budging another inch forward. I took a step toward it wondering if there was anything I could do to help, but instead I ended up having a front row seat to watching the walker be ripped in half. The lower half of the body had gotten stuck on the rim and now it fell back into the well leaving only the walker's torso, head, and arms on dry ground. My stomach flipped at the sight of rotted blood and intestines in the dirt.

The group dropped the rope and everyone realized an almost unified groan of disappointment and irritation. Dale sighed, pursing his lips together, "We should seal off this well."

Shane nodded once, turning away from it, "Yeah. Might be a good idea."

I motioned to the walker who, despite missing his lower half, was still trying to reach out and grab one of us. Its attempts were pathetic though since his reach was limited. "What do we do about—" My question was cut off by T-Dog who had grabbed the loose pipe and was now swinging it into the thing's skull. He hit him a couple extra times beyond what was needed while everyone else just watched. I nodded, "'Kay. That works."

"Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." T-Dog scoffed and threw the pipe into the well.

Castiel, Shane, and Dale said they'd take care of the corpse and of sealing off the well. Glenn and Maggie finally took off on their run which left me walking back to camp with Andrea and Lori. It was awkward and tense and the moment we hit camp I veered off to do my own thing.

"Hey, Tori!" Carl bounced up to me with a deck of old playing cards in his hands. They had definitely seen better days. "Wanna play some cards with me?"

I grinned at him and rested my hand in his hair, "Sure, kid." He beamed back and led me toward an empty picnic table. I took the cards from him and began to shuffle, "Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you, though."

The town around them was silent. That was one thing Glenn still hadn't fully wrapped his head around. It was jarring to see buildings gutted and empty, cars abandoned and broken, all around him. It was moments like this, traveling down an empty street in the middle of town, that he truly realized the world was dead. Life as he knew it was gone and this was the only reality he had left.

He glanced over at the woman riding the horse beside him. Maggie hadn't said much, other than directions and tips for the horse, since they left the farm. The silence coming from her was almost as unnerving as the silence around them.

"I usually do this alone." He spoke up. Glenn's words hung on the air, un-replied to, and his awkward brain didn't learn his lesson then. "Solo." Again, Maggie didn't even acknowledge that he was speaking. Glenn figured he should take that as a hint, but seconds later he found words falling out of his mouth yet again, "Are you ok?"

Maggie stiffened, "I'm fine."

Glenn's eyes widened at the reply. He could follow this line of thought, "I saw the look on your face back at the well. Never seen one killed up close before?" Silence. "Guess it's kind of a shock. You know, being out on the road we've seen a lot. Guess we've gotten a little numb to it."

"Whoa." Maggie commanded her horse and Glenn struggled to get his to also stop in front of the small store front. She glanced at him quickly, "I guess so."

She hopped off her horse and tied the reigns to a lamppost on the street. Glenn followed her actions before jogging to catch up to her as she walked up to the store's front door. The sign hanging above the door was gone, and the glass front was shattered, but there was still a cardboard sign plastered in the corner that read, 'Take what you need and God bless'.

Maggie pushed the door open and Glenn followed her in. The store was small, only a few shelves up front knocked over and scattered around, and the rest of the building was a pharmacy contained behind a counter that cut the room in half. He glanced around for any sign of walkers, but didn't hear, smell, or spot anything risky.

"I'll go see what antibiotics are left." She looked to him, "What else is on the list?"

"Uh," Glenn fished the two lists given to him out of his pocket. He glanced at them before handing the one Rick gave him, the longer one, to her, "Why don't you get started?"

Maggie was already reading the list when she replied, "What about you?"

The list Lori had given him was still held tightly in his hand. She had been very specific about this being something kept between the two of them. She wasn't clear in what she wanted or why she wanted it, but Glenn promised to help her out all the same.

"I'm just gonna look around and she what's worth grabbing." He shrugged, "Just some general stuff."

Maggie didn't question him further and moved to the back to find what the group needed. Glenn turned and begin to dig through the piles of debris and products on the floor. Lori had said to check the feminine hygiene section, but this store didn't really have sections anymore. It was more of a free-for-all.

He continued to dig around until finally he spotted the words 'True Blue' on a box. Glenn grinned, feeling accomplished, but the moment he picked it up and read the words on the box his grin melted into panic. 'True Blue' was a pregnancy test. Did Lori think she was pregnant?

Glenn was so absorbed in his thoughts he didn't hear Maggie walk up to him until she spoke, "What you got?"

He threw the box into his open book bag and grabbed the first thing his hand hit on the ground. Glenn offered her a smile and held up the item he had grabbed to show her, "I uh—just like I said… general stuff."

Maggie's eyes darted to the box in his hands back to his face without showing an ounce of emotion, "Condoms?"

Glenn's head snapped to look at the box in his hand to see that like she had said he had indeed grabbed a box of condoms. If the world would just open up beneath him and swallow him whole right now that's be great. He could feel the heat in his face as he tried, and struggled, to come up with a competent explanation to what he was holding.

She crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow, "Those for you and Tori?"

"No!" Glenn blurted firmly. "No, no, I'm not—we're not—she probably likes Daryl and I think he likes her and I—I don't want him to like kill me in my sleep so no but—wait, I mean I didn't like her anyways! Well, obviously as a friend I do, but I'm not—even if Daryl wasn't a thing we wouldn't— friends. We're just friends."

Glenn had the sudden urge to punch himself in the face.

Maggie nodded once, "So you're just a confident guy then?"

"Wait, no!" Glenn shook his head, catching on to what she was implying, "I would never—not you—"

"Something wrong with me?" Maggie asked taking off her hat and tossing it aside.

Glenn swallowed the lump in his throat and chuckled nervously, "No, not at all, I just… I would never have sex."

Maggie bit down a smile at his obvious nervous energy and shrugged, "I'll have sex with you."

In the fear that this was some kind of trap, Glenn froze up. Had she just—? Did she just say—? He could feel his brain short circuiting on him and all he managed to say was, "Really? Why?"

"You're asking questions?"

Part of him was screaming to shut up and not look this gift horse in the mouth, but the other half of him was too curious not to continue questioning this. It was hardly how he expected his day to go, "I can't help wondering."

"It's not like our options are vast these days." Maggie shrugged out of her bookbag and closed the space between them. Glenn stiffened as she took his baseball cap off and tossed it aside with hers, "Plus, you're not the only one lonely."

Glenn didn't relax until he felt Maggie's lips press against his and even then, it wasn't until her tongue trace his bottom lip that he felt his entire body turn to gelatin. He wrapped his arms around her without hesitation and deepened the kiss.

"All of y'all are filthy cheaters." T-Dog snapped as he threw his cards down on the table. It was late in the day, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and a group had gathered around to play a card game after my initial partner was called away by his mom.

"Nobody likes a sore loser, T." I cooed at him.

He playfully glared at me, "Nobody likes a cheater either!"

I snickered at his expense. Castiel had been the first to join me once Carl was gone and I had taught him how to play Texas Hold 'em. Then T-Dog joined, then Glenn when he got back from his supply run wearing a stupid grin, and finally Shane joined as well.

"I'll raise you making dinner tomorrow." Shane smirked. Money wasn't exactly worth anything anymore, so the small crowd was betting chores.

Glenn glanced at his cards before setting them down dejectedly. Castiel on the other hand nodded once, "I match with laundry duty."

Shane, who was sitting across from me, chuckled, "What about you, little miss Tori? You in or out?"

"I match with a back massage." I replied with a smirk of my own. Technically I had no chores for the next few days according to anyone I tried to help. Nobody wanted me straining my back so I was barred from everything except watch and babysitting duty.

Glenn hummed in thought, "I don't know, is that even worth dinner and laundry duty?"

"Doctor's steady hands? I'll take it." Shane nodded then raised an eyebrow at me, "You better be good though."

"Since I'm gonna win, I don't have to be." I trash talked back.

Shane laughed as Carol called out that dinner was ready. T-Dog and Glenn rushed away to get food saying they had no vetted interest in this anymore. Shane put down his hand confidently, a pair of Kings, and grinned until I set down my own hand of a pair of Aces with a grin of my own. Shane mumbled a curse under his breath.

"I think I have a full house." Castiel set his hand down. We both glanced over in surprise and groaned when we realized he definitely did have a full house. Castiel had a small smile on his face, "So I win?"

"Didn't you just teach him this damn game?" Shane questioned.

I packed up the cards, "Don't remind me."

By time I finished cleaning up, Glenn came back with a plate for me and a plate for himself. I thanked him and immediately began to dig in. My appetite had been iffy the last few days, but it was back full force now. The group sat around the fire eating and talking until the sun was nearly gone. Shane and Andrea were sitting by the Grimes family and Carol while I sat across the fire from them in between Glenn and Castiel. T-Dog and Dale were on the other side of Glenn.

A warm laugh bubbled out of me as T-Dog wrapped up on telling a story about his past. I glanced around again but noticed this time Carol was missing. Another pang of worry shot through me. I prayed she wasn't somewhere alone mourning her missing daughter. As I looked around though I spotted her outside the RV with Daryl.

I nearly called out to Daryl, excited to see that he was back safe and sound, but my voice caught in my throat as he handed her a pretty, white flower. Carol had tears in her eyes and a soft look on her face. A warmth filled my chest at the sight. I always knew Daryl was a good guy, but maybe that goodness wasn't as deep, deep down as I assumed. I knew I had to be wearing the stupidest of grins, and I forced myself to tear my gaze away so he wouldn't catch me watching.

"Everything ok?" Glenn asked me.

I nodded, "Yeah." Quickly, I rose and stretched while ignoring the ache. Glenn had told me one of these tents out here was made with me in mind. I leaned toward him and tried to speak quietly, "Hey, which tent is mine?"

"No." Rick cut in suddenly. I guess I hadn't been as quiet as I intended. "Hershel wants you sleeping in the house and so do I. The ground ain't good for your back, even with a sleeping bag."

"It's fine, I don't wanna impose."

"Come on, I'll walk you up there."

Rick began to stand and set his plate aside, but Castiel beat him to it, "I can take her. You're still eating."

Lori reached out to hold her husband's hand. She squeezed it once and he sat down with a smile of thanks to Castiel. I called out a quick 'good night' that was replied to in a chorus like fashion. The trek to the house was quiet and we lost the last bit of light left as the dun dipped out entirely.

When we got to the front door, I tried to decide whether to knock or just walk in, but Castiel took the decision out of my hand by barging in. My eyes widened and I followed after him. Hershel stepped out of his living room at the noise and his brows furrowed at the sight of us. I gave him an awkward smile, "Hey, Hershel."

"I need to check your wounds. Stay right here."

He stepped out of view and I turned to give Castiel a hug he didn't really react to. He never reacted to any hug I gave him though. When I pulled away though Castiel didn't move. I gave him a curious look, "You good?"

"Are you sure you will be ok here?"

"Of course. Why?"

Castiel glanced around skeptically, his shoulders were tense with apprehension, "I just—I feel wary. Something feels wrong."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to let his words settle in my mind. I was having enough trouble sleeping as is, I didn't need to add to the fire. Quickly, I reached forward and gripped his arm, "Why don't you just get some sleep, Cas. I'll see you in the morning. Everything will be fine."

Castiel nodded and left leaving me standing in a strange foyer with a rock in my gut. Footsteps made me turn, thinking the old grumpy man had returned, but instead I came face to face with an older blonde woman. Her hair was tied back in a bun and her face was marred with lines of exhaustion. She offered me a small smile before trying to move on.

"Wait!" I called out. "Are you Patricia?"

I had heard a lot about her, but this was the first time I had come face to face. She had helped Hershel in my surgery and her husband had died getting supplies to save my life. Patricia steeled herself and nervously nodded, "I am."

"I never got to thank you." I said softly. "Hershel told me you assisted him in the surgery… thank you so much. I owe you my life."

"It was nothing. Don't mention it." Patricia brushed off the praise.

I sucked in a sharp breath, "You… You were Otis' wife right? The guy who—"

"It was an accident." Patricia's demeanor fell, "He didn't mean to shoot you, the bullet went clean through th—"

"No, no, no." I stepped forward and tried to calm her down, "That wasn't what I was going to… I understand it was just a dumb accident. I just wanted to say…it's ok? I mean, he—he died trying to get the supplies to save me, but that wasn't necessary. He didn't have to do that, he didn't owe me anything, and I wouldn't have ever held what happened against him." I set my hand on her elbow with a sad smile, "I'm just so thankful for your husband. He was a good man, and I wish… I wish I could've talked to him at least once."

Tears welled up in Patricia's eyes and I was taken aback when she lunged forward and wrapped me up in a tight hug. I flinched slightly when that same annoying ache shot through me, but I hugged her back as best I could.

She pulled back and wiped the stray tears from her face, "Thank you."

Patricia hurried away and I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. I didn't mean to make her tear up again, but it seemed like it wasn't entirely a sad cry.

"That was very kind of you." Hershel stepped back into the foyer. He had a bag in his hand, a medical kit made of leather, and I followed him into the living room where he motioned for me to sit on the couch.

I shrugged, "I was only speaking the truth." Hershel motioned for me to move my shirt and I lifted it up for him to see my wound. I had seen it in the bathroom mirror a day ago and it wasn't too bad. It looked like Hershel had used a scalpel to widen the gunshot wound slightly so he could dig out bullet shards and fix the internal bleeding. It left me with a odd looking wound that was about 5 inches long. Compared to the other scars on my body it wasn't too bad. "I was good today. Careful." Sort of. I did stress it out trying to save Glenn from being walker bait. "I can stay outside if that's easier for your family, I don't wanna intrude."

"So you're a doctor? Rick mentioned it to me and you said something along those lines today."

Rather than try to explain the whole detailed story I just nodded, "Yes, sir."

"I guess what they say is true then." Hershel hummed and I could feel him pulling off the bandage covering the sutures. "Doctors do make the very worst patients." I couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. He wasn't wrong. "Hmm, your wound looks very good. Clean and healing quick. We can probably take the stitches out tomorrow instead of on the 7th day."

"Really?" I twisted slightly as if I would be able to see it.

Hershel nodded, "Speaking of, who sutured your shoulder?"

I blinked at the sudden change of conversation. Apparently while I was out, Hershel went ahead and took those stitches out since the wound was good to go. It was curious that he was asking about it now.

"Daryl did. I obviously couldn't reach it."

"He did a good job. It wasn't professional, but it was neat. The scar isn't terrible."

Still not good though. Eh, what's a couple more added to the freaky collection. I really appreciated that Hershel, or anyone else who saw my body, didn't ask any questions about the scars. Hershel stood up, mumbling that I knew how to get to the guest room, but before he could leave, I blurted, "You can't kick us out."

"I'm sorry?"

"I know you said us staying here isn't permanent, but it's—it's horrible out there. I swear to you, we are good people. We won't cause trouble and—and we'd do anything to help you out and—"

Hershel held his hand up halting my words mid-sentence. He chuckled and I couldn't tell if that was a bad or good sign, "I've already had this conversation with Rick."

"Hearing another of it doesn't hurt, right?" I offered as charming as I could.

"I'll give you the same answer I gave him." Hershel replied, "Let me think about it. See how these next few days go."

"That's all we're asking for."

I watched Hershel walk away without another word on the subject. I could hardly complain though. That conversation went better than I thought it would. Rick must have really worn the guy down, because I hadn't done much at all. I stalked back to the bedroom I had been staying in and sat at the edge of the bed.

That same feeling I felt this morning washed over me and my jaw clenched in worry. My nerves felt like they were fraying again and there was nothing I could really do about it right now at this time. I took in a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. We were ok. We were safe. We'd find Sophia. We'd convince Hershel to let us stay.

Everything was going to be fine.