This Night

Chapter 254

Author's Note: So, the first part of this chapter is Summer's thought in a journal. Just needed to get us to a point of the water without rehashing the whole scene of them wondering because I've changed Maggie and Daryl brooding to Summer brooding. Me change something? Never! Please review.

Summer's POV (through journal):

"Thirty Two days, a month and two days, seven hundred and sixty eight hours since the prison was attacked. Thirty two days since we lost Hershel, and got separated. Twenty nine days since I killed Lizzie. Twenty seven days since we reunited, took out Terminus, twenty five days since we lost Uncle Merle, and killed the rest of the terminates. Twenty six days since Bob died due to his bite, twenty five days since we learned that the cure of this thing was all a lie. It's also been twenty five days since we rescued Carol and Beth from Grady. Twenty four days since we left Atlanta, a lot of us had never been out of Georgia. Six days since we lost Tyreese. Sasha has barley said two words, and has barley said anything to Lexi. It's like Lexi has lost her brother and sister in the same day. I can't even imagine what either one of them are going through, but if it's half of bad of how I'm feeling, it's bad. Two days ago, the last van ran out of gas and we've been walking. We are real low on water and food, not even strong enough to fight out walkers'. We are making sure mom and the younger ones are getting more food and water then the rest of us. Dad takes a sip of water, then makes mom take three sips. Uncle Daryl won't drink any, Glenn has tried, Ronnie has tried, Maggie has tried. Mom can't even make him drink anything, he gives his share to Judy and mom. Eugene is complaining about not having more to drink, but that's Eugene along with being a liar. I'm not bitter or anything. Father Gabriel is the worst, still wanting to give advice, offer to listen to our sins. I'm surprised mom hasn't "accidentally" thrown something at him, like a knife. Beth is helping Ronnie a lot, along with Carol. Axel goes out hunting with Uncle Daryl a lot, he's certainly not the same person that we met at the prison. He's really stepping up. I can't say that I have much hope for Eugene ever changing. Carl found this diary at a house, a long with a music box that he gave to Mika. It doesn't play, but it's pretty. Good news is that we haven't ran into the group that took down Noah's home. We haven't seen any more heads with a W carved into them. I don't think we would survive them. We may have numbers, but we certainly don't have the strength. Sometimes I wonder if Dr. Jenner was right back at the CDC, if we shouldn't have just held on to our love ones and be done with it. But then I look at all those we have gained since then, the ones that we have lost. Judy and Hope wouldn't be here, mom would have never have found the love that she deserved. We wouldn't have found Mar, and she would be on her own. Everyone that has joined us since, they would be on there own. We would have never met Maggie, Beth and Hershel. We wouldn't have ran into the Governor, or Woodbury. But then we wouldn't have found Uncle Merle, and he wouldn't have had the chance to become the man he was always meant to be. Joey and David wouldn't have be reunited. Got to take the bad with the good, you know? I keep trying to remind myself of that. I keep trying to remember what we have, versus what we don't. It's a long haul, hopefully we'll find some water soon, or at least a vehicle or two. Mom doesn't need to be walking the whole sixty miles. If anyone is going to make it, it's going to be Hope and Judith, and we are just going to have to make sure they do.-Summer Dixon."

Group POV:

Rick looked up in the sky as they were sitting on the side of the road. "It's going to rain sooner or later," he told the group.

"Can we hope for sooner?" David asked.

"I think we're all hoping that, David," Tara said.

"You should go sit under the trees, with Hope," Rick told Jewel as he kissed her.

"We're alright. Hope's got her little sun bonnet on. Thank you for picking that up Rosita," Jewel said.

Rosita nodded. "She needed something covering her almost bald head," she answered.

Tara glanced back at Abraham then at the group. "So all he found was booze?"

"Yeah," Rosita answered.

"It's not going to help," Tara said.

"He knows that," Rosita answered.

"It's going to make it worse," Tara pointed out.

"He's a grown man," Eugene said. "I truly do not know if things can get worse."

"Oh come on, Eugene, don't ever say that. I mean seriously, every time someone says that in a book, things get worse," Summer told him.

"Says the person who reads horror books," Joey teased.

"It makes me forget the own horror we're living in," Summer answered as she watched Jewel stand up. "Mom?" she asked as she saw Jewel give Mika Hope to hold. She marched up to Abraham.

"Give me the damn bottle," Jewel told him.

"Jewel?" Jes and Mar asked at the same time.

"I'm not going to drink it, damn it. I'm going to pour it onto a damn tree. You're dehydrated Abraham, we all are," Jewel told him as she bent down. "Hell, I want to have a drink with you Abraham. I want to say the hell with all the years of my sobriety and take a sip of that, and forget the hell we're currently living in. But that isn't going to help me, or anyone here. Neither is you getting drunk to numb your thoughts. We need you at your best Abraham, if we are to make it out of here, we all need to have clear heads. We're tired, weak, dehydrated and hungry. We don't need to add being drunk into the mix. Hell, we get somewhere safe, Abraham, I'll pour you the first drink," she told him.

"Better be the good stuff," Abraham groused as he started pouring out the bottle.

Jewel nodded as she turned at the sound of growling, expecting walkers', but instead found four dogs growling at them. She instinctively took out her knife and walked slowly in front of Mika and Hope, as she kept an eye on Carl with Judith.

Daryl and Rick had both taken out there knives, ready to attack the dogs when they were all startled by gunshots and looked to see Tasha having killed them. The group looked at each other before Rick went and got sticks and looked at Jewel and Daryl, who both nodded.

Phoebe, Eric and Aaron's POV:

Phoebe sat in the backseat of the car, with Eric and Aaron in the front seat as they listened on the group. "I like this woman Jewel. We need to approach them Aaron. Not later, or in a few days. We've been watching them for three days. How much longer are we going to sit here while they are out there battling the elements? We can't just sit here and not do anything. They have a newborn, and another baby," she pointed out.

"It's a big group," Eric pointed out.

"A big group with kids. I've never seen a group with this many kids alive, not to mention a newborn. A newborn. A small little person who deserves to be behind tall walls and the sun not beating down on her precious new born screen. And Judith? Doesn't she deserve not to be fussing because her stomach is empty. They all have made it this far because they obviously care about each other, but everyone has there breaking points, Aaron. How much more do you think they can take? And if something happens to that vulnerable newborn or her mother, she wouldn't survive if Jewel doesn't. They are the kind of people we need inside Alexandria. Those are the kind of people that you started looking for, good people, people that can't survive much longer out here. Why are you hesitating Aaron? Why aren't you out there already, doing your whole big talk about I have good news for you? Did I mention they have a newborn?" Phoebe asked as she crossed her arms.

Eric covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh. "You might have mentioned it, a couple times," he answered as he looked at Aaron.

"I have to be sure. I can't be wrong again, I can't let the fact that they have children with them make me drop my guard," Aaron pointed out.

Phoebe opened the back door of the car and got out.

"Phoebe, hold on, what are you doing?" Aaron asked as him and Eric got out of the car.

"If you won't approach them, then I want to get closer, to watch them more. What made you approach Liam and me last year?" Phoebe asked.

Eric looked at Aaron then at Phoebe. "You had Liam, you were alone, you needed help," Aaron answered.

"Do you see this group as a threat? Is that it?" Phoebe asked.

"They've been out here for a while, and you know what kind of people they could have ran into. They may not be friendly to any of us walking up to them," Eric answered.

"Then why are we out here? Why are we even going on these missions to find people? If we're to scared of what they may be, what horrors they've been through, then why come out here at all? Let's get back in the cars, let's go back to Alexandria, and lets forget that we were even out here," Phoebe challenged them.

"I think you should come out with Aaron more often," Eric told her.

Aaron sighed and then looked at them. "I'll go put out water on the road. Then we'll watch them for tonight, and I'll approach them tomorrow," he told them.

"I still want to be closer to the group, you two can stay back," Phoebe told them.

Eric and Aaron exchanged glances. "No making contact with them," Eric told her.

"If you sense trouble, back to the RV, it'll be the closest," Aaron added. "If there's a problem or trouble, I'll come in. It looks like it may rain, if that happens, the RV. Phoebe, I'm serious," Aaron told her. "Don't make contact with them, not on your own. I don't know what I would tell Liam if something went wrong."

"No making contact, I got it," Phoebe answered.

"Why do I have a feeling if the opportunity presents itself, you are going to do just that?" Eric asked.

Phoebe sighed. "I just said I wouldn't make contact, why would I go against my word?"

Eric and Aaron exchanged glances. "Because they have a newborn!" both told her.

Phoebe sighed. "I got it, no contact. But do me a favor, Aaron, work on the whole I've got good news thing. They have guns, loaded guns," she told him as she got water together. "I don't think they'd hesitate to shoot you," she told him.

"You know, that doesn't make me feel any better about you being the one to drop the water off. Not at all," Aaron told her.

"She can handle it, Aaron," Eric told his boyfriend. "We'll come running if anything happens," he assured her.

Phoebe nodded. "See you soon," she told them.

TBC