Next chapter. thank you SO much for all rhe reviews. please keep them coming! :)

It was the next day when they saw it. Chelsea, a woman in her mid twenties, was standing by the fence, facing the walkers. Mika, who'd taken to playing with her, ran over. "Chelsea! Wanna play?"

Chelsea turned. Her skin has a slight grey tint, her eyes were amber with flecks of gold, and she was a walker.

Mika turned and ran, screaming.

"Mika!" Carol yelled, afraid for the girl.

Mika ran to her father, as the walker that was Chelsea stumbled after her.

"Everyone back!" Carl yelled, running for his gun.

Rick dropped his hoe, starting to escort people back. It was crazy, they'd never had a walker within the fence, let alone one of their own...

Daryl pulled back his crossbow, loading it quickly, but Jamie looked at him. "I wanna do it."

She didn't have her bow, but she could use the practice. Daryl nodded. "Anything goes wrong, though, I'll take her out..."

Jamie nodded, approaching in a half-crouch.

"Hey! Shithead, over here!" Jamie yelled. The walker turned, stumbling towards her, this time, growling and moaning, eager for flesh...

Jamie drew her knife, looking to Daryl for a moment.

Daryl nodded. "Now."

And she was sprinting forward, jumping and driving her knife through it's forehead. Chelsea fell, and Jamie pulled out her knife, looking towards Daryl.

He nodded his approval, smiling slightly. "That's m' girl." he said quietly.

"You killed her!" Lizzy was storming out from the crowd, now, to Jamie. "You killed Chelsea!"

Jamie looked at her, wiping her bloody knife on her jeans. "That WASN'T Chelsea. It was a walker."

"It was Chelsea! And you killed her, you filthy murderer! I bet you murdered your family too! That's why you have no parents- you killed them!"

"Shut up!" Jamie fist met Lizzy's face, and the girl ended up on the pavement.

Lizzy scrambled to her feet, though, angrier than before.

"Well? Who'd you kill? You mom, dad, maybe your brothers and sisters!? Speak up!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Jamie yelled, voice choking off at the end.

Lizzy burning haze met her own. "You ALWAYS have a choice."

"They were bitten! I...I couldn't let them turn..."

"You could've. They could've lived. Walkers are people too!"

"They aren't! My father asked to be shot! Begged for it, didn't want to become one..." Jamie said, looking away.

"And your brothers and sisters?" Lizzy asked. "How many of them did you kill?"

"I..."

"How many!?" Lizzy yelled.

"Lily! I shot Lily while she was sleeping! She was bit, the fever was coming, hard, my father told me to end her and asked my brother to shoot him, alright?! There was no happy ending!" tears were streaming down her face at this point.

"Stop." Everyone turned to see Carl shove his way through the crowd of people towards Jamie, grab her hand. "Jamie saved your sister. She deserves gratitude."

"She's a murderer." Lizzy said, arms crossed.

Unexpectedly, Carl's open hand struck Lizzy's face and she was in the ground. "Jamie did the only thing she could." he said in a low voice. "And if I hear you call her a murderer one more time, it'll be the last word that comes from your lips."

"Jamie..." Daryl looked over at her, eyes pained. Everyone had heard what she said, they all looked at her with mixtures of pity on their faces.

She took off running for the tombs, ducking inside and slamming the door behind her. Darkness, sweet darkness, swallowed her. No one could see her here, no one would dare follow.

She slid down the door, pulled her knees to her chest, and cried, cried for all she was worth. Everyone knew, now, knew she was really just some lost kid Daryl had taken in, someone who'd killed...

There was moaning near her, and she fumbled for her knife. No time for weakness- at your weakest moments they would come, they would kill. She wiped her nose on her sleeve, taking a shaking breath and standing ready with her knife. She could make out the dark shape of a walker stumbling towards her.

She'd never been that good with a knife, but she ran on cue, jumping and driving it through the walker's head. Blood splattered and it fell. She breathed heavily, wiping her eyes again. She could do this. Another walker came stumbling around the corner, and she waited before pouncing, stabbing it again, breathing raggedly.

When she stumbled out oft hr tombs later, she was splattered with walker blood.

Rick looked up from where he'd been talking with Carol, concerned. "Jamie..."

" 'M fine." She muttered, sheathing her bloody knife and walking away, not meeting anyone's eyes.

She stopped at Beth's cell, stepping inside. "Beth?"

"Jamie?" Beth looked up from where she'd been playing with Judith, looking concerned.

Tears slowly started falling, and Beth nodded. "Just give me a minute..." she handed Judith to Maggie, closing the door to her cell and pulling the curtain she had fir privacy.

Jamie had taken a seat in the corner her friend's cell, and she sobbed as quietly as she could, now, not wanting anyone to know...

"Jamie..." Beth hugged her friend, letting her cry into her shoulder. Finally, she managed to pull herself together again.

"Beth... what if... what if my sister made it through? What if she wouldn't have turned, and I just shot her..."

"We both know that wouldn't have happened, Jamie. Once you get bit..."

"But what if Lily was different? What if Lizzy was right..."

"Jamie, she's wrong. You did the only thing you could..."

"I keep telling myself that. But it doesn't make it any easier."

"I know, Jamie..."

She stayed in beth's cell like that fir the rest of the day, Of course, Beth had things to do, she watched Beth take care of Judith from the corner, not wanting to be alone but not wanting to bother anyone. she could see the pitying glances Beth gave her every now and then. Beth was probably the only one she wouldn't scream at for pitying her, since Beth- good natured, sweet Beth- was always so nice to everyone, not to mention she was her best friend to boot.

"Do you want to come to the fire?" Beth asked finally, when night rolled around.

She shook her head. "No thanks."

"Come get me if you need anything, alright?"

"I will. Thanks, Beth."

"No problem, Jamie." Beth gave her one last glance before leaving.

From there Jamie just sighed, trying to sort herself out. Lizzy was, if anything, being a dumbass. walkers were walkers, they were killing machines... But the one thing she'd said about Lily had shaken her, What if Lily would've somehow survived the fever, what if she hadn't turned... What if she'd really murdered her sister?

She stood- she knew exactly where she was going.