Chapter 5: Chaos


KPOV

~11 years ago~

Mommy was in her room crying to herself silently as she laid in bed, Daddy walked over to me and gently pressed a hand to my head. He seemed sad and upset, tired...he lead me to my room and helped me get cuddled into bed. He gave me a kiss goodnight and I slowly snuggled out of bed to look at him. Resting my upper body on my elbows as I looked at him.

"Daddy?" I called to him before he could walk out of my room, he had already switched off my light and turned to look at me. His eyes seemed sad, tired and slightly...lifeless.

"What's wrong Kitty Kat?" he asked me and I tapped on my bed for him to sit with me. He sighed softly but walked over to me slowly and sat down on my bed. He seemed to not want to speak so I climbed out of bed and sat beside him, our backs to the wall as we always did.

"What's wrong daddy?" I ask him and he just frowns, looking down at his hands and then to me from the corner of his eyes. He pursed his lips before he looked back down at his fumbling hands.

"Grandma's...gone," he tells me sadly and this made me look at him slightly confused. "It's making mommy really sad because...you love your mommy a lot don't you?" he asks me as he gently took my hands in his.

"I do but...isn't grandma coming back?" I asked him and he looked at me confused. "She on vacation isn't she?" I continued to ask him and he frowned, shaking his head slowly as he looked down.

"She's...dead," he tells me and I looked at him confused.

"How? What do you mean dead?" I questioned him, unsure of what was happening and wondering what this all meant.

"Dead is...well...you know death...it comes in all different ways. It happens to the ones we love, the ones we don't and to strangers we may never know," daddy tells me and this makes me frown.

"It's going to happen to me...to mommy and sadly...it happened to grandma," daddy tells me which makes me frown, crying I sniffled as I hugged him tightly and hid my face in his chest.

"I don't want you, or mommy or Carl to die," I whisper up to him and he frowns at me, moving my head up to look at him and he wiped away my tears with his thumbs.

"Don't be sad baby girl...it happens to everyone. It's going to happen and...you or Carl will never be ready but...it will happen. No one can get away from the inevitable," daddy tells me and I nod. "I need you to stay strong, for us...for Carl and most of all...for yourself," he tells me and I nod.

"I promise daddy...I promise," I nod and laid my head, shutting my eyes as I let a few tears escape and then opened my eyes. They were dry as I took a hard swallow with the lump in my throat. My lips no longer trembling, tears no longer wet and my body no longer shook.


Present day...KPOV

"Morgan, I don't know if you're out there. I don't know if you can hear me. Maybe you're listening right now. I hope so. I found others my family, if you can believe it. My wife and kids, they're alive. I wanted you to know that," dad spoke into the walkie-talkie as he was by the clearing, staring out into the sunrise.

"There's something else you need to know. Atlanta isn't what we thought. It's not what they promised. The city is...do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now. We're camped a few miles northwest, up by a big abandoned rock quarry. You can see it on a map. I hope you come find us...but be careful," dad took a few minutes to deliberate what to say and most possibly remembered what had happened earlier.

"Last night walkers came out of the woods. We lost people. Watch yourself, Morgan. Take care of your boy. I'll try you again tomorrow at dawn," he finished and stayed there crouched on the ground, looking at the walkie-talkie and back to the sunrise. Slowly, I creeped closer and stood behind him.

"Dad?...it's Andrea..." I tel him softly as I got closer, he slowly stood up and gripped onto the walkie-talkie, placing it on his belt, he moved closer to me and cupped my cheek gently. Wordlessly, we wandered towards the camp side by side and stopped by the others who were looking at Andrea.

"She still won't move?" Dad asked as he looked towards the two women on the ground. Andrea stared down at a now dead and turning Amy.

"She won't even talk to us. She's been there all night. What do we do?" mom asked us as we looked to see Andrea not move or look at us, she could clearly hear us from this distance as we all watched her.

"Can't just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it same as the others," Shane said but I just stood there, my hands on my hips while I heard grunting from the distance, smashing of skulls and tugging of bodies.

"I'll tell her how it is. Andrea..." dad said as he got closer to Andrea, he went to speak to her but what surprised me was Andrea's reaction to my dad's footsteps getting closer to her.

"I know how the safety works," she said as she fast as lightning pulled out her gun and cocked it towards my dad. His hands raised as he looked at her sadly.

"All right. Okay," he said as he kept mumbling 'I'm sorry' as he walked backwards, reaching us he lowered his hands and turned to us saddened.

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb," Daryl growled when he saw our interaction with Andrea end. His pickaxe rested on his shoulder lazily.

"What do you suggest?" dad questioned him and placed his hands on his hips as he looked at Daryl. Daryl's eyes drifting around the group as he examined each and every one of us.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance," Daryl informed us which made me tense up in thought of it. No...that's...just...no. It's not right.

"No. For God's sakes, let her be," mom said as she sat down and looked towards the two on the ground. Shutting my eyes for a brief moment, I opened them to glare at Daryl and got closer to him.

"Mom's right, anyway...who are you to say that to us. Would you find it so easy to kill Merle like that?! Huh?! Tell me. Because I sure as hell wouldn't find it easy to kill Carl...or let anyone move me away from him. I would want to do it myself. Think of what you would do. Let Andrea decide what she wants. Let her handle her and what's left of her sister's life," I say sadly, looking at the two who were on the ground, my hands on my hips as I watched them.

Scoffing he walked off, towards the bodies as he shook his head at me. Sighing, I shut my eyes and was about to walk after him, a gentle hand went to my cheek and caressed it with their thumb. Looking up I saw it was mom and smiled sadly at her. I decided to take her hand, give it a little squeeze before taking it off my cheek and walking after them.


DPOV

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb," I growled, angered that we were having to deal with a dead girl and her stupid sister. A sister who wouldn't leave her dead sister to be ended. That dead girl is just going to get a good chunk of that stupid girl.

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked me, his hands on his waist as he looked around the small group. It consisted of me, Rick, Shane, Dale, Kat, Carol sat down and Lori.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance," I inform them, this made both Kat and Lori's faces contort with disgust. They probably think I'm an asshole...good.

"No. For God's sakes, let her be," Lori said as she sat down, Kat shutting her eyes for a second before she looked at me, anger growing under her sweet face and she stepped up to me.

"Mom's right, anyway...who are you to say that to us. Would you find it so easy to kill Merle like that?! Huh?! Tell me. Because I sure as hell wouldn't find it easy to kill Carl...or let anyone move me away from him. I would want to do it myself. Think of what you would do. Let Andrea decide what she wants. Let her handle her and what's left of her sister's life," she said sadly, her hands resting on her hips like her father did, she glared at me and then drifted towards the two on the ground when she was talking sensitively.

Scoffing, I turn my back and head towards the others to help them with the bodies. Placing them in the fires or stacking them into a pile for 'burial' and helped Morales pick one up.

"Wake up, Jimbo. We've got some work to do," I say as I get to work, straining to pick up a dead weight of one that was about to turn from our camp. We were leading it to the pile of the 'to be burned' group and this was when Kat wandered closer to us. Seeing Glenn behind me, he looked past us and screamed out.

"What are you guys doing? This is for geeks. Our people go over there," he demanded, his voice cracking and trembling as he held in his tears but we saw them begin to overflow.

"What's the difference? They're all infected," I spat over my shoulder at him and he placed his hands above his head. His eyes slightly red as he looked between me, Morales and the body in our hands.

"Our people go in that row over there. We don't burn them! We bury them. Understand? Our people go in that row over there," he said pointing to the row and we just huffed, groaning and straining as we threw the bodies to one side.

"You reap what you sow," I told them as Kat just looked at me with saddened and disappointed eyes. Fuck her and her crystal blues...with that...fucking face of her. Fuck her. She don't mean shit to me.

"You know what? Shut up, man," Morales spat as he looked at me, dropping the body I walked off to another one and saw Morales growl at me and struggle with the body, Kat walked to him and helped Morales with the body.

"Y'all left my brother for dead! You had this coming," I yelled as I walked off, pointing to the dead bodies of the camp members that got grabbed and munched on. Kat looked down at the bodies saddened, her eyes soft and upset, a wetness to them as she looked towards her family.


KPOV

Things had been hectic, Daryl was being an asshole but...it was understandable. He felt this was some sick version of Karma but...it was the worst kind. Helping to move the bodies, I saw Jacqui and Jim whispering to each other about something but didn't make anything of it.

"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui exclaimed to us and we rushed to circle him, Shane pushed me behind him firmly and dad pressed a hand firmly out so that I couldn't get past him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," Jim tried to relax us but it just made people more weary.

"Show it to us. Show it to us," Daryl exclaimed, wanting us to have proof that he was as okay as he said he was.

"Easy, Jim," Shane said as Jim lifted his shovel and swung it a little.

"Grab him," Daryl ordered, which made us all try to get over to him but Jim kept swinging when anyone got too close to him.

"Jim, put it down. Put it down," Shane growled at him as he too tried to keep me back and away from Jim.

"I'm okay," Jim repeated his breathing heavy as he was grabbed by T-Dog and Daryl lifted his shirt to reveal the bite mark. This made us gasp and keep away from him. I just gripped onto my dad's arm tightly, he looked over his shoulder at me and my eyes were wide with fear for him. We've not had a bite victim like this before...Amy died of blood loss...Jim could die of infection.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl growled as we were all huddled in a group, discussing what was to be done with Jim.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane questioned him, unsure if what he was even saying about what to do for Jim was the right thing. It's because it isn't the right thing to do...with either. Not Jim and certainly not with Amy.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it," Daryl said, it felt teasing to me but it was laced with sarcasm. He wouldn't want that...would he?

"I hate to say it I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right," Dale said which made me look at him wide eyed. To think...such a kind-hearted man has gone cold.

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog," dad stood up for Jim with a face of pure disgust that Dale would agree with such a thing.

"I'm not suggesting-" Dale began, looking at us as though he hadn't said what he wanted to but I cut him off.

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" I questioned Dale and he just looked at me stunned, everyone in the group seemed unsure of what to agree to. Shane gave me a small smile and Dad gave me a gleam in his eye, it must have been some sort of hidden pride.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be," Daryl spat back at me, his eyes squinting at me with slight anger and this made me clench my jaw.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure," dad said as he tried to change the situation, this made me look at him with furrowed brows.

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell," Shane tells us as he scoffed a little.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" dad questioned the group, my eyes were on dad but from the corner of my eye, I could see Daryl looking around and behind him.

"Man, that is a stretch right there," Shane spoke as he looked at my dad.

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-" dad continued to reason, but Shane cut him off as quickly as he could.

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning," Shane tells us and this makes mom look at him with slight confusion.

"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction," mom stated and this made me look at Daryl. He's thinking too much about something and...he keeps...looking behind him. Is he...no...surely not. He wouldn't.

"That is right...but it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there," Shane tried to reason his side of the options and we all looked and gave him a nod.

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice...and Jim's only chance," dad stated, which made me smile. He is always thinking of others.

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl growled out as he turned, lifting his pickaxe and running to go and swing it at Jim's head.

"Daryl!" I scream as I ran after him, trying to reach him before he could hurt Jim. Dad was running behind me and edged closer to Daryl.

"Hey hey hey! We don't kill the living," Dad said as he got behind Daryl. Lifting his gun and stopping him from killing Jim for a moment. Getting in Daryl's view I placed my arms up and blocked his view from Jim.

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head," Daryl said as he turned to look at dad after looking at me for a second. Glaring at my dad before his head whipped to look at me as I spoke out to him.

"Dad is right. Daryl...please...let go of the pickaxe," I plead to him as my eyes examined his. Staring up into his as he processed something in his mind. Shutting them tightly, he slowly dropped it to the ground and walked off. Picking up the pickaxe, I moved closer to Jim and smiled at him kindly. "Come with me," I suggest as I hold my hand out for him.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked me as he looked up at me weary.

"Somewhere safe...you can trust me Jim," I tell him honestly as he took my hand and I led him into the RV, allowing Jacqui to come in and look after Jim.


DPOV

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!" I yelled as I raised my pickaxe and ran towards Jim, raising it over my head and shoulder to get a good hit at Jim.

"Daryl!" I heard a scream as I felt my body tense, footsteps running towards me as they stopped behind me and to my side.

"Hey hey hey! We don't kill the living," Rick growled as he got behind me. Lifting his gun and stopping me from making an attempt at killing Jim for a second. Feet shuffled to my view as the blue-eyed, brown-haired, pretty girl Kat came into view. Her small but muscular figure raised her arms up and blocked my view of Jim.

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head," I growled back at Rick as I lowered my pickaxe to look at the gun in my face. Rick's hand firm as he glared at me.

"Dad is right. Daryl...please...let go of the pickaxe," she plead me as her bright blues looked at me. Staring up into mine as I watched her. Is she really going to protect a dying man?! What is she thinking?! He is more than dead, doesn't she want to protect herself and her family? So fucking stupid...Shutting my eyes tightly, I dropped the pickaxe it to the ground and walked away from them.


KPOV

There was sudden shallow breathing as I sat beside my mom, finished with dragging bodies to the pile while the men wrapped them up and would call me to place the bodies in the back of Daryl's truck. "Amy. Amy, I'm sorry...I'm sorry for not ever being there. I always thought there'd be more time," Andrea spoke to the transformed Amy, who was looking up at her sister.

Growling Amy tried to grip onto Andrea's hair, pulling Andrea's face closer to her as she kept her face at a close enough distance for Andrea to look down at the reanimated Amy. "I'm here now, Amy. I'm here. I love you," she told her dead sister, just as we were all edging on our seat and people were pulling out their guns to shoot Amy. We heard a gunshot and then saw Amy fall to the side. Andrea caressing her finally dead sister's face.

"I still think it's a mistake not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?" Daryl said as he parked the truck by the graves that dad and Shane were digging up, we were all walking up and were ready for the burials.

"At first," Shane admitted as they saw us coming up the hill, Carl following close next to me and held onto my hand firmly.

"The Chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along? These people need to know who the hell's in charge here...what the rules are," Daryl spoke which made us look at him a little differently...he speaks the truth...only about the rules. No one is in charge. We all make votes. Like normal people. No leaders.

"There are no rules," dad said as he stated the cold fact to Daryl. Live and survive should be the rules. Seeing as that is all we actually do these days.

"Well, that's a problem. We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. It's what people do," mom said and I agreed, nodding my head as Carl looked up at us, looking down at him I gave him a small smile which earned me a small smile in return.

Watching Andrea bury her sister, made me sad but mom cry, she held onto Carl in her arms as we watched Dale help her. My hand slowly creeping into his as I watched him, my eyes on him for a moment, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. He gently kissed my temple as we said our words about Amy and all helped bury her.

"Burying other people is bad enough, but the thought of one of us-" dad started as mom held our hands and led both me and Carl back towards the camp.

"Shh," mom said quickly as she turned to look at him. Her eyes seemed angry and I just sighed, looking at the two of them and frowning.

"Are we safe now, dad? Now that we're all together?" Carl asked as he looked up at me and dad. Dad crouched as he looked at Carl in the eyes.

"I won't leave again...neither will Kat. Ain't that right?" he asked me as he looked up at me.

"He's right," I smiled down at Carl, as I grabbed mom's hand and tapped Carl under his chin.

"We promise you that...I promise you all that," dad said as he cupped my cheek and caressed it with his thumb. "Not for anything," he said as he looked at both me and Carl. His eyes landing on mom's beside me. "Now give me a chance to discuss some things with your mom, okay?" he asked us gently, smiling we nod and I walked off with Carl holding his hand tightly.

Walking back to camp, I stopped when I saw Daryl sitting by the dead fire, looking around a little mad. Sighing, I leaned to crouch down to Carl's level, smiling at him as we looked into each others eyes. "Carl...how about you go and grab your clothes, some fresh ones and we'll go to the creek to get washed. Yeah?" I asked him and he just nods, smiling at me brightly and ran to our tent.

Walking up to Daryl, I had my hands shoved into my pockets, afraid of what to say and how to say it. "Daryl?" I called to him and he looked up at me. His brown hair was slightly messy, his blue eyes looking up at me questioning and his skin filthy with blood, sweat and dirt.

"I...I came to say sorry about earlier," I tell him and he just bit the inside of his cheek, looking me up and down as he watched me. Listening he stayed silent for a few seconds, when I was about to open my mouth he spoke.

"What 'bout?" he asked me and I sighed, looking down and staring at the ground. My eyes on my feet as I kicked the dirt a little, my hands in my pockets and possibly making me look more shy than guilty.

"For bringing up Merle like that...I'm also sorry about what happened with Merle. I can't imagine what it must be like...to be without your brother. Without someone you love and finding them in...such a situation that if I was you...I would be so...confused and worried," I tell him and he just kept his eyes on me. When I looked up at him from under my lashes, he just leaned back from his seat a little.

He stayed silent, unmoving and not saying a word to me. Looking back to the floor, I stood there and suddenly heard running footsteps come towards me. Giggling, I look to the running figure and messed his hair a little. "Where are you going short stuff?" I ask him and he just grabs my hand, moving it out of his hair and making me laugh.

"Don't tease! I thought we were going to go to the creek...where are your clothes?" he asked me and I smile at him. Looking back at Daryl both me and Carl looked to him. Carl gave him a small wave but Daryl didn't budge.

"I'm going to grab towels and grab a swim suit to have our wash in. Go get ready and I'll be there in a few seconds, alright?" I suggest to him and he just sighs. Nodding to Daryl I walked towards my tent, quickly slipped into a bikini when I found one, finding myself some fresh clothes and went to grab us some towels. Heading down, I saw Carl had his back against the water, floating boredly and his face above water.

Deciding to give him a scare, I jumped into the water and slowly dived into it. When I reached him, I grabbed him and lifted him from the water, throwing him into the air and catching him. He screamed but then laughed when he saw it was me.

Gripping onto my arms, he looked up at me and wriggled. Blowing against his stomach, making weird noises that made him laugh from the tickles. "Let me go Kat! Please!" he said and I just drop him making him hit the water. When he hit the surface he just smiled at me and shook his head. "You're crazy," he said with a grin on his face.

"Maybe..." I teased, this made him laugh and swim over to the rocks which had the soap. He picked up the body wash and began to was his body, throwing it to me, I caught it and smiled at him. Giving him a small thank you as he did so.

"Did uh...did you have to go yesterday? I mean...I understand why but...I sometimes wished you hadn't, you or dad," Carl tells me and I smile at him sadly. Washing my body, I looked at where my hands touched, cleaning myself thoroughly and moving towards Carl to put the soap back.

"I did. It was...something that needed to happen," I tell him and he looked at the water sadly. "But not one minute did I not think of you and mom," I tell him and looked up at me with those bright blue eyes. Standing beside him, I got the shampoo and began to squirt some into my hand.

With a look at him from the corner of my eye, I smirked and began to run my fingers roughly through his hair, his head moving around like crazy as he giggled and tried to get my hands out of his hair. "You think too much baby brother," I snickered as he tried to stop me but he just giggled.

"Stop! Kat!" he giggled out and when I knew his hair was lathered enough, he dunked it into the water after a few scrubs. Cleaning my hands, I got some of the shampoo and began to scrub my hair. Looking at him, I walked past him and dunked my hair in and flipped it back. Going under, I came up and gasped. Wiping my hair back, trying to get rid of all the soap and then cleaning my eyes of any water or soap.

I heard a stifled snicker, when I turned to look behind me I saw Carl crouch a little and then flick water waves at me. Splashing at me he looked at me and laughed, my eyes widened as I looked at him and gasped. "You did not just do that!" I questioned him teasingly threateningly. He giggled and bit his bottom lip, his eyes mischievous as I looked at him.

His face was bright red, possibly trying to hold in his laughs and that was when I splashed him back. He gasped but only started to laugh. Splashing me back, we made it into a splashing war and burst into fits of laughter. When we started to calm down, I walked closer to him and grabbed him. Picking him up, I swung him and threw him lightly into the water.

When he reached the surface, he laughed and wiped the water from his face. Climbing out, we took our clothes and decided it was too cold to get changed inside, walking around camp I was drying my hair out and heading to the tent. Carl had already walked past me when I heard a voice call out to me. Turning I was surprised to see it was Daryl...

"Daryl...what's wrong?" I asked him, completely forgetting that I was in just my bikini and his eyes slowly slipped from my eyes to trail my body. Wrapping the towel around me, I looked up at him and he quickly looked back at me.

"I...I came to say you were right. I can tell ya really care about your brother and...it would be hard to kill someone you care so deeply about. I also came to say...thanks fer telling me the truth, knocking some sense into my with just words. So...thanks," he said and gave me a nod, his jaw clenching as he turned to walk off. Sneaking back into his tent as I stood there a little confused, but shook it off and headed back to the tent to find Carl had already finished.

He sat there, waiting for me to get dried and changed as he looked though a comic book I had found for him. When I was ready, I put my hair up and looked to him. Suddenly, I heard a tap on the tent and said they could come in. Looking at the face, I saw it was Shane who was poking his head inside. "Hey...meeting in 5," he tells me and I nod.


DPOV

Hearing her say sorry made me think things over, she was only saying what was on her mind and I respected it. What she said was true, anyone would worry over their family members like Andrea would or how Kat would. When she left, I was going to go and speak to her when she was done with her wash.

I couldn't resist as I walked over to see her and her brother playing around together. Splashing each other, having fun and being...cute together. Her wet body made me look her over more than once, but the smile that was plastered on her face, the giggles and the way she loved her brother were...priceless.

When I went to go talk to her, I couldn't concentrate and she just looked at me with those big blue eyes. So similar to her fathers and brother. She didn't strike me to be her mothers and she loved both of them dearly, but not as much as her brother. They always seemed inseparable. When I couldn't handle looking at her anymore, I said what I had to and scurried off back into my tent.


KPOV

"I've been, uh I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no...there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?" Shane asked us as I saw mom making a makeshift arrow I taught her how to for me.

Later we ate, got ready to sleep and prepared for the next morning. Dad and mom allowing me to fix things for both me and Carl, Carl handing me the things as I fixed them into his suitcase and bags. We helped each other as a team, snuggled into bed and fell asleep together, the book unfinished as we slept cuddled to each other. Waking up, we had breakfast and met by the cars. All our things were already in the back of dad's car.

"Everybody listen up. Those of you with CB's, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan," Shane instructed. "Any questions?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"We're, uh...e're we're not going," Morales told us sadly.

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people," Morales' wife told us as she held her children to her side.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back," Shane informed them but Morales' wife looked down at her children.

"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family," Morales told us confidently which made my dad nod and me. Family is what matters now...

"You sure?" dad asked them, trying to make sure they knew exactly what they would be signing up to if they went to the road alone.

"We talked about it. We're sure," Morales confirmed to us all, looking at us all sadly but confidently.

Dad and Shane pulled out ammo and a handgun. Holding it out for Morales to take from them as they gave him sad smiles. We wished they didn't leave but...they have to do what they have to do. God...let them be safe. Please.

"The box is half full," Shane informed them as Morales gently took the box of ammo from him.

"Thank you all...for everything," Morales' wife said as her voice trembled, her tears beginning to flow as mom moved to say her goodbyes and give them all hugs.

This was when we all said our goodbye's. Hugging the family, we gave them sad smiles and comforting words. When I went to hug Morales, I whispered in his ear "Thank you for saving my dad and getting him out of that city," which just made him smile and say it was nothing. That my dad was the hero, making me giggle and look at him proudly.

"Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" dad asked them as the final goodbyes were given, Daryl didn't seem happy about the ammunition that was given to the family but bit his thumb nail about it.

"Yeah. I know," Morales said as he began to walk towards his car, their daughter had given Sophia her doll and Carl was crying softly, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him to me. He cried into my waist and held me just as tightly.

"What makes you think our odds are any better? Come on. Let's go. Let's move out," Shane said as we all hopped into cars and got the engines started. There was no room in dad's car so Shane offered to take one of us, instead of letting mom or Carl go in, I took up the offer and jumped to sit beside him.

My hair was whipping as we went the opposite way to the Morales family. Giggling, I threw my head back onto the seat and enjoyed the cool breeze. "Like that air huh?" Shane asked me, a smile on his face as he chuckled at my expression.

"Yeah...after all this heat, we really took advantage of the air conditioners didn't we?" I joked and he just nods, moving his cap a little as we drove for what felt like hours.

There was a hissing noise coming from the RV as we jumped down and walked towards the RV. "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van," Dale said to dad as he looked at him, this made me shove my hands into my pockets and look to the two men.

"Can you jury-rig it?" dad asked Dale but this just led to the elder man to shake his head.

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose...and I'm out of duct tape," Dale informs us as Shane looked into his binoculars and scanned the area in front of us.

"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky," Shane tried to lift our spirits as he looked to the rest of us and handed the binoculars to T-Dog.

"Y'all, Jim It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore," Jacqui cried as she got out of the RV, her feet running towards us, her face panicked and sad.

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back." Shane suggested as T-Dog looked around and gave a nod.

"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up," T-Dog offered as we walked our separate ways, moving to Carl and mom, I talked to them softly about almost nothing and waited for others to come back to us.

"It's what he says he wants," Dad told us what Jim wanted, that he wanted to be left to turn alone and that we were to leave him there. That this was what he truly wanted, this made me frown but nod at dad as he spoke.

"And he's lucid?" Carol questioned, unsure that this could possibly be what Jim wanted to become of him.

"He seems to be. I would say yes," dad said as he gave us all a look, nod and placed his hands on his hips.

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants...and I think we have an answer," Dale spoke as we nod, sure that this was what was right by Jim but Shane just shook his head.

"We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that," Shane said as he held onto his gun, looking at each of our faces to see who would possibly agree with him.

"It's not your call, either one of you," I say, making everyone look at me and nod.

"Hey, another damn tree," Jim said as dad and Shane pulled him out of the RV and rest him against a tree, Jim looked up and chuckled to himself as some of our camp members smiled softly at Jim.

"Hey, Jim I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this," Shane said as he leaned down to look Jim in the eyes, hoping that he could possibly get Jim to say he had changed his mind on being left behind.

"No. It's good. The breeze feels nice," Jim croaked out as he shut his eyes and took in the surrounding of nature around him.

"Just close your eyes, sweetie. Don't fight," Jacqui told him, leaning in to shut her eyes sadly and press a kiss to his cheek. She wiped at her tears and I gently rubbed her back before she turned and walked back to the RV.

"Jim, do you want this?" dad asked Jim as he crouched down and showed Jim a handgun, Jim took a gulp and shook his head. Carl stood beside me and held my hand tightly.

"No. You'll need it. I'm okay," Jim mumbled to dad as dad put it back into his holster and stood up straight. Jim just looked at each of us, his eyes shutting every once in a while as I frowned.

"Hey. Thanks for, uh, for fighting for us," Dale said as he crouched down and gave Jim a forced smile. Jim just gave him a small smile and a quick nod.

"Okay," he said as we all slowly started to leave. His breathing got louder and heavier, we got into our cars and this made me go into Shane's car again. He had found a small amount of gas, enough to keep us going for a day or so but...not enough to Fort Benning as he would have hoped. Cars started as we drove away from Jim, leaving him behind as he died alone and against a tree.


We drove for a few more hours, stopping at a huge building and seeing army like structures surrounding it. Stepping out, the stench of dead, rotting flesh invaded my nose, the noise of thousands of flies buzzing on the corpses and the thousands of corpses laid out on the floor was a shocking vision to behold. We quietly sneaked forward, my bow and arrow in one hand, my handgun in the other.

Dad walked ahead, Shane close to him as I kept Carl and mom in front of me. Both of them covering their mouths as I kept mine shut and breathed in as little as possible.

Rattling of the doors shut tight as dad and Shane checked to see if they could go in. "Nothing?" I ask them and this makes Shane pound on the door.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog concluded but this made me shake my head at him.

"Then why are these shutters down?" dad questioned T-Dog's conclusion to this whole situation. Dad has a point, he always does. He's the smartest man I know, even if he has proven himself not to be.

"Walkers!" Daryl alerted us, making me slip my gun into my holster and pull out an arrow from my quiver. Quickly I shot the walker down with my arrow, Carl and mom whispering to each other in comfort as Carl cried in mom's arms.

"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl screamed at my dad, as he walked closer to him.

"He made a call," I screamed to Daryl, angered that he even spoke like that about my father.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yelled at both me and my dad.

"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up!" I growled at him as I shoved him away from both me and my father. "Shut up!" I told him and he stayed in the place I left him, pacing around as I saw Shane wander to my dad. Walking past Daryl I went to grab my arrow and pulled it out, cleaning it against my pants.

"Rick, this is a dead end," Shane spoke to my dad, worried and panic stricken as he paced around a little like Daryl but less in circles.

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked worried and teary in her voice.

"Do you hear me? No blame," Shane said as he talked to my dad.

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark," mom told them as she clutched onto Carl, he was crying into her waist and grabbed onto her for dear life.

"Fort Benning, Rick...still an option," Shane tried to persuade my dad but my dad just shook his head and looked at Shane like he was crazy.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles," Andrea spoke up as dad just stood there in a daze, walkers were beginning to rise as I pulled out arrow after arrow and shot them, rushing over there to grab my arrows and running back.

"It's 125 I checked the map," Glenn tells us and this made my mom more panicked. Carl sobbing into her waist as he held her tightly.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now," mom growled out, her panick and anger were showing as she just wanted to get someplace safe.

"Well, think of something," Dad tried to calm them down but instead people were beginning to go back to the cars, telling us to go back and shoving us. Dad stood there for a few seconds, shuffling back but then froze when we both heard something move. "The camera it moved," dad told the rest of them behind him, both of us staring at the camera stunned.

"You imagined it," Dale concluded but instead I looked back at the elder man, shaking my head as I laughed to myself.

"It moved," I said which made my dad walk closer to it, repeating what I said and both of us watching the camera in the wall.

"Rick, Kat...it is dead, guys. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on," Shane said as he began to pull both me and Dad. His grip on me was a little too firm which made me slap his hand off of me.

"Guys, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick and Kat," Shane tried to force us to go, dad shoving his way out as I squirmed away from Shane's grip.

"Rick, Kat! There's nobody here!" Carol screamed to us from the distance but we just stared up at the camera.

"We know you're in there. I know you can hear me," Dad confronted the camera as it followed our every move with a small lag.

"Everybody get back to the cars now!" Shane demanded of everyone as they began to run back to the cars but slowed down as they watched me and dad try and convince whoever was inside to open.

"Please, we're desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left," I tell whoever was watching, my voice breaking as I pleaded up to the camera.

"Rick! Kat! There's nobody here," mom said as he tried to pull us both back but instead we screamed and pleaded to the person.

"We have nowhere else to go," I pleaded as dad pounded on the door.

"Keep your eyes open," Shane alerted the others.

"If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!" I cried out, tears began to flow as I screamed up at the camera. Dad pounding onto the doors over and over again.

"Come on, guys, let's go. Let's go," Shane told us as he gripped the both of us, pulling us back as we wriggled out of his grip.

"Please help us," dad pleaded as Shane grabbed dad and mom grabbed me. Pulling us both away from the camera as we kick and screamed.

"You're killing us! You're killing us! You're killing us!" me and dad echoed just as we were being turned to look away, the sound of something clanging opened and the sound of gas as it came out hissing at us. We all stopped and stared at the brightly illuminated door, stunned and frozen in place...


What do you think? Should I continue? What would you like to see more? What do you think of CPOV chapters for possibly season 2? If I said I had my own ideas for some chapters, like before going straight into season 2...what would you think? Leave me reviews saying what you would about these questions!

Much love!

HeroJustInTime90 x