A/N: Yeah, sorry for the shortness of that chapter. But once again, it was really just a filler until I get things sorted out and I think I have everything back in order now. It's really hard to get into a story after you've left it for so long. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy!

EDIT: After going through the story (well, skimming over the chapters), I think I failed to mention what Marianne looked like! Anyways, she has amber-red hair and it's medium length, but she tends to keep it in a pony tail. Her eyes are hazel in colour. She normally wears her high school jacket, but whenever she thinks there's gonna be some action involved, she'll take it off and underneath she has a black tank-top. She also wears a pair of ripped jeans. Anyways, sorry for not explaining that sooner. (For reference: "Ah umnae" means "I am not" and "peely wally" is "pale")

Selena's StoryTime: OMG OMG OMG Thank you so much! And yeah, I always thought that Arvo's story needed something a bit more (and some people keep telling me it was a gutsy move because he's a 'little piece of s**t) and he was in his late teens, so it makes sense he was in high school with them. Thanks so much for the feedback, it truly means a lot to me!

Chapter Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Chapter Rating: T

Rating Content: Brief Mild Language

Marianne was getting frustrated. They had been sitting around for what felt like ages and there was no news about the train from Ben or Lee. Did the thing even have gas in it? Did trains even need gas? What about the detached wagons? Would the thing even work?

She shrugged and sighed. Even if it did, what good would it do? Trains were loud, how long would it take before a herd of Chompers gets passed by on the tracks?

When she and Lilly had made their way over to the group, Marianne had earned more than a few odd looks from Katjaa, Carley and Clementine. Duck looked like he was just half asleep, so he didn't notice anything. Kenny said nothing, of course, and just sat down beside his wife and child. Once she had sat down, Marianne had started flipping through her Bible to various different verses without bothering to stop.

'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' Matthew 5:4

Marianne vigorously flipped the pages and to another highlighted verse.

'The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.' Psalm 34:18

She flipped a few more pages.

'Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can't speak.' Psalm 56:8

She then flipped to near the end of her Bible, biting her tongue, hoping the tears would never come.

'He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.' Revelations 21:4

None of these were helping her. She had faced loss before, many times before, and these verses had always brought her some form of comfort or reassurance. But no, these weren't helping her at all. Perhaps it was because of the situation she was in, and because of the situation that had happened. The dead are walking, ruling the earth, almost as if Hell decided to unleash its army on earth. The living are to be feared and hated, no longer trusted and loved. She knows that loss is unavoidable in this world, especially now. It hurt. Why did that realization hurt so much?

Someone tapped her shoulder, making her jump in surprise. "Hm, aye?"

It was Carley. "Uh... are you alright? You look a little, I dunno, distant?"

Marianne shrugged, flipping the pages in her Bible. "Peachy."

Silence. Then, "Did you... like him?" She asked in a quiet voice.

She tugged a little hard in turning a page and made a slight rip in it. "Excuse ye?"

Carley immediately regretted her words. Well, no going back now, she thought. "Did you like Travis? I mean, I can understand why you reacted so strongly, but when things were getting ugly back at the Inn, you didn't seem to affected by it..."

Marianne sighed slightly, closing her Bible and setting it in her lap. "Look, Carley; fer one thing, we had tae move when th' Inn got raided. Ah couldn't let it get t' me. Besides, death is a constant here. An' Travis? We had far too much in common for tha', anyhow."

She looked confused.

"We both liked boys, Carley."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh... and you were alright with that?"

She shrugged. "Ah dinnae know, should Ah not have been?" She rolled her eyes. "Aye, it is a sin in God's eyes, but the Bible also says tae love yer neighbour as ye'd love yerself. Ah was no' about tae judge the lad fer his preference."

When Carley said nothing, she continued. "Look, Travis died protecting me. An'... Ah feel so ashamed and so guilty!" The tears started to flow freely from her eyes, and she vigorously tried wiping them away. "We had a wee spat back a' th' Inn. An' we did no' talk to each other after tha'. Tae think that the last words Ah ever spoke to him were harsh and from an argument. Ah want tae say Ahm sorry to him, let him know how much he meant t' me as a brother. But he's gone now, Carley!"

Marianne suddenly brought the woman in for a fierce hug. "Ah just wish tha' Ah could somehow bring him back, but Ah know Ah cannae do tha'. He did no' deserve to die like tha'!"

Carley immediately hugged her back. "Look, Maria, I understand what you're going through..." she hesitated, choosing her next words carefully. "But we need to try and stay strong. You can mourn, but you can't let it effect anyone else."

Marianne sniffled. "Ah know, Carley, Ah know..." With a small sigh she released her grip on the older woman and wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. "Sorry..." She quickly apologized.

"No it's fine. We're in a spot where we're, well, not under attack or being chased by Walkers. It's fine."

Suddenly, they heard a loud sound coming from the train and, upon looking, they saw that there was steam coming from the wheels. "Tha' thing actually works!?" Marianne exclaimed.

Kenny stood from the log and took off to the train, a little spring in his step. Marianne, herself, felt a small spark of hope in her chest. If they were able to get the massive machine moving, there was no telling where they could go! They could get somewhere safe! Maybe pass by a nice country area, build up a small community from there.

She then saw Ben coming back from the train and as he got closer to the rest of the group, she saw the look of shock on his face at the sight of Lilly. Out of the RV, with the group (well, not really with the group, more like a few meters away standing against a tree). He quickly handed a box of animal crackers and a bottle of water to Katjaa, who thanked him and tried to get Duck to eat and drink. He then sat on the other side of Marianne. "What is she doing out here?"

It was a legitimate question, she thought. There was no sign of accusation in his voice, so he was genuinely curious. "Ah can learn tae forgive, but never forget, Benjamin." She replied.

As they continued to wait for any signs of the train actually being able to move, Marianne saw a man approaching them. He looked a lot older than anyone else that had been in their group; grey hair and a grey beard. His clothes, composed of a brown coat, dark red undershirt, brown pants and fingerless gloves, were incredibly dirty. And he was also carrying a guitar.

He seemed friendly, but Marianne wasn't about to take any chances. Marianne nudged Carley and, taking the crossbow out of her back pack, she stood and addressed the man. "An' who are ye?"

The man chuckled. He actually just chuckled. Even though he's being threatened. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna jump you. Don't got any weapons on me, anyhow."

Carley stood up. "My name is Carley." She greeted the man. It was odd, Marianne thought, that Carley was already being so trusting towards someone that they didn't even know.

The man gave a small smile. "The name's Chuck. Charles, if you're fancy."

Marianne released a small breath and smiled as well. "Ahm Marianne. But everyone calls me Maria or Mary." She pointed to Ben. "This is my friend, Ben." She then gestured to Lillly. "Tha' woman there is Lilly."

Katjaa nodded politely at the man. "I'm Katjaa. And this is Duck."

Clementine stood up and smiled at Chuck. "And I'm Clementine!"

"Pleased to meet you, Clementine." Chuck smiled down at her.

/ / /

Chuck was an incredibly friendly man. It was very refreshing, all things considering. Normally, when meeting new people, you would often be met with suspicion and threats. But never once did people trust someone so openly.

Well, he was also a bit older and wiser, so maybe he developed that sense of when something is or isn't right.

Of course, they couldn't exactly talk, considering they accepted candy from him. It almost made her chuckle, thinking about that usual statement from parents; "Don't take treats from strangers!".

Chuck was excellent at playing the guitar as well. She thought that he would've been great in the little band she and her friends made.

Sure, they were already in a school band, but she, Ben, Travis and Arvo had made their own little group once. Chuck would've been a great addition; Arvo always said they needed a lead guitarist!

Marianne sighed quietly, remembering Arvo. He had been with the Russian exchange group for their school. When she, Ben and Travis first met him, he was very quiet and shy. But they were eventually able to get at least five words out of him. They all had become really good friends, a 'tight circle', as their teacher called them. One time when they went to his place to hang out and work out their little 'band', they were able to meet his older sister, who went to America with him to make sure he got by alright at school (because of his leg). She was a fine cook, Marianne thought.

Was he alright? Did he manage to get to safety? Did he manage to meet up with some of Natasha's group of friends? Or was he surviving on his own?

Was he even surviving at all?

The sound of a loud clang made them all look up to see that the train had moved! Except there was the detached wagons and box cars that were holding the train back. They all watched then as Lee went to the back of the train.

Chuck stopped playing his guitar and stood up, resting the instrument against the log. "I think I should probably introduce myself to him." He said.

Marianne and Ben watched as he approached the empty box car. She then gently nudged him. "Benjamin?"

"What?"

"Ye an' Ah need a plan."

He immediately was confused. "What do you mean, Maria?"

Lowering her voice, she gestured around them. "This group? Is fallin' apart, Ben. Ahm a lovin', compassionate lass, but Ah know when enough is enough. These people are unstable, an' Ah dinnae want tae be dragged down with 'em if they all fall apart."

Ben frowned, slightly. "What about Clementine?"

Marianne stole a glance at the little girl and sighed. "If Lee still manages tae stick around, he can take care o' the lass. An', as far as anyone is concerned, Lee an' Clementine are th' only stable people in this group, Ben. Kenneth has murdered Lilly's father, an' in turn, Lilly is on edge an' ready tae hurt anyone an' anything. Katjaa... she listens tae her husband, an' Duck..."

They both looked at the young boy, who was still resting against his mother. Although she hasn't told anyone, they both knew what was wrong with him. They've seen the turning process before, first hand. There was never a definitive time in which they would turn, but the stages were always the same. Marianne shook her head. "Ah dinnae think he has much longer, bein' all peely wally like tha'..."

Ben looked almost conflicted. Marianne was his best friend and, even in the worst of times, she was always the one who seemed to know what to do. But now, he wasn't sure if this was her knowing what was best, or just her giving up and wanting to get away from everyone. "Where do you think we'll go?" He asked.

"Well, if th' train is headed where Ah think it's headed, oot in th' country. Much safer there. An', if worse comes tae worst, we can always just try an' keep moving, maybe build our own community."

Marianne, seeing that Lee, Chuck and Kenny were all coming back, placed her Bible in her backpack and stood, swinging it over her shoulder. "Just think, okay?"

"Well, looks like we're heading out, then!" Kenny stated. "We don't have much, but pack up whatever you need and-"

Kenny was cut off by the sound of the RV starting up. Marianne's head snapped around and she saw Lilly in the driver's seat. Dammit, how did she slip away without her noticing?!

As Lilly pulled away in the RV, Marianne was half-expecting Kenny to chase after her. But no, he seemed rather calm.

That is, until he made a bee-line for her.

"What the fuck did I say, Marianne?" He seethed.

She shot the man a glare of her own. "Ah told ye, Kenneth; only my maw can call me Marianne! An' we have a train! Lilly can have her RV!"

Before the argument could grow, Lee put a hand on Kenny's shoulder. "Let it go, Ken."

They both continued to stare each other down, their gazes unwavering, before Kenny let out a defeated sigh. "Let's go." He said, walking back to the train.

As the rest of the group followed, Ben quickly said to Marianne. "Now I get what you mean..."

"Exactly, Benjamin."

/ / /

Just as Marianne had predicted, the train was loud. Well, of course it would be, what else could it be?

Of course, she wasn't about to let that distract her.

She was sitting against a box beside Ben, her hands clasped around her cross pendant and her head bowed. She couldn't remember the last time she had time for a decent prayer, and she thought now was a good a time as any.

There were so many things going on, so much death and pain, it was almost unbearable. As she prayed, she briefly reflected on what Travis had said to her back at the Motor Inn. 'How can an 'all loving God' let this happen?'.

Although she didn't show it, those words had rattled her more than she would've liked. She couldn't help but feel that, in some aspects, Travis was right. How could He let this sort of thing happen?

She sighed and kissed the small pendant. "Lord be with me..." She whispered.

Everyone, aside from Kenny, were all in the box car. Katjaa was still hanging onto Duck, who was getting paler and paler by the minute. The boy didn't have much longer... And the poor girl, Clementine; Duck was really her only friend. How would she cope with him gone?

"It's gotta be hard on ya', eh?" Chuck said to Lee. "Four adults, taking care of three kids."

He looked down to Marianne and Ben. "No disrespect, of course."

Ben glared ever-so-slightly and Marianne scoffed. "Ah umnae a wean!"

Chuck raised an eyebrow at the young lady. "You're from Scotland or something, I take it."

She nodded and raised her chin slightly in a proud manner. "Aye, that Ah am! Born in th' Highlands. My family an' Ah had tae move tae America, however."

He gave her a small smile. "I bet it was beautiful up there."

She smiled back. "Aye, tha' it was..."

Carley crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the box car. "There were more of us, at one point."

"Dead get'em?"

"No... they didn't."

"Ah, livin' got'em."

Marianne immediately flashed back to Travis. The look on his face, moments before Lilly shot him... Why did he look so sad? Like he was apologizing for saving her. It wasn't right, him dying like that; he deserved better!

They all heard someone coughing and they looked to see Duck, blood spewing from his mouth and dribbling from the corner of his mouth. "Lee!" Katjaa called out. "Lee, I need your help right now! I need you to go and get Kenny."

Marianne sighed heavily and slumped against the wooden box. Not this again, she thought.

Ben watched as Lee cleaned up the blood off of Duck. "Maybe he'll make it, like you did." He said, a small spark of hope in his eyes.

She looked at him. "How often do ye see someone survivin' a bite, Ben? An' Ah didnae cough up blood."

He frowned and his eyes darted down to her arm. She rolled up her sleeve and sighed again. "How has the bruisin' no' disappeared by now?"

The bruises that were around the scar were still there and as dark as ever. Although the bruises didn't grow, they certainly didn't shrink either. Some of the bruises were at least fading away, but barely. The Chomper must have bitten her real hard, or there was something trapped underneath the skin that she didn't know about. Blood, maybe.

She also still didn't understand how she managed to survive the Chomper biting her. Well, then again, it may not have bitten down on her too hard. It all happened so quickly, pulling it off of Maxine and then it fell on her and took a quick bite out of her.

Maybe it was just that; a quick bite. Most Chompers are able to chow down on a living person and they end up turning. But if they don't have the time to get a full bite in, maybe that doesn't allow for the infection to activate itself.

It was something that baffled her. And it always would. Maybe, once this was all over, once a cure was found, she could get some answers.

And, although she knew it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel guilty for those who suffer bites and don't make it. That's why she never liked to show the bite too often to strangers, as they could think they'd have a chance in surviving a bite.

Marianne stood and walked over to Katjaa, kneeling down beside her and looking at Duck. "Ahm... terribly sorry, Katjaa..."

She could see the older woman fighting back tears. "It was going to happen, eventually... It will happen to all of us."

Marianne hesitated before placing a gentle hand on her arm. "If it would be alright with ye, might Ah be able tae pray fer ye?"

Katjaa pursed her lips and nodded slightly. "Yes, please."

Marianne grabbed the pendant on her necklace and held tight to it, bowing her head respectfully.

/ / /

The train had finally come to a full stop just as Marianne was finishing her prayer for Katjaa and Duck. It was the one thing that Marianne would never stop doing; praying. It was the one thing that was desperately needed, the one thing that could keep her faith strong and keep her from breaking down.

She kissed the silver cross. "Lord be with us..."

She stood from her spot on the floor of the box car. "Do ye need me tae carry him?" She asked.

"No, I got him..." Katjaa replied.

Everyone got off from the train, forlorn expressions all on their faces. Marianne just sat on top of the wooden box, her arms crossed and her eyes staring down at the floor. She knew what was going to happen, she knew what they were going to do. His parents were here; they wouldn't allow their boy to become one of those creatures.

She hummed a small tune to herself as Katjaa and Kenny talked it out, quiet enough so that they wouldn't hear her. She wouldn't be reacting so strongly if it wasn't a child, if it wasn't Duck. Of course, her heart would be ripped in half if it happened to any of the adults, but a child? A child didn't deserve to die because of a Chomper bite.

Marianne watched as Katjaa and Kenny both walked into the forest with Duck, presumably to... take care of him. She shook her head. Poor boy...

She released a mournful sigh and placed her head in her hands. If it wasn't for the raid, for the bandits, if it wasn't for the St. Johns and their farm, non of this would've happened. Larry would not have been murdered, Lilly wouldn't have shot Travis, Duck wouldn't have been bitten and the bandits would've been off their rears. But, of course, the St. Johns did happen, and then their farm was taken over by Chompers, and the bandits were left without their one food source.

Where did the time go?

The sound of a gunshot and then Kenny's cry made her head shoot up in surprise. What had happened?

Lee was already on top of things as she saw him running into the forest. Marianne's blood ran cold. "Carley...?"

The woman shook her head and looked back at her. "I don't know."

They all anxiously waited, then, for their return, hoping that what they all thought happened truly didn't happen. They've already lost so many good people!

A second gunshot rang out.

Then it was quiet. Almost too quiet. It always seemed to be quiet nowadays, with all the things going on around them. Before the outbreak, there was always so much noise and silence was a good thing. But now, silence could be a bad thing. You didn't know who or what was hiding, who was ready to kill you or eat you, you didn't know if you were with friends, enemies, or if you were alone.

Lee and Kenny both emerged from the forest path. Just Lee and Kenny.

Marianne clawed at the wooden box, not caring for the splinters that got into her fingers. With clenched teeth, she hopped down from the box and walked to the front of the train. She needed to be away from everyone. She felt like she was about to explode; one wrong word and she could end up hurting someone. There was already enough hurt as it was.

/ / /

Marianne leaned against the railing of the train, watching as the tracks slowly slipped underneath the train. They always had to keep moving, she thought. There was never any rest, for the dead or for the living.

She heard the door open and then close. "Don't think I didn't see ya wandering up here."

She shook her head bitterly. "Ahm no' trying tae hide, ye ol' dug."

"Really." Chuck casually leaned against the railing beside her. "Then what are you doing up here instead of being with everyone else?"

"Ah need my space. Away from people."

"So, hiding, then?"

Marianne bit back a sigh and just continued to watch as the train picked up speed. There were so many dead trees. Just dead. There was almost no leaves, no sign of colour or life. All she ever saw were dark crows and ravens. "Ah should be dead..." She muttered.

"Beg pardon?"

"Ah should be dead." She said, a little more clearly. "Ah should no' even be alive, Ah should be a rotting corpse."

Chuck shuffled his feet, not out of discomfort, but more out of concern. "Now, little lady, after what just happened, I don't think you should be talking like that."

She shook her head and looked to the older man. "Nae, Ah dinnae mean Ah want tae die. Ah mean Ah should already be dead!" She rolled up the sleeve of her jacket. "Ah was bit several months ago. But Ah have no' turned. Why should Ah be th' one tae cheat death when everyone else is dying?"

"It ain't your fault, ya know."

"Ah know it's no', but Ah cannae help but feel guilty fer it! People like Duck are dying, an' here Ah am, walking as if Ah was never bitten. Tha's no' fair!"

"And ya can't let that get to ya, Mary." He stated. "Look, I've been around long enough to know that you can't change things that have already happened. I don't know what went on before I met y'all, but whatever did happen, you can't change nothing about it."

Marianne sighed in defeat. The old man was right.

They both stayed silent, then. Watching the trees, the tracks, just everything that passed by them. The tracks seemed to go on forever!

"I saw ya praying with the lady, Katjaa was it?" Chuck commented. "That's good."

"What, prayin'?"

He chuckled. "That too, but faith. I don't believe in God or any of that nonsense, but it's something that you seem to treasure. Something that brings ya peace. That's good, and you shouldn't ever let that go."

A ghost of a smile could be seen on her lips. "Thank ye, Charles."

The door opened and closed again and Lee approached the two of them. He didn't look happy. "Whatever you want to say to Clementine, you say to me!"

Her eyes widened. What just happened?

"Excuse you, son?"

"Why'd you tell her she was gonna die?"

Chuck raised an eyebrow at him. "'Cuz she is."

He earned a deathly glare from Lee and Marianne cleared her throat slightly, now nervous as to what Lee could do. She had never seen him angry, but she was hoping she wouldn't see him angry now that they're at the front of a speeding train.

"Look, I don't know much about you folks, but I can tell you, sure as the suns' gon' come up tomorrow, that y'all keep going on like this, and that little girl's not gon' make it."

She tapped his arm. "An' how do ye know that fer sure? She's a strong lass."

"I know you folks don't have a goddamn plan!" He replied. "We get to Savannah, and then what?"

Savannah? Marianne's brows furrowed. Wasn't Savannah a city? "Savannah?" She asked.

Chuck suppressed a sigh. "And now I know that not everybody knows there's even a plan at all."

She stood up straight and stared directly at Lee. "Since when were we goin' off tae Savannah? Tha's a city area; Ah thought we were going off tae the country side!"

"You weren't there when we discussed this. Or awake." Lee replied. "And as soon as we get to Savannah, we're going to find a boat. Get out of this place."

Chuck was obviously unimpressed by Lee's statement. "You think that's a new idea? You even got the foggiest idea as to where you're gonna find one of those?"

Marianne, who was now both upset and angry with the idea of going to the city, snorted and leaned onto the railing. "Fail tae plan, ye plan tae fail." She muttered under her breath.

Chuck chose to ignore the young girl. "Look, ya gotta sit down with the girl and hash it out. Find a map, for Christ's sake. I'd give ya one if I had one! And if something were to happen to you-"

"It won't." Was his curt reply.

"If it were, you gotta prepare the girl. Teach her to use a weapon and for criminy, cut that hair!"

"She's just a little girl."

Chuck sniffed. "And she'll die a little girl if you keep treating her like one!"

That much is true, Marianne thought. It was already bad enough that parents and adults treated kids like, well, kids even before the outbreak started. But now, it would be even worse. If children stay children, they would never make it out alive. They have to learn to survive, before they end up getting put into a situation that could kill them.

"You gotta consider her a living person. That's it." Chuck continued. "You're either living or you're not. You ain't little, you ain't a girl, you ain't a boy, you ain't strong or smart, you're alive. Just look at her hair; you got her running around with a mop that's gonna act like velcro to any hands swingin' its way. Take care of it, before a Walker does for you."

Marianne brushed at her own hair. She had been letting it grow out, not even trimming it. But she always kept it back so nothing could grab it so easily. However, if Chuck had a bone to pick with Clementine's hair, he was certain to have a bone to pick with hers!

"And teach her how to use a gun because, like it or not, that's what saves your life from her on out."

Lee sighed quietly but he nodded. "Alright, I hear you. A plan, a haircut and a gun. It's good advice."

"Well, it's something." Chuck said.

Lee nodded his thanks and left the two of them to their own devices. Without even looking, Marianne could practically feel Chuck's eyes burning a hole in her skull. "Dinnae lecture me, please." She whined, turning her head to look at him. "Ah'll get tae trimmin' my hair when Ah can."

Chuck smiled cheekily. "I wasn't gonna say nothing about your hair, seeing that you're older, but that's not a bad idea."