T-Dog

Sat around the fire that night, T-Dog felt a sense of peace he hadn't felt during the outbreak since the group had been outside of Atlanta. Things seemed to be looking up. Everyone was for once relaxed and settled, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Rick had started to pull himself out of his grief, and he, T-Dog and Dale had spent the day discussing the idea of a 'council' for the group. The more they spoke about it, the better an idea it sounded. All they needed to do was actually run it past the group and see what they thought-although T-Dog didn't see how anyone could object. He sat up straighter and cleared his throat. Instantly, everyone fell quiet and looked to him. T-Dog still couldn't get over that, how they just looked to him for leadership now. He liked it, but he wouldn't miss the pressure of being expected to say something profound every time he opened his mouth.

"Erm, ok. So. Me and Dale, we've been talking about the situation here and we had an idea. We were thinking that we should try and stick to the old system, before the whole world collapsed. I mean, you saw what happened at the complex, with the dictatorship." He saw Adele and Georgie across the flames. Adele shuddered, and shifted closer to Ben, who instinctively put his arm around her. Georgie made no movement. He went on.

"So we thought we could maybe have a committee or a counsel of some sort. Rather than one person in charge, like it's been up til now. We had a few ideas on who we might get in on it, but we kind of wanted to know what you all thought. Maybe vote on it." He looked around the fire. "So...what do you think?"

Daryl was the first to speak up.

"You gonna be on this, committee thing?" T-Dog shrugged.

"If people want me to be."

"Ya got us out of the complex. Ya done most of the hard work so far. I reckon you should jus' stay in charge." A few heads nodded in agreement. T-Dog was pleased to see Miao was one of the people who agreed.

"Yeah, but, it's kind of stressful. I'd like the help and not to make all the decisions." Daryl looked thoughtful.

"Well, as long as ya on the thing, I don't give a rats ass. China man can have my vote." He bent his head over his plate and carried on shovelling rabbit into his mouth. T-Dog glanced at Dale, who just grinned. He was thankful-and slightly taken aback-by Daryl's loyalty. He supposed this meant they were friends now, which made him feel like he'd stepped into a twilight zone of some sort.

"Who else did you have in mind for the committee then?" He was jerked out of his musings by Ben, who still had his arm wrapped around Adele's shoulder.

"T-Dog obviously." Dale spoke up before T-Dog could answer. "Rick maybe. Glenn too." There was a mummer of approval.

"You should be on it too." Carol spoke softly. "You have as much right as anyone." Dale looked modest.

"I don't really have much interest in the thing. I'm happy to take orders and just do my share."

"Me too." Glenn spoke up, looking anxious. "I mean, wow, thanks for considering me, but I've seen the decisions you guys have had to make, and...I don't think I could...I mean..." He trailed off, and Maggie gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze.

"Well it's not compulsory." T-Dog found his voice. "No one HAS to do it."

"Why is it all men?" Miao's voice rang over the fire.

"That's what I was thinking." Katie sat up straighter, whilst still managing to eliminate any space between herself and Daryl. "There are plenty of woman here who are strong, good leaders, good fighters, calm in a crisis. We're not just here to be damsels in distress you know. You need a woman on the group, not just for equality, but because we're just as good as you men." She looked around the group as she spoke, and T-Dog realised that she wasn't talking about the women, but herself. He groaned inwardly. Katie was difficult to deal with at the best of times, and hadn't really bonded with anyone (unless you counted Daryl.) She hadn't even really tried. He couldn't imagine her being a fair and just committee member.

"Actually, we were hoping Adele and Georgie would be on the committee with us." Rick shifted a dozing Carl from the floor to his lap and looked directly at Katie. His face was neutral, but his voice carried a hint of the old command it had had in Atlanta. "They've had experience leading at the complex, they're not just good fighters, they can plan and foresee and they have tactical skill." He turned and smiled at Adele and Georgie. "We wouldn't be complete without them." Carol grinned, and Andrea, Miao and Glenn applauded briefly. Even Daryl grunted his approval through a mouthful. T-Dog glanced at Rick. It had been hard to convince him that Georgie would be ok to lead the group. T-Dog and Dale both argued that the responsibility would be good for her, force her to stop dwelling on whatever was haunting her. And it would be easier to keep an eye on her that way. Rick had agreed reluctantly, but you would never know from the way he was smiling now. T-Dog turned his attention to Katie. She looked furious. T-Dog wondered if she would accept the new order or make trouble.

"I don't want to." Georgie's voice was quiet, but firm. Everyone looked at her. She slowly placed her plat on the floor. "Katie can have my place. She wants to do it, let her." Ben reached around Adele and touched her arm.

"Georgie, I don't know how anyone else feels, but, you and Adele, you both should be doing this. It's for the good of everyone. You both know so much..."

"I would feel better if I knew you were helping lead," Andrea chimed in. "I think we all would."

Georgie shook her head. "You said no one HAD to do it. Well I'm not. I don't want to be in charge of anyone. I'll do my bit, but I don't want any responsibility on that level." Her voice broke slightly on the last words, and T-Dog wondered if she was going to cry. Adele looked concerned, and went to whisper something in her ear, but Georgie stood up and walked to her tent. After a pause, T-Dog went to go after her, but a hand on her arm stopped him. He looked down, and Rick shook his head slowly.

After a brief awkward pause, Rick spoke.

"That makes three then. Me, T-Dog and Adele. Personally I think it should be four. First things first, any objections to myself, T-Dog and Adele?" No one spoke. Rick nodded. "Ok. So who wants to be the fourth?" Katie raised her hand. Rick nodded at her.

"Well, based on the reasons you gave for choosing Adele and Georgie" Katie's mouth seemed to twist on the last word, "I think I'm a pretty good choice. I lived in the complex. I trained, I fought. I hunted. So why not me?" She looked around the group smiling, as if it was a given. Rick nodded, as if he was considering her point.

"All those in favour, raise your hands." Katie's smile faded when no one raised their hands.

"It's nothing personal." Andrea tried to reassure her. "But, we don't know you as well as Adele and Georgie. And, well, you did fight, but you didn't train people like they did. I think we'd feel more comfortable with someone we knew well."

"It's ok." Katie's voice was falsely cheerful and high. "I understand, of course. You want people you know and trust." She sank back against her chair and glared at Daryl, who continued to ignore her.

"Dale." Dale looked at Ben, who was leaning across to him. "I think it should be you. I mean, Georgie may change her mind when she's feeling better, but until she does, I think you're the obvious choice."

"Agreed." Maggie turned away from Glenn to smile at Dale. "You seem so wise and knowledgeable. I think you'd make a good choice."

"I think you mean old my dear," Dale quipped. He rubbed his glasses and slide them back on. "Ok. But if Georgie changes her mind, I'm stepping down. We need young blood if we're going to survive out here."

"What's up with her anyway?" Maggie looked quizzically at Adele. "She's just not herself. Not, out of it...but just...I don't know. It's not like she doesn't care, but..." she trailed off. Adele sighed.

"I don't know. I just can't figure her out right now." Andrea and Daryl exchanged a look that didn't go unnoticed by T-Dog.

"You two wanna share something with the class?" Andrea shifted uncomfortably.

"Didn't you hear what the Governor said to her? That he saw her as a daughter, his project? If I was her, and I heard that from him, I'd be a little messed up too."

"That's bullshit." Daryl didn't shout the sentence, but Sophie, who had been lying with her head in her mothers lap half asleep still started. "That man was batshit crazy. Georgie an Adele ain't nothing like him. Man, everything they done's been ta try ta keep everyone alive. Georgie needs to snap outta it."

T-Dog felt like an idiot. With all that had happened, with the horror of baby Judith, he had forgotten the conversation that had taken place at the same time. He recollected with a jolt the look on Georgie's face, how the colour had drained out of it; that she had looked ready to vomit. Adele looked horrified.

"He said that to her? Jesus!" She made to get up, but T-Dog shook his head.

"Adele, he didn't just say it about her. He said you both were. If you go in there now, she'll have to explain why she didn't tell you and that's just gonna get messy." He stood up and stretched. "It's late. I want to sleep. I'll talk to her tomorrow. Maybe Andrea could talk to her too. And Mr Sensitive over here." He pointed at Daryl. "It might be better coming from people who were actually there. Once we can get her to talk about the real problem, maybe she'll get back to normal." Before Adele could protest, he walked from the camp fire to his own tent. He paused outside Georgie's tent, and listened carefully.

He heard no sound from inside.