A/N: Wow, reviews already. Nice. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy.
"There!" Lilli said as she pointed to the inn. They had made it, but just barely. It took them roughly three hours to get there due to road hazards. Very little light came from the setting sun. "Stop!" she said. Shane quickly stopped to car. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Wait," she whispered as she got out of the car.
"What's going on?" Shane whispered.
Lilli shook her head as she slowly walked towards the inn. There were no walkers about.
Shane jumped in surprise when someone grabbed his hand. "Dammit, Rick!" he hissed at his friend.
"What's going on?" Rick asked.
"Think she's going to talk to them so they don't shoot us," he replied. Rick nodded, but Shane knew that he was nervous.
Lilli walked in-between two green cars before stopping next to a van that was near the cars. She opened the side passenger door and leaned in. Suddenly, she jumped back, aimed a shotgun and fired into the car.
"Lilli?" a little girl screamed. They looked up and a girl, about ten years of age, was waving from one of the rooms in the second floor. She was pulled back and a Latina woman quickly appeared.
"Geeks!" the woman shouted as Lilli ran under her and threw the shotgun up. The woman caught it and disappeared back in the room.
"Lilli, wait!" Shane shouted as he grabbed his shotgun and jumped out of his jeep. Rick had already run back to the RV to get the rest of the men to help.
Shane rushed through the parking lot when Lilli stumbled out of the front door. It looked as if something had punched her. She shook her head as if she were dazed then fell onto the ground as a rather large zombie jumped on her. Shane wanted to use his shotgun, but he didn't want the spray to hit her.
Lilli struggled as the overgrown zombie casually leaned down to bite her. She screamed as she pulled out her handgun and shot it in the head. Her eyes quickly closed as blood and brains covered her face. "Fuck!" she shouted as something grabbed her and pulled her into the inn.
"No!" Shane shouted as he rushed after her. The rest of the armed men quickly followed.
A zombie rushed after Rick the second he entered the lobby. He didn't hesitate as he shot it in the head with his shotgun. Lilli had kicked off another zombie that tried to eat her and Shane shot it in the head. T-Dog and Glenn both slammed their blunt weapons into the same zombie.
Lilli wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket then they heard a child scream. "Sara!" Lilli shouted as she ran to the hallway.
"Wait!" Shane yelled as he followed after her. She pulled the door to the stairway open and a zombie jumped after her. Shane pushed her to one side and shot it in the head. "Which floor?" he shouted to her.
"Second," she responded.
He nodded and ran up the stairs. He opened the door to the second floor and got ready to fight. Three zombies pounded on a door. Shane aimed for one head and fired. The blast sent the other two staggering back. Lilli fired her gun and hit one while he finished the last with the butt of his gun.
"Sara? Sara! It's Lilli," she said as she rapidly knocked on the door that the zombies were pounding on.
The door flew open and a woman appeared. She looked to be of Hispanic descent. Her face was scrunched up with fear and her hair was a rat's nest. "Lils!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around the young woman. Lilli seemed taken aback by her hug.
"Lilli!" a little girl cried as she ran and hugged her. Lilli pushed the other woman away and quickly returned the little girl's hug.
"We need to make sure that everything is clear," Shane stated.
"Where are the others?" the woman asked.
"All dead, Shane and his group rescued me," Lilli said as she pushed the little girl back into the room.
"We have an RV parked outside if you want to go there and wait," Shane said.
The woman shook her head. "It's getting dark. Best if we secure the inn again. I counted about twelve geeks that were let in. We killed at least seven but many were bit in the process. There are four of us inside this room. Best to assume the other six are geeks."
"The gun shots will bring more walkers to us," Shane said.
"But not many. We'll be fine for tonight. Trust me. Just clear this inn. We'll be fine until tomorrow."
Shane looked skeptical, but then nodded. "I'll go tell Rick," he said. He wasn't too keen on driving all night and would rather sleep in a bed again.
"Close the door," Lilli told her. "We'll be back."
She nodded and pulled the reluctant child away from Lilli, before closing the door.
Lilli followed Shane downstairs to where Rick and the other men were carefully exploring the rooms. "We should clear this first floor and the hallways to the other floors, just in case," Lilli said as she approached Rick.
He shook his head. "If there are any survivors we'll take them and go somewhere else. The gun fire will have attracted more of them."
Lilli shook her head. "It's getting dark and all of you are tired and probably hungry. By the time we get going it'll be early morning, if you want to take all the stuff that we have. Better to clear the inn and leave in the morning. Trust me. We're not going to get a horde of walkers on us. I'm sure there will be a few at the door in the morning, but nothing we can't handle."
Shane looked at Lilli with raised eyebrows then over at Rick. "We are tired, Rick," he said with a nod.
Rick turned and looked at the others. They nodded their heads, making him sigh. "Guess we best make sure the inn is clear before we bring Lori in here."
Lilli let out a small smile before nodding in agreement.
There weren't any more zombies to kill, which made their job easier. Lucy, the Hispanic woman, was firm when she told them that the only room that was open was the one she and the other survivors went into.
Still, Rick and his team did a quick check of every room before they got busy with the bodies. Lilli showed them where her group had dug a huge hole and placed the bodies they had killed in it and burned them. It was too dark to burn any more bodies, so they decided to just throw the bodies into the hole.
It took them a little longer to dump the bodies since Daryl had to get stitches. Glenn had accidently hit Daryl's left arm with the edge of crowbar, while fighting a zombie. No one wanted to see what would happen if zombie blood accidently entered his wound so they forced him to stand in a corner and wait. He growled at them every chance he got.
When they finally finished they called everyone inside and closed the doors. The previous group had placed a chain in-between the handles and a lock as well as various tables. Although the windows were glass, the chain helped them feel more secure. Even the covered glass windows helped them feel more secure.
Shane and Rick stood in the lobby and surveyed their handwork. The cars were parked perfectly so that if they needed they could escape with little trouble. For the first time, they smiled at each other and nodded with approvement. Both were in a relatively good mood.
"God dammit! Be careful, Taco Bell," Daryl's voice echoed through the halls. Rick and Shane looked at each other before they rushed over to the temporary infirmary room. It was the last room in the left hallway.
The previous group had set up a hotel room for medical emergencies and Lilli had told them where to go. Daryl refused help from anyone and claimed that he could stitch himself up better than anyone. Rick and Shane had no idea who Daryl was insulting, since anyone in their right mind stayed clear of him.
"Seriously? Very original, did grandma Clampett teach you that?" the Hispanic woman snapped as soon as they entered the room. Daryl was sitting on a chair with his arm on the table. Lilli had introduced the woman to Rick and Shane after they threw out the bodies. Rick couldn't remember her name. It was a strange name; all he could remember was her nickname, Lucy. She looked to be in her late twenties. Lucy held a needle and what looked like thread in her hand. She had already begun to stitch Daryl's arm.
"What?" Daryl asked in surprise.
"Haven't you ever seen the Beverly Hillbillies?" Lucy asked with a smile on her face.
"Fuck no!" Daryl snapped. "Trying to insult me with an ancient show? Damn. How long does it take for TV shows to get to Mexico?" Daryl retorted back. Suddenly, he let out a howl in pain.
"Sure. I'm Latina so I have to be from Mexico. Stop being a baby," Lucy said as she tightened the thread.
Daryl spotted Rick and Shane. "Oh good," he said. "Maybe you can get a real Americano in here. Ouch, dammit!"
"Will you stop moving?" Lucy scolded. "It's going to continue to hurt if you keep on moving. Just let me finish, estupido."
"She's a nurse, Daryl," Rick said calmly. "You might want to probably refrain yourself from insulting her too much." Rick was surprised that despite what Daryl was saying, Lucy was very calm and hadn't purposefully hurt him.
"Listen to the officer, dumbass," Lucy said as she was finishing.
"I'm sure that anyone can do a better job than she can," Daryl said.
"Ahí! Hombre mas terco," Lucy muttered.
"Hey! We're in America. Speak English here god dammit," Daryl hissed at her.
"No way?" she said with mock amazement. "America? Isn't this supposed to be the land of tolerance or some shit?" She dropped the needle and stood up without waiting for an answer and started to walk out of the room.
Shane looked at Daryl with an amused smile while Rick opened his mouth to try and talk to Lucy.
"Come back here and finish what you started, Vida Loca," Daryl commanded, but his tone was slightly nicer than it was earlier.
Lucy sighed then went back to him. "Next time I'll let you bleed to death, ungrateful hick," she said as she finished stitching his arm.
"We were doin' jus' fine without no nurse," Daryl snapped back at her.
Lucy's eyes widened as she looked at him. "Oh you was?" she asked with fake amazement. "Oh, then you don't need me tending to you. Let's compare someone else's stitches when you need them." She quickly finished the stitching then stood up and walked away. "I got better people to look after anyway."
Shane raised his eyebrows as he looked at Daryl.
"Already getting the good nurse mad at you?" Rick asked with an amused smile.
Daryl leaned forward, shaking his head. "Did you see that? Shamelessly flirting with a patient. Probably want to marry me to get a green card so she can stay here."
"Oh fuck you," Lucy yelled. She had returned. She tossed him a small tube of antibiotic. "Put this on your wound at least once a day if you don't want an infection."
Daryl snorted as she turned and walked away. "See?" he said, shaking his head.
"Pinche mamadas, hombre más estúpido!" They could hear her cursing in Spanish as she waved her hands in the air. Rick chuckled.
"Lucy?" Lilli asked as she walked out of her room.
"No me hablas!" Lucy snapped as she walked past the young woman.
Shane leaned out and watched as Lilli shook her head then walked out of her room. Holding her hand was the little girl named Sara. The two didn't look similar. Lilli had long straight dark brown hair and green eyes, while Sara had curly blonde hair and blue eyes. And their facial features were different. But then again, genetics were always tricky. Shane's father was blonde with blue eyes, but he ended up taking after his mother who had dark brown hair and brown eyes like his, at least he got his father's height.
"Come on," Rick said as he motioned for Shane and Daryl to follow him. The two walked to the dining room where the last of Lilli's group gathered as well as Rick's group.
There were only four of ten people who had survived the attack. Lucy, Sara, a pilot named Michael and a veterinarian named Georgia. From what Rick could tell Lilli's group had hit the jackpot of the most useful people in the world. He was saddened by the loss of them. But there was something odd. It was clear that they were saddened by their major loss, but they easily shifted their loyalty to Rick. He knew that they would do what he asked. They saw him as a figure of authority. It was clear that they hadn't developed the bond of a family like he had with most of his group. Even Daryl felt like part of Rick's odd family. He was that brother that you wanted to beat the shit out of for being ignorant, but still wanted around.
Rick wasn't sure why the others seemed distant toward one another. Maybe it was because each of them had a special trade and that's how the others viewed them as a necessity for what they could do and not who they were. Either way, to survive, these people knew that they had to rely on Rick to help them. Part of him liked the idea and the other part was scared for the added responsibility. Then again, the four extra people replaced the ones that he had lost the past couple of days.
The three men were the last to enter the dining room. They were surprised to see that the rest of the group was already sitting down in various tables. Sara, Sophia and Carl sat in a table by themselves. They seemed rather proud to be alone. Lilli, Andrea, Lucy, Lori, and Georgia were nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, the kitchen doors opened and the women walked out with plates of spaghetti in their hands.
"Nice," Daryl shouted as Andrea set down a plate in front of him.
"Thanks," Rick said to his wife who kissed him and smiled.
Daryl went to put the food in his mouth when he felt someone slap him in the back of his head. "Ow, what the fuck, crazy broad," he shouted to Georgia as he rubbed his head.
"Don't make me wash your mouth with soup. There are children around. Don't want to hear you saying such words in front of them," Georgia snapped back. "If you're going to curse then you can go outside and not partake of this food. If you want to eat then you're going to have to pray first."
Daryl looked her up and down as she placed herself next to him. She was at least in her sixties, standing at 5'5" but everything about her was big. She wasn't obese, but she was fat. She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down.
"Fine, whatever," Daryl said as he turned back to his plate. His face was red with embarrassment.
Glenn couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"What did you say, China?" Daryl said then yelped in pain. "I ain't your grandson, grandma!" He glared at Georgia who returned his glare. "Stop hitting me."
"I will when you stop cursing and show more respect. You're acting worse than the children! Behave," Georgia said as she placed herself next to her chair. "Let's hold hands and pray. Kids, come over here for a minute," she said as she grabbed Rick's hand who looked at her in surprise. He took hold of Lori's hand and she took her son's, and soon everyone was holding hands.
Shane had purposefully sat himself next to Lilli and he smiled as he reached for her hand. Suddenly, Sara grabbed her hand and then looked at him. She frowned then slowly grabbed his hand after he gave her a reassuring smile. Georgia grabbed Lilli's other hand and took in a deep breath.
"Dear Lord," she began. "We thank you for letting us live yet another day, and for bringing us new friends. We are saddened by our loss, but we know that they are with you now. Lt. Gonzalez, Maria Gonzalez, Kenny Connell, Patrick…"
Shane stopped listening as Georgia continued to name the people of her group who were lost. The names meant little to him. He didn't know them. He had never met them. He looked over at Lilli. She was staring at her plate. He wondered if she blamed herself for being alive. He was going to talk to her when she was alone. Slowly, he planned out what he wanted to say to her.
"And we know that whoever these new friends have lost are with you as well," Georgia's words invaded Shane's conscious again. "Be with us tonight and tomorrow when we…"
"Fuck 'im, old lady," Daryl snarled as he stood up.
"Daryl," Rick snapped as he looked over at the enraged man.
"No, Grimes," Daryl said. "This is stupid and you know it. God? Fuck, if He was real then He'duv destroyed those fuckers out there or at least given us a cure or sometin'. We're losin' people left and right in this hell on Earth."
"Give this to me, Daryl!" Georgia pleaded. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Tears threatened to stream down her face. "Let me have this one 'normal' activity that I always did at my home with my husband and my children."
He was taken aback, guilt clearly written across his face. He felt sorry for her. He quickly sat down, but refused to take anyone's hand. "Just don't make it so god damn long."
Georgia sighed as she closed her eyes. "For everyone we lost we thank You for bringing them out of this hell. And we thank You for our lives that we still have so that we can enjoy the company of other people. Amen."
The group muttered their amens before they opened their eyes and started eating. None of them knew when they would get another decent meal.
"Go eat with the other kids," Lilli said to Sara who nodded and skipped over to her table.
"That was a good prayer," Dale said to Georgia who smiled.
"This is great food," Shane said as he looked at Lilli and smiled.
"I didn't do it," she responded. "Luigi and Georgia did it."
"Who the… hell is Luigi?" Daryl asked as he looked over at Lilli. Shane bit his cheek from laughing. Naturally, Daryl had to curse, but he found a way to check himself so that it didn't sound so bad. Georgia gave him a nod of approval. She recognized the effort he made in censoring himself.
Lucy sighed and raised her hand. "My name is Ludgenane but everyone calls me Lucy except for Lilli," she turned her attention to Lilli and glared at her friend. "Thanks a lot, Lils."
Lilli laughed and shrugged her shoulders.
"So tell us a little bit about yourselves," Georgia said to Rick. Soon, the entire group started talking to one another and the ice seemed to break.