Chapter Four! I am excited for this chapter. It really reveals how close Carly has gotten with the group, and the fact that Rick might like her a little more than he lets on. Eeeep! Stuff is going to get good from here!

ContestingGirl

My blonde hair w

hips against my face as the shiny new pick-up truck barrels down country road after country road. Michonne and Glenn sit silently at my side, neither saying a word. We've been on the road for about three hours now and are nearing the town that we are planning to scavenge. My stomach is twisting with nerves. I've never made a supply run with other people so I'm not so sure how well this is going to go.

My legs are stiff from being cramped up in the bed of the truck for so long, and my comrades don't seem to be in much better shape. Glenn's face is twisted with anxiety and Michonne looks like she's debating whether to shoot me or trust me. Let's just say that Michonne scares the shit out of me. I don't ever want to be on the receiving end of one of her deadly blows.

I feel like an outsider in this group, but hopefully that will change in the following days. Still, I'm not sure I can trust the group. There are a select few I am beginning to like more and more, them being Rick, Carl, Glenn, and Hershel. Apparently, the other people running around that I have had little to no interaction with are Woodbury refugees, for the most part. No one felt the need to tell me that possible enemies lay within our safe haven! See what I mean about being an outsider?

Slowly the tuck slows to a stop. Curiously, I poke my head around of the side of the cab to see an old faded sign. From where I am, I can't even make out the name of the town. Rick quickly hops from the driver's seat and begins to unload supplies. I jump from the truck bed and decide to go help. Glenn and Michonne wait a few moments before following suit.

As I approach, Rick gives me a very serious look and hands me a small handgun, "Don't use this unless you absolutely have to. It will attract every walker for miles if you do."

I give a small nod, somewhat perturbed by the fact that he seems to think I know nothing. Quickly I head over to the small amount of supplies we have brought and select a black backpack, similar to the one I lost about a month ago. Inside is a meager supply of crackers and dried beef, along with a few Band-Aids. All in all, it's not much but it will do for the few days we're scavenging.

"Alright. Everyone I want you to listen carefully," Rick shouts as he motions us over to a map spread across the hood of the truck, "Since there are only four of us on this run, we need to spread out in order to cover the most amount of area possible…"

Glenn gives him an incredulous look and cuts him off, "Split up? What happens if one of us runs into a herd? Personally, I'd feel safer if we went in pairs."

Rick gives a nod of his head, "I understand what you're sayin' Glenn, but we need to gather as much as possible and I don't think goin' in pairs is the best way to go about it."

Cautiously I decide to step into the conversation, "Rick. Listen to him; I know you don't want to have to come back out here for a couple months at the least. But I agree with him, what would we do if a herd surrounded us? Shoot ourselves in the head?"

Rick looks at me with dumbfound expression, "Of course I wouldn't want you to shoot yourself in the head…."

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, "That's not what I'm trying to say. I'm saying that if you make us go by ourselves and we happen to stumble across a herd you'd leave us with no choice but to kill ourselves before we ended up being bitten, or eaten for that matter."

"Fine. Michonne you can be with me and Glenn will be with Carly. Any questions?" Rick says with a tone of finality.

Glenn and I both give terse nods of our heads before walking in the opposite direction of Rick and Michonne. Once we pass into the town, I notice how desolate it is. There are no cars on the road, like with many other towns and no walkers in sight. It looks almost as though everyone in this town made it out before things got bad, or at least made it to another area. I know it's unlikely that everyone in the town survived.

Glenn gives an almost angry sigh and turns to me, "Why don't you ever talk unless talked to?"

I give a shrug of my shoulders and continue walking.

"Seriously, you're so unnaturally quiet. It's unnerving to be around you because of it. Just the way you carry yourself is so….detached and uncaring. I can't stand it half the time."

"I'm not uncaring," I say with a scoff, "Just afraid to get attached, and with good reason." I say carefully.

Glenn throws his hands up in the air, "See! That's another thing about you. You always hint about your past but you never say anything revealing. What is so bad about your past that you can't share it with those around you?"

I clench my jaw and remain silent, until I see a street with houses, "Come on, and back to work. Those houses won't scavenge themselves."

Quickly I jog ahead of Glenn and walk into the nearest house. It looks as though it was once a nice home, but now it just looks neglected. My footsteps make the unkempt hardwood floors creak. Slowly I make my way towards the kitchen. The smell of rotten food hangs in the air like a thick cloud, making me gag. Flies swarm the fridge, but leave the pantry alone. Whoever lived here obviously didn't take much with them.

Glenn moves his way into the living room, while I make my way towards the pantry. The lower shelves are entirely filled with canned food; unfortunately the top shelves have chewed on boxes lining them. Quickly I begin to set what I can on the counter top and sort through what is good and what has expired. From that I choose the most nutrient rich foods, such as fruits or soups, and toss them in my back pack.

Cautiously, I make my way upstairs. The hall is lined with old photographs, some of a man and woman smiling and others of small children. My heart fills with sorrow. Life was so simple before all of this happened. Graduate school, get married, and have kids. The end. Now you have to fight for every single breath you breathe.

I wonder what my house looks like now. Its old cherry hardwood floors probably creak worse than these, and its white exterior is probably chipped. The yard is most likely overgrown with weeds as are the pastures I had wished to fill with championship caliber horses. Sadly, the whole property is probably overrun with biters as well. If only the world had not come to this.

A knock on the wall behind me makes me jump into the air and whirl around. Glenn is standing there with a sad expression on his face, "You alright?"

"Yeah. It's just…."

He gives a shake of his head, "I know what you mean. First run I ever made back in Atlanta, I walked into an apartment that had a little girl's room in it and broke down crying. It's hard to think that just a year and a half ago everything was alright. Life was so much easier back then," Glenn says as he heads into one of the bedrooms.

I give a solemn nod of my head and walk into the bathroom. Several tooth brushes sit on the counter, along with several tubes of tooth paste. Quickly I shove the tooth paste into my pack and bend down to inspect the cabinets beneath. There are several boxes of tampons which I don't hesitate to shove in my pack; you would be surprised how hard these little suckers are to come by. Other than that though there is little to find in the bathroom.

I meet up with Glenn in the living room and we decide to head out again. This house is nice, but it's not secure enough to spend the night in. Hopefully there will be a house with better locks on it somewhere in our area. Night isn't all too far away, and I don't want to find out what walks around at night around here.

-Later That Night-

After about two more hours of scavenging Glenn and I found a nice house to spend the night in. We will probably meet back here after every day and organize our findings. Glenn managed to pick up five heavy blankets, several articles of winter clothing, and some shoes today. I have found a ton of canned food items and toiletries. Plus I even managed to find a bottle of whisky! Usually whisky isn't my thing, but I haven't had a drink in God knows how long.

Glenn and I have been lounging in the living room of the house for the past hour taking turns sipping the whisky. I know I'm starting to get drunk, but I can't bring myself to stop. Glenn on the other hand passed drunk a long time ago. He keeps mumbling to himself and laughing at the oddest thing, which in turn makes me laugh at him. We are a sad pair at this point.

I at least have enough sense to withhold anymore alcohol from Glenn. He obviously can't hold his liquor well. I on the other hand have a much harder time stopping once I've started. A problem that has carried over from my teenage years. At this point I've probably downed close to a third of the bottle.

Glenn giggles oddly from beside me, "So you never did tell me what's so bad about your past. What'd you do, kill someone?"

I take another sip of whisky and decide to answer him, not like he'll remember in the morning anyway. "Nope. Worse, I got my best friend killed when I was seventeen. Went to a party one night and she got drunker than a dog, on the way home a drunk driver swerved into our lane. I was so tired that I hardly had time to jerk the wheel. She died on impact and I spent two months in a coma."

Glenn snorts, "That's not your fault. Here I was thinking you were some badass arms dealer or something."

I laugh at his words, "You have no idea."

"How was your life even hard? You got a full ride for track to a good college, got a good job, and probably were living the dream. Me, I was working a pizza joint in Atlanta trying to make ends meet."

I shake my head, "Sure I might've had all those things, but you're wrong about it being easy. I've lost a lot of people in my life Glenn; Dad, Mom, Liz. Not to mention the fact that I was a disgrace to my older sister! Or, the fact I ruined my baby brother's life. I am like poison in the lives of others. Some days I even wonder why I keep trying to go on. The world would be a better place without me, no doubt about it."

Glenn tries to point a finger at me but can't hold up his arm because he's so drunk and settles for just talking instead, "Don't say that about yourself! You're a great person. Hell, Rick wouldn't have let you live if he didn't think there was something good about you, then again you are pretty. Maybe that's why he saved you, cause he thinks you're pretty!" Glenn bursts out laughing at the last part, as though he has found the secret to the universe.

My own shoulder's shake with laughter, "Like a guy like him would find me pretty! I mean have you seen him? He is gorgeous."

Suddenly our walkie-talkie that we sat on the end table crackles to life and Rick's voice shouts over the end, "Glenn, Carly! Get back to the truck. NOW! There's another group in the town and they're heavily armed and all men. They are pretty close to your area so be careful when you try to get back."

Glenn swipes his hand at the device, eventually grabbing hold of it and half laughs half cries into the speaker, "Carly doesn't want to live cause she thinks she's a bad person! An-and she thinks that…."

I know what he's going to say next and try to pounce on him. In my drunken state I totally miss him and go slamming into the floor. Glenn burst into laughter besides me and drops the walkie-talkie.

On the other end Rick roars with anger, "ARE YOU TWO DRUNK!"

My head spins with dizziness as I go to pick up the walkie-talkie. Desperately I chant to myself to speak coherent thoughts. My efforts are wasted though because all I can do when I try to talk is laugh and mumbling absentmindedly, "The room…it's spinning….and it's filled with…pretty colors…."

Rick, rather than sounding pissed, now sounds frantic, "Carly listen to me!"

I nod my head vigorously, not remembering that he can't see me.

"Carly are you still there?"

His question makes me remember that he isn't actually there, "Oh, yea that's right walkie-talkie. I'm all arms Rick….wait a minute….scratch that. I'm all ears." I say making sure to emphasize the last sentence.

"Carly, get Glenn and get out of there. Do you understand? You will die if you don't get out of there!" He says in a panicked voice.

His fear makes me feel slightly more sober and I give a coherent response, "Ok, I'll do what I can but Rick my vision sucks right now. Like seriously, the entire room is double vision. I don't know how far I'll be able to get. Glenn hasn't had as much to drink as me, but he is a little giggly."

Rick gives a pained sigh, "Just try your best Carly, and pour some water on Glenn that should sober him up pretty quick."

"Alright. I'll try to get Glenn back to you in one piece."

"Don't forget about yourself Carly, you're part of our group too." Rick says quietly.

Quickly I rush into the kitchen and try not to trip over my own two feet. Somehow I manage to get there in one piece, and locate a large pot. It takes all my strength to carry it back into the living room filled with water. Once I'm in there Glenn gives me a curious look until I dump the water on him.

He jumps into the air shouting, "What'd you do that for?"

I slump against the wall as my vision goes worse and try to make a coherent sentence, "Y-you were drunk. And giggling like a school girl."

Glenn no longer laughs at my slurred speech, instead he realizes, "You're really drunk aren't you?"

I give him the best no-duh expression I can muster and sarcastically reply, "No shit Sherlock. What gave it away the fact I can't walk….or the fact I can hardly t-t-talk."

Glenn quickly looks to the bottle of whisky, and having no better option for the amount of time we have pours it over my head. The coolness of it does help me to think a little more coherently but my vision and coordination still suck. Plus I now smell of whisky stronger than before. Quickly Glenn wraps his arms around my waist and guides me out the door.

We make it to the woods before I stumble and fall, taking a bewildered and slightly drunk Glenn with me. Fear rushes over me like a waterfall of cool water at the sound of familiar male voices. They are the same men who stole my supplies and tried to shoot me that fateful night a month or so ago.

The adrenaline now rushing through my veins has made me surprisingly sober and I desperately push Glenn into a full out sprint. He is clearly surprised by my sudden sobriety, but doesn't question it. My legs don't feel as though they are attached to my body and I find myself having a hard time keeping up with Glenn.

When I stumble again I know there is no way both of us will make it back at this rate, if either of us. The sound of thundering footsteps makes me turn frantically to Glenn, "Run! Glenn, get out of here…."

Glenn growls quietly at me, "I'm not leaving without you!"

"I'm not asking, Glenn! Go! I'll make a diversion and meet you at the truck. We have to split up or we'll never make it!"

Quickly he bends down so that his dark eyes are even with my own grey ones, "Promise me you'll be at the truck….."

I give a sigh, "Glenn, you know I can't…."

His eyes shine with ferocity, "PROMISE ME! You're my friend Carly, and if you expect me to leave without your promise that you'll be alright then you are crazier than I thought."

I am surprised by his words but find enough in me to answer, "I promise. And Glenn, if means anything you're my friend too."

With a solemn nod he turns sharply and sprints off in the direction of the truck. My vision bends oddly but I manage to push myself to my feet. The sounds of footsteps are so close that I can hear exactly where they're coming from. Quickly I turn in their direction only to see several armed blobs barreling towards me. With what little coherency I have left I sprint in the opposite direction. Legs don't fail me now or Glenn for that matter.

-Rick's POV-

BANG! The sound of a lone gunshot puts me on alert. Is it Glenn and Carly killing a lone walker? Or, are they in trouble?

Suddenly, Glenn bursts from the woods drenched from the shoulders up in water. His face is contorted with an emotion I cannot read from this distance. I wait with my eyes trained on the woods for Carly to appear, she does not. Fear imbeds itself in my stomach. Where is she?

Glenn runs up alongside the truck. From my spot in the driver's seat I can see the grief that clouds his face. In barely concealed panic I shout, "Where is she?"

He shakes his head, "She knew the men. I could tell by the panic in her eyes. She tried to sprint with me but fell. I didn't want to….but she told me to leave her. Said we would have better shots if we split up. I figured that she knew what she was talking about if she knew them but…" Glenn lets out an angry sob, "That gunshot…there's no way she outran the men. She could hardly see she had so much alcohol in her…." Glenn trails off and kicks one of the tires in anger.

My own body feels numb. Glenn in his drunken state had said something about Carly being something close to suicidal. If what he said was true it wouldn't surprise me she did what she did, saving someone else by giving her own life.

What will I say to Carl? To the rest of the group? "Oh, the woman you all thought was crazy sacrificed herself to save Glenn." They'll all laugh at the thought. Most of them will probably say she went off with the other group, or was a spy to begin with.

I have grown attached to the attractive young woman, far more than I've let on. She may have been strange but she was kind and intelligent, powerful in her own right. Despite the evidence that supports the fact she is most likely dead, I tell the group that we will stay until we absolutely must go. If there is any chance she is alive, I don't want to leave her behind.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

-Carly POV-

The men are so close that I can almost feel their breath. In desperation I fire my gun into a nearby tree, in hopes a few stray biters will be drawn to the noise and kill my pursuers. I stumble into a nearby tree and blink rapidly to clear the black spots from my vision. If I hadn't promised Glenn I would be at the truck I would've given up a long time ago, but I don't break promises.

I can see the end of the tree line in sight. My head feels as though it is about to explode. The only thing keeping me going is knowing that the group is hopefully waiting for me. Suddenly a thought occurs to me. I can't run out there with three men chasing me, each man heavily armed. It could mean death for my friends.

In that instant I make perhaps the most difficult decision of my life. Quickly I plant my foot and wheel to face my attackers. With a steady hand and suddenly clear vision I take aim and pull the trigger. BANG! One down. BANG! Two down. BANG! Three down.

For a second I just stand there looking at the three men I just killed. Each has a neat bullet hole through the head; none will come back as biters. My entire body shakes and I don't know how I'm going to make it back to the truck. On instinct alone, my legs begin to move.

Slowly I emerge from the woods into the moonlight; my hands are still twitching oddly. I'm not sure whether I want to scream or cry. Suddenly I hear a loud shout and the next thing I know I'm being tackled to the ground. The night sky blurs and spins in my vision prompting only one thought from me, "I am never, ever going to drink again."

Somewhere to my left I hear a deep chuckle that could only belong to Rick. Gingerly I push a hysterical semi- drunk Glenn of off me and approach Rick. His face shows obvious relief, which I wasn't expecting. Seriously, I was looking for something a little more like anger.

I tilt my head to the side in a curious manner and ask, "You're not mad?"

Rick shakes his head at me, "How could I? I'm just glad you're alive quite frankly. For a second there we thought you were dead."

The sincerity and gentleness in his voice shocks me and I give a sad smile, "For a second there I thought I was a goner and I was prepared to be one, but then I remembered a promise I made. I don't break promises." I say with a smile towards Glenn.

Suddenly Rick seems to realize something, "Where are the men?"

"Dead." I say in a detached, monotone voice. My face is pale and I again I feel as though I am about to break. Killing goes against everything I believe in, it was the only thing left that I hadn't done.

I feel myself stiffen when Rick envelopes me in a huge, but eventually find myself sobbing into his shoulder. We stay like that for a while. Me just sobbing into his shoulder like a two year old. Tomorrow I will probably regret this, but right now it just feels good to have someone holding me while I cry. It doesn't hurt that, that someone is the insanely handsome Rick Grimes.

Eeeep!

Excited for what's to come? I am! The fact that Carly's now killed people will add an interesting element that I can play around with. Also, she nearly gave her own life to save Glenn's which will hopefully prove her worthy in the eyes of the rest of the group. That being said, there may be some Carly and Daryl reconciliation in the following chapter!

Okay, So I absolutely loved writing the scene where Glenn and Carly are drunk! I think some of the things they are say are really amusing, but then again I wrote it. That scene also revealed more about Carly's past, mostly because she intended Glenn to forget it all but at this point I think Glenn might not forget as much as she hopes. Also, it reveals that Carly has some dark thoughts about herself and her contributions to society. Rick also find this out thanks to a drunk Glenn, which could add some more interesting elements to the whole Rick/Carly relationship.

I feel like the story is really going to pick up from this point on and hope you stick around to meet some of my other OC's who will come into play!

ContestingGirl