Beside the Dying Fire
Felicia was farther ahead than the rest of the group, who had put the night's feud behind them temporarily, thanks in large part to her. Shane, Carl, and Rick were some distance behind her, with the father and son duo close together and Shane alongside them, still somewhat stunned by her earlier actions.
They had only made it part of the way when Carl looked back and alerted Rick to a new development. Felicia and Shane stopped when Rick shouted in panic, turning around to see not just one or two, but an entire herd of Walkers making their way onto the premises. There was a brief pause before the group began stealth-sprinting as fast as they could back toward the homestead.
When they reached the farm, Rick and Carl were forced to split off and make for the barn; Felicia and Shane were left to seek shelter on top of the chicken coop. Shane took the liberty of shooting the Walkers as they came, while Felicia hauled Teeth onto the makeshift platform. It seemed like forever before the other survivors realized what was going on and began scattering about the farm, grabbing weapons and taking defensive positions while trying to keep track of loved ones. Andrea was already kicking ass, and Daryl was sprinting around the side of the farmhouse with Ingrid in tow.
Blood spilled onto the ground and body parts were torn from their hosts. Felicia clung to Shane while he took out the Walkers below them, but she knew they wouldn't last long if the walking corpses continued to besiege the chicken coop. Finally Shane said, "Come on," and, grabbing Felicia by the wrist, jumped down.
"What?" demanded Felicia as they began to sprint back toward the woods. "What are you- we can't just leave!"
"Yes, we can," Shane stated, not looking at her but keeping his grip on her. "Give me a reason."
"We-" But she was unable to come up with anything compelling as she glanced back to see a veritable ocean of Walkers spreading about the farm.
"Back into the woods," Shane said roughly. "We can lose em' if we get far enough."
Felicia wanted to protest, but was out of breath and afraid. She trusted Shane, and it was obvious that the incident from earlier had gotten through to him.
Ingrid held onto the redneck she fancied as her friend (but secretly wished was more) for dear life as they sped away on his motorcycle. Carol had crammed into the pickup truck with Beth, T-Dog, and Lori before they had left, and Ingrid could only hope her mother would be safe in their hands.
Behind them, the farm burned.
"We're all infected." Ingrid's brow furrowed as Rick began to spill what he had known since the CDC, and as everyone reacted in their own way, all she could do was sidle up to Daryl and turn pale as Rick explained a truth he had known for some time. Afterwards, the group dispersed around the road where they had stopped. Andrea, Shane, and Felicia had not shown up at the highway, and it was likely that they wouldn't be reunited with them for some time, if at all. Shane and Felicia were survivors, and Ingrid had to admit that, besides Daryl, she would want Shane to have her back in the apocalypse. Andrea, although she was also tough, would only be able to fend off a herd of Walkers by herself for so long.
Later, as the day turned to night, the group made camp in the forest, where Rick would later inform everyone that this was no longer a democracy, and that if he was going to be the one to lead this group, they would have to go by his rules. Carol was talking with Hershel, and Ingrid was trying to find something to say to Daryl when he spoke first. "What are you lookin' at me for?"
Ingrid, realizing that she had been staring, blushed and replied, "Nothing." Daryl looked back at the fire, but didn't move away. Ingrid took that as a good sign.
Felicia and Shane had made camp somewhere off the highway in the forest, which was full of Walkers but worth the risk if they were far enough away from them. Felicia was tending to a fire that was stubbornly refusing to get any bigger, and Shane was cleaning his gun. "Leave it alone," he told her after she piled more tinder on it for the umpteenth time.
Felicia gave in, and moved to sit beside Shane. He looked at her with an odd expression on his face, and she stared back, brow furrowed. She reached up to touch a scratch on his cheek, and he put his hand over hers. There was a moment where nothing seemed to be happening, and then his lips were on hers, and for a while she could forget that her entire world had come crashing down… again.