Chapter 27:

We're Still Human

"I'm just sayin', maybe this group will be easier than we thought, baby brother." Merle reasoned as he smoked yet another cigarette, he kept materialising them when Daryl wasn't looking.

"Yeah whatever, somethin' tells me that they won't be happy either way." Daryl replied sarcastically, he was still focused on the road in front of him. He didn't like leading the convoy behind him, he would much rather be at the back.

"What's your problem, Darylina? You never had any guff with that other couple we did over… What were their names again?" Merle asked, Daryl sighed in frustration as he was forced to relive their encounter with the last couple they encountered.

"Chase and Kelly." He replied simply, Merle howled with laughter as he probably remembered.

"Oh, I 'member them! Cranky and the Fat Bitch! Wow, she put up a fight didn't she?" Merle chortled, Daryl was dragged back into the memory of Chase and Kelly catching Daryl and Merle with their canned food in hand. Both had rushed them with weapons but Merle had knocked Chase out and smacked Kelly in the jaw, he'd only backed off when Daryl dropped the food and pulled him back.

They'd left an out-cold Chase and a bleeding Kelly under the overpass near North Rockshore with no food or water. Daryl still wasn't able to block out Kelly's voice from his ears.

"Please! Stop! Don't leave us here!"

Daryl felt his insides clench as her voice was clear as day in his ear. Merle's chortling didn't help any.

"Woo! I don't judge her for being a bit rounded! Any pussy is good pussy!" He was all but shouting, Daryl tore his gaze away from the road and looked at Merle.

"Just shut the fuck up, Merle!" Daryl shouted before turning back to the road, he started to feel the throbbing in his head as the migraine from shouting set in, his lips were dry and his stomach was aching from hunger.

The last thing he needed was Merle's views on women.

"Wooooooo! Fuck me, Darylina growin' some balls now, huh? Took you long enough…" Merle joked, Daryl was hardly surprised he wasn't taking Daryl's outburst seriously.

"Screw you." Daryl mumbled, he heard Merle start to say something but stopped.

It seemed he chose to actually shut up for a change.

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"Where are all the cars?" Carol asked as the highway into Atlanta was completely clear. Lori could understand her confusion, when they had first travelled to Atlanta the tailbacks had gone for miles, people had even set up camp on the way.

"If they saw what we saw they all did what we did they would've went in the opposite direction." Shane said from the passenger seat, Lori silently agreed… key word being silently.

The last 2 hours in the car had been stony, Lori had occupied herself with the same Time magazine that had been in the RV for the last month… the crossword had been filled in when they had first gone in the opposite direction towards King County which left the entertainment value nearly empty.

She would occasionally cast her eye over to Carl, Sophia and Jamie in the back where the bedding was, it was refreshing seeing the three kids just… talking. Not mourning anyone or sitting in silence but talking about… well... anything.

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The laughter that escaped Jamie's throat felt so foreign. She used to laugh all the time but it felt really weird to have your whole body participate in an action that felt so good. It had been nothing hilarious, but Carl had fallen off the bed and landed on his face.

"Oh my God…" Jamie said whilst trying to find some air for her empty lungs, she saw Sophia on her side laughing whilst Carl was unable to get up off the floor.

"You're so clumsy!" Sophia squeaked as Carl managed to get back up, his face was a violent shade of 'embarrassment magenta' but still laughing.

"Be careful Carl." Lori's voice came from the front of the RV, this only caused Jamie to laugh more which didn't help her now-sore throat.

"I… can… feel myself… getting… a six-pack!" Jamie gasped, she was met by another chorus of laughs by Carl and Sophia. It felt amazing to laugh again, things had been so down and depressing for so long and the ability to laugh felt amazing.

Jamie had come to the realisation that death was inevitable, it had torn her apart when she heard that Duane had died in surgery but it gave her a new insight into life… she was going to die… her Mom was going to die and so was everyone else.

That's why she resolved to not be sad all the time or yell at her Mom. She would try and be happy, not only for herself but also so everyone would feel happier.

Carl and Sophia almost collapsing from laughter being the evidence she needed to know it was working.

"I'm so sorry!" Sophia apologised, still laughing, as she hugged Carl. The violent magenta didn't fade as Jamie enjoyed Carl's awkwardness but also felt a bit hollow. As dumb as it sounded she missed Duane just because he was her age… she always saw him as a potential… friend.

It was weird… she didn't know how to even think about it but he was always… there.

Carl and Sophia were obviously crushing on each other and it was fun to watch but… Jamie wanted that kind of comfort.

Jamie shook the thought from her head as she realised she had nearly stopped laughing, she actually had tears in her eyes.

Partly from laughing, partly from feeling alone.

She knew better than to cry in front of anyone anymore.

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Despite the tension in the RV Lori still couldn't supress a chuckle. She had tried rather hard not to laugh at Carl's spectacular fall from the bed but had failed. It had only been a chuckle but it still felt slightly bizarre after so long.

"Is it bad that I just laughed at my son falling off that bed?" Lori asked Carol, Lori and Shane had swapped seats after Shane had wanted to spread the map out wider on the seating.

"Of course not… by the sounds of things it was quite the fall." Carol remarked as Lori chuckled again.

"It really was."

"Well we should be glad the kids are still laughing, proves we're still human." Carol said, she and Lori's eyes met and they both started to laugh.

"What?" Shane asked from behind them but neither answered, Lori felt the laughter escape her as she was thinking once more about how to fix the 'Rick and Shane' problem.

She just hoped that this 'camp' was still there.

Authors Note: I know it's a REALLY short chapter in comparison to the others but I just wanted to give a bit more groundwork into the Dixon's relationship with each other and some other character's frame of mind.

Special thanks once more to SilverSun09

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