Francine answers the door, and she smiles seeing Richard there.
Francine: (excited) Hey!
Francine hugs Richard, and he hugs her back happily. His heart beats in his chest rapidly, so happy that Francine is as excited to see him as he is to see her.
Francine: Come in, come in.
Richard steps into Francine's house.
Richard: Where's the family?
Francine: Mina's at daycare, Jenny's with Joe, and Philip and Johnny are out buying groceries. So, how was the concert?
Richard: It was awesome. I really wish you could've come with us.
Francine: Aw, me too. How come the guys didn't come with you?
Richard: They're all dead from the trip. I dropped them off at the hotel and just came straight here.
Francine: (smiles) I'm glad you did. You hungry?
Richard: Yeah, a bit.
Francine: Alright. Take a seat and I'll make you a sandwich.
Richard: Thanks Francine.
Richard sits on the living room couch and watches TV while Francine fixes up a quick sandwich. She takes out a cold beer and hands them over to Richard.
Richard: (smiles) Thanks.
Richard notices the family portrait on the wall and all the other photos. He notices one that shows a very young Francine with her girl's scout uniform.
Richard: Is that you?
Francine: Oh, yeah. I think I was 10 or around that age.
Richard: You were a pretty girl back then too, huh.
Francine: (grins) If that's what you think.
Richard: So what do you do in girl scouts?
Francine: Sell cookies.
Richard: (laughs) That's it?
Francine: (chuckles) No. We do boring stuff. Like make fires and stuff like that.
Richard: So if you were lost in a forest or something, you'd basically know how to survive, right?
Francine: Well, I'd know how to make a fire. But I mean, I don't know how to hunt or anything like that. It's not my thing.
Richard: Hunting is actually pretty fun once you know what you're doing.
Francine: You hunt?
Richard: Yeah. I go with my dad. We only go when it's the season, like elk season or deer season.
Francine: And wabbit season?
Richard: (grins) Yeah. And duck season.
Francine: (giggles) Wow. So do you use a gun or like wrestle them with your bare hands?
Richard: (chortles) Yeah, we put on our boxing gloves and take 12 rounds 2 minutes each.
Francine: (grins) Yeah? What's your score?
Richard: Undefeated champion.
Francine: (raises eyebrow) Oh really?
Richard: Yeah. Cus I know how to pick my fights.
Francine: You don't just fight the wittle wabbits, do you?
Richard: And the (Daffy Duck imitation) despicable ducks.
Francine laughs, loving how she and Richard click so easily. They love to bounce off one another, going tit-for-tat.
Francine: Watch closely, alright?
Richard and Mina are peering over Francine's shoulder, watching her make a fire with twigs and branches. Francine starts the fire, and she fans the fire to make it bigger.
Francine: You got it?
Richard: I think so.
Francine: Remember, you gotta set it up tightly. You have to be patient with how you make it.
Richard: (nods) Alright.
Dennis and Charlie set up the deer above the fire. Everyone sits around the fire, watching the deer meat cooking. Richard feels a scratch on his leg, and he looks down to see Eldin looking up at him with beading eyes again. He picks up the wolf, and the wolf is so small it can fit in the palm of his hand.
Richard: They must've been born just a few days ago. They're so small.
Francine: (holding Nayru) I wonder how big they'll get.
Richard: Definitely a lot bigger than Mina on her feet.
Francine: Maybe it'll protect her when they get older together.
Richard: Yeah. Maybe.
Richard smiles seeing the wolf curl up into a ball in his palm, eyes drooping from being so sleepy.
Francis: So how are we gonna cut the deer?
Dennis: No one has a knife on them, or anything sharp?
No one does. Francine walks off and looks around the floor searching for something. Richard keeps a close eye on Francine while Nayru follows behind Francine watching her. She then gets on her knee and picks up a flat piece of rock. Francine inspects it and dusts the dirt off of the rock. She walks back to the circle.
Francine: We can try to use this. So...who wants to do it?
Deana: Let the hunter do it.
Francine looks back at Richard, but she can see he's still traumatized by how brutally he killed the deer.
Francine: I'll do it. Get the deer away from the fire.
Dennis and Charlie move the deer away from the fire and keep it hanging on the branch contraption. Francine takes in a deep breath as Mina watches attentively. Francine stabs the deer meat with the rock and she starts cutting away.
Francine: Alright, since Richard was the one who killed it, he'll get the first piece.
Richard walks over and grabs the deer meat Francine cut. He takes a big bite out of it, and everyone looks at him.
Francis: So? How's it taste?
Richard: Tastes worse than beef.
Dennis: Beef is good.
Francine: Richard's a pescatarian.
Dennis: Oh.
Francine continues cutting pieces of the deer for everyone, and she gives a good chunk for Mina and herself. The group eats quietly, and Francine sees Richard look as if he's about to puke.
Francine: Babe, you okay?
Richard: Yeah. Just...disgusted.
Francine: I'm sorry you had to kill it like that, babe.
Richard: We had to eat.
As the group fill their stomachs with the deer meat, there are left overs. Richard takes the deer down, and the 3 wolf pups immediately lick the deer. Francine realizes the pups don't have mature teeth yet to bite into the deer. She cuts a piece of meat and chews on it. She regurgitates it for the pups, and they eat it. Richard watches Francine feeding the pups like this, surprised she's this dedicated to taking care of them.
Charlie: Where did you find those wolves?
Richard: In the bushes near here.
Dennis: What if their parents come looking for them?
Francine and Richard eye one another.
Francine: I don't think their parents are gonna do that.
Dennis: Why? (angry sarcasm) Did you find them and ask if they wanted their pups back?
Richard glares at Dennis, getting heated up at the way Dennis is talking to Francine.
Francine: (glares at Dennis) These pups were born probably just a few days ago judging by their size. A mother wolf never leaves her pup alone in the wild when they're that young for anything. The fact that they were alone, the parents are gone.
Deana: So you're a wolf expert too, huh?
Francine: I know a thing or two about canines.
Francis: So, what do we do now?
Richard: We need to find water. A river or something. Do you know any around here, Deana?
Deana: No, I only know the city, not the woods.
Richard: Then we gotta start looking for one or we'll dehydrate.
Dennis: How are we gonna protect ourselves? We only have this shower pole.
Richard: Find anything you can use. Like this branch, something that'll keep those things a safe distance from you when you kill it.
While Francis, Dennis, and Charlie look for a long thick branch to use as a weapon, Deana grabs the shower pole.
Deana: Let me use this.
Francine: (sternly) That's ours.
Deana: Please, you two have each other. But no one has my back. I can't just use a stick. It'll break. Just let me use this pole.
Francine: (firmly) That's ours.
Deana: Please, I need to use this.
Francine: Give it back now!
Deana: No!
Francine takes a step forward, but Deana swings the pole. Richard quickly pulls Francine back to him before she could get hurt by the pole.
Charlie: Jesus, Deana. Put that pole down before you hurt someone.
Francis: Deana, just find a damn branch and give the pole back to Francine.
Deana: No! No, I'm keeping this!
It's as if Nayru can feel Francine's disdain for Deana. The little pup runs up to Deana and starts barking angrily at her, snapping its immature teeth threateningly.
Deana: Shut it up. Shut it up!
Francine can see Deana is distracted by Nayru, so she takes this moment to lunge at Deana. Deana screams as she's tackled down by Francine, and Francine punches Deana in the face with one hard swing. She grabs the pole away from Deana and gets back on her two feet. All 3 pups growl, and everyone is completely still and silent except for Deana.
Deana: (furious) You punched me in the face, you bitch!
Francine: (looking out at the trees) Shh.
Deana: (gets on her feet) Don't you tell me to be quiet! You stupid bitch!
Francis: Shut the hell up, Deana!
The snarling of walkers get louder as the wolf pups continue to bark and howl angrily.
Richard: Everyone, hide!
Francine hands Richard the shower pole, and she grabs Mina in her arms.
Mina: Wait, the puppies!
Francine sees the 3 pups take their ground, continuing to bark and howl at the oncoming walkers. The entire group hides behind bushes and trees, and they see a hoard of walkers walking through their campsite.
Mina: (whispers) The puppies.
Francine: Sh. They'll run away. They'll be fine.
The group watches as the walkers walk right past the 3 barking pups as if they're not even there. Francine and Richard watch this with wonder. This hoard of walkers is the biggest anyone has yet seen, and it frightens Francine. Richard holds Francine in his arms as she holds Mina in her arms. The walkers finally clear from the campsite, and Richard takes a step out first. He looks around and sees that the coast is clear. The 3 pups run to Francine, Richard, and Mina quietly. The rest of the group comes out of their hiding spots.
Francis: Did you see that shit?
Francine: (looks at Mina petting the wolf pups) Yeah. They walked right past the wolves as if they weren't even there.
Francis: No, I'm not talking about that. There were over 20 of those things.
Francine: Oh, right.
Francis: We gotta get outta here, guys. Fast.
Richard: (nods) Yeah. Everyone ready?
Deana: W-Wait...I need something.
Dennis hands Deana his branch, and he finds another branch for himself.
Deana: Thanks, Dennis.
Dennis: Yeah. Let's get moving.
Richard and Francine walk side-by-side towards the beach. They walk along the pier, and it's nearly time for the sun to set. They sit at the edge of the pier, their legs dangling over the ocean.
Richard: Is this some kinda exclusive beach or something?
Francine: Yeah. Why do you ask?
Richard: Cus there's barely anyone here. Kinda odd for a beach.
Francine: Yeah. Only community members are allowed in. The only reason the guard up front didn't ask for my ID is because he knows me.
Richard: I can't believe you live this close to the beach. It's almost literally like your backyard.
Francine: It's nice here, isn't it?
Richard: Yeah.
Francine: I like to come here to think. You see that boulder there?
Francine points to a large boulder embedded in the ocean near the shore.
Francine: That's my favorite spot.
Richard: Why don't we go there?
Francine: You get pretty wet though.
Richard: I don't mind. Let's go.
Francine and Richard walk on shore, and Francine climbs up onto the top of the boulder. She puts her hand out and helps Richard. They sit right next to each other, bodies touching so that they both can fit on the boulder. Francine links arms with Richard, and he moves his hand to intertwine his fingers with hers. Francine bites her lip with a smile, and she leans her head on Richard's shoulder as the sun starts to set. They both watch the sun setting silently, and when it's gone from sight Richard holds onto Francine's hand tighter.
Francine: I'm gonna miss you when you go back to Canada.
Richard: I'm gonna miss you too. Do you ever think about visiting Canada?
Francine: (looks at Richard with a smile) I wouldn't mind if I have a place to stay.
Richard: (looks at Francine with a smile) You're always welcome at my place. It's...kinda small though.
Francine: I don't mind. Do you live alone?
Richard: Yeah. You should visit me in Canada sometime. It's beautiful there.
Francine: So I've heard.
Richard holds Francine's hand with both his hands, and he looks down at their hands.
Richard: You know...I...really don't wanna leave.
Francine looks at Richard.
Richard: I wanna keep seeing you, Francine.
Francine: (smiles) That'd be nice. I'd like that.
Richard: I know that it's only been a couple of days since we met. But I really like you.
Francine: I like you too, Richard.
Richard: (looks at Francine surprised) Really? You do?
Francine: Yeah. The way you like me.
Richard smiles and he leans in slowly looking into Francine's eyes. Francine leans forward and plants her lips on his lips. Richard lets go of Francine's hand and cups her face in his hands, kissing her passionately. Francine puts her hands around Richard's back, keeping him close as they share their first kiss. Francine feels her heart about to implode in her chest, so she lets go of the kiss. They keep their faces close to each other. They look into each other's eyes, and Francine can't stop smiling. Richard smirks and kisses Francine again sweetly.
Richard: So you and I...are we...together?
Francine: (grins) Yeah.
It's been 3 days since the group has been wandering through the forest without water. Everyone is dehydrated and on edge. They're all sitting around resting after traveling for 2 hours. Francine leans against a tree and Mina rests her head on her sister's lap. Richard sits in front of Francine, weary as hell.
Richard: How are you?
Francine: Thirsty.
Richard: Yeah...
Richard sighs and looks like he wants to break down. Francine can see Richard is tired physically and emotionally from being so on-edge, trying to protect not only her and Mina but the entire group. Francine hugs Richard weakly, and he hugs her back.
Francine: We'll get through this, babe. We just have to stick together. We gotta be strong, right?
Richard: Yeah...
Francine looks into Richard's eyes and sees how weary he is. She kisses him weakly.
Francine: I love you, babe.
Richard: I love you too.
Richard leans his head on Francine's shoulder, and they hold each other as tight as they can. Multiple rounds of gunshots shatter through the silence of the forest, and everyone jumps from fright. Mina wakes up frightened, and Francine holds her baby sister in her arms. It sounds like a gunfire war far up ahead.
Deana: Are those...gunshots?
Richard: Yeah.
Dennis: There must be others in the forest with us.
Charlie: What should we do?
Dennis: What do you mean what should we do? We stay right here away from that.
Francis: What if those people are hurt? Maybe they were tryna kill walkers.
Dennis: Or maybe they were shooting other people. That sounded like a goddamn war between two armed sides.
Francis: (looks at Richard) What do you think we should do?
Richard: Me?
Francis: Yeah, I mean...you got good judgment, kid. We all agree on that.
Richard looks at Francine, and she nods.
Richard: Give me a minute to think about it.
Deana: Well you better hurry. Walkers could be heading our way because of that noise.
Richard nods and turns to Francine.
Richard: What do you think?
Francine: ...I think we should go there.
Richard: Why?
Francine: Well, like what Francis said. Those people could be hurt. And maybe they have supplies with them, like water and weapons we could use. Besides, being in a bigger group can only help us. We're barely surviving out here on our own.
Richard sighs quietly.
Francine: You don't think we should go?
Richard: No. Dennis is right. From the way those gunshots were fired, it sounded like a...a duel. Like people shooting at other armed people.
Francine: Why would people who survived this far try to shoot other people? The only things we should be tryna kill are those walkers.
Richard doesn't want to give into Francine's naivety. He knows in his heart that those gunshots were by humans shooting at other armed humans. But he also knows that these people can possibly help them. They had no luck for 3 days finding water. Maybe this is their luck or maybe a warning to stay away.
Richard: I don't think we should go.
Francine: Where else are we gonna go, Richard? We can't find water anywhere. We've been searching for days. I...(tears) I don't know how long Mina's going to last. She's just a baby.
Richard looks at Mina and sees how pale she is resting on her sister's lap. Mina's lips are chapped badly, and she looks terrible. Her usual glow is gone with taut paleness.
Francine: We should just try to check it out.
Richard sighs and thinks about it for a few seconds. He then turns back to the group after making his decision.
Richard: We should go and check it out.
Dennis: What? Are you kidding me right now? Those were goddamn gunshots.
Richard: I know. But maybe these people have things we can use.
Dennis: So we're just gonna go waltzing over there and demand for them to share their supplies with us? Oh yeah, because we totally have weapons that will intimidate them. A shower pole and 3 baby wolves with no teeth. Great.
Richard: If you don't wanna come, then don't. But Francine, Mina, and I are gonna go.
Deana: You're just gonna leave us?
Richard: No, I'm giving you a choice. You can follow us or do what you can to survive without us. But Francine and I...we're going to check out what that was. Who's going to join us?
Francis and Charlie agree, and reluctantly Dennis and Deana also agree. Francine carries her baby sister in her arms as the 3 wolf pups follow by their side. Richard is leading the way.
Mina: Where are we going, Franny?
Francine: We're gonna see if there are other people near here. How are you feeling, baby?
Mina: I'm so thirsty.
Francine: Oh, I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry, but we're trying our best to find water. Just hold on, alright?
The group continues on towards the source of the gunshots through the forest, and after an hour hour walk they come upon a large town with walls surrounding it. They look upon this town with shock, unable to believe that they've come across an actual town. There are no walkers around, but they can see a lot of walker bodies already dead surrounding the town. Richard looks around, and the coast is clear. The group follows Richard towards the town. They're all disgusted by the amount of dead walkers around the place. The gates to the town are halfway open, and Richard pushes it open all the way.
Richard: Holy shit...
The group looks upon the town massacre in horror. The result of the gunfire war was this, a mass casualty of freshly killed people everywhere. Francine scopes the town from where she's standing at the entrance and notices a sign.
Francine: Welcome to Woodbury.
Richard: Everyone, be on guard.
The group moves through the town together, and Richard sees a man on the ground with 6 bullet holes in his body. The man is barely alive, and he looks up at Richard.
Man: Kill...me...
Richard is stunned. Though he's killed walkers before, he never killed a human.
Man: Please...kill me...
Richard moves on, unable to do what the man asks, afraid to do what the man asks. The man watches the rest of the group walking by.
Man: Kill me!
The group moves on.
Deana: (gasps) Look!
Everyone looks to where Deana is pointing. There they see a house with a sink. Deana runs into the house before Richard can tell her to wait. She bursts through the house and sticks her head under the sink. Water comes pouring out of the sink, and Dennis pushes her out of the way to get water for himself. Charlie grabs 4 cups handing one to Francis, Francine, and Richard.
Francis: Get outta the way.
Francis pushes Dennis away and fills his cup with water. Charlie, Francine, and Richard do the same. Francine immediately lets Mina drink the water first, and she grabs a bowl. She fills it with water and sets it down on the ground for the pups to drink. As the group rehydrates themselves, they look around the quaint house.
Charlie: What do you think happened to this town?
Dennis: Those gunshots we heard. That's what happened here.
Deana: But who would kill this many people? And why?
Francis: Bad guys, that's all I need to know.
Richard: We should get out of here soon. Walkers should be nearing.
Charlie: Should we check the place for weapons?
Richard: Uh...sure. Let's meet back in 2 minutes then.
Francine looks around the kitchen, and she opens the drawer. She sees knives of all sizes. Richard watches Francine looking through the cabinets, and she can't find what she's looking for. He then watches her hold up an apron. Francine quickly starts cutting the apron into long pieces of cloth. She then takes out a small knife and uses a piece of the apron to wrap the knife around her right ankle. She wraps another knife around her left arm with another piece of apron. Francine then takes out a meat cleaver as her go-to weapon. She glances back at Richard and sees that he's watching her.
Francine: What?
Richard: Nothing. I just wish we could find a place where we can stay. Where we don't have to be worried about these walkers, some place safe, you know?
Francine: Yeah. Me too.
A terrible shriek sounds throughout the house, and Francine and Richard knows it's Deana. They run upstairs into the room where the shriek is from, and they run in to see a walker on top of Deana eating off her face as Deana is screaming for her life. Dennis, Charlie, and Francis come running in to see the gruesome scene.
Dennis: Ho...
Deana: GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!
Francine uses the meat cleaver and kills the walker. She then pushes the walker off of Deana, and everyone can see that Deana is as good as dead now. Deana is crying her lungs out and looks up at Francine shouting.
Deana: You did this! You did this to me! You brought us here! You killed me!
Deana rolls into a ball and cries her lungs out. Francine stumbles back, and Richard holds her tightly.
Richard: Wait...where's Mina?
Francine looks at him, and they both quickly run downstairs. Mina is nowhere in the kitchen and neither are the pups. Francine runs out of the house and sees Mina standing there with the 3 pups watching a massive hoard of walkers approach the ghost town of Woodbury.
Richard: Guys! Guys get down here now! We have to get out of here! (to Francine) Grab Mina now!
Francine runs and grabs Mina in her left arm while holding the meat cleaver in her other hand. Richard runs into the house and shouts again.
Richard: Guys! Walkers! We need to go!
Dennis: W-What about Deana?
Richard looks at Deana, seeing that she's bleeding out. He doesn't know how long she has, but he knows one thing for sure: she will die and turn into a walker.
Deana: Richard...just kill me. Please, I don't wanna turn.
Richard holds onto his pole tightly. Deana closes her eyes, and with one powerful swing Richard bashes Deana's head in causing her brain to splatter everywhere. Dennis stumbles back from shock and Charlie retches from the sight. Richard turns back to look at the 3 guys.
Richard: (voice cracks) We need to get out of here now.
They all run downstairs, and they're horrified to see walkers coming from the North and South direction, trapping them inside the town.
Dennis: (panics) Holy shit! Holy shit! We're trapped in! We're gonna fucking die! We're all gonna fucking die!
Francine looks back into the house, and she runs into the kitchen. She counts 4 chairs. She whistles, and the guys run into the house.
Francine: We can use these chairs as a shield. You gotta grab this top part here to keep the walkers an arm's length away. And if any get too close, just kill them with a knife.
Dennis: Are you fucking kidding me?! You're telling us to go out there with a wooden chair as a shield when hundreds of those damn walkers are drawing in on us?!
Francine: (angrily) What else are we gonna do? Wait here until they raid this house? This is our only way out of here, and we have to move now before they get through the entrance.
Richard grabs a chair, and so does Charlie and Francis. Dennis grabs his chair too. Francine instructs them to get in a straight line to form a shield-like barrier for all of them. Charlie and Francis are at the outer edge while Dennis and Richard are in the middle. Francine is behind them with Mina and the 3 pups. Everyone runs out a few yards towards the entrance before the walkers can enter the town. They all get in formation, holding up their chairs. Mina clings onto Francine's back so that Francine can maneuver easier with the meat cleaver.
Francine: Hold on tight, Mina. Don't you ever let go.
Mina: Okay.
Richard: Alright. Remember, we gotta stick with the formation. On 3. 1 2, 3.
They all walk in synchrony, left foot right foot left foot right foot.
Dennis: Holy shit, we're gonna make it!
Richard: Hold onto the chairs. Here they come.
The first line of walkers bump against the formation, but the guys keep their stance. The chairs are keeping them a safe distance away from the walkers, and Francine is so relieved her plan is working. But Francis gets out of formation. He's lagged behind when the man from before with 6 bullets to his body, now a walker, grabs onto Francis' leg. The walker takes a big chunky bite out of Francis' leg, and Francis screams in pain. Francis falls to the ground, unable to be helped. A walker comes through the side towards Francine, and Richard quickly gets out of formation to push that walker back. The formation is completely broken, and Charlie is bit on the arm and hoarded by the walkers. Richard, with all his strength, pushes the walkers out of the way, and he and Francine make a sharp turn to run away from the walkers back towards the woods. They run as fast as they can together away from the town massacre. Francine trips and falls to the ground with Mina still clinging tightly onto her. Richard helps Francine back onto her feet.
Francine: Wait.
They stand in silence, panting and hearts pounding. They look around the woods and see that they're alone. No one, not even a walker, is with them. No Francis, no Charlie, no Dennis. It finally hits Francine that the death of their group is her fault. She was the one who convinced Richard to head to town. He listened to her, and now everyone is dead because of her poor decision. Francine helps Mina to the ground and looks up at Richard. Francine bursts into tears.
Richard: Are you hurt? Are you bit anywhere?
Francine: (shakes her head and cries) Francis and Charlie...Deana...they're all dead because of me.
Richard embraces Francine and she breaks down in Richard's arms, unable to handle the guilt of leading everyone to their death sentence. It nearly frightens him seeing Francine so distraught and trembling in his arms like this. He cups Francine's face in his hands and looks into her eyes.
Richard: Francine, listen to me. This is not your fault.
Francine: (crying) This is entirely my fault! I should've listened to you, Richard. You were right.
Richard: Francine-
Francine gasps when she sees Dennis running into them, surviving the town attack.
Francine: (relieved) Dennis!
Dennis quickly lifts his arm with a gun in his hand, pointing it right at Francine. Francine and Richard stand paralyzed in shock, and Mina watches in horror.
Richard: Dennis...
Dennis: (sobbing angrily) Shut up! You...the both of you...it's your fault they're all dead! It's your fault everyone's dead! And now...I'm all alone...Ronald and Charlie...they're all dead because of you!
Richard: (calmly) Dennis, let's just...let's talk about this, man.
Dennis: No! You were the one...(breaks down) you were the one who wanted to go to that goddamn town. And I said...I said we shouldn't! You should've listened to me! They'd all be alive if you just listened to me!
Richard: You're right. You're right, Dennis. We should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. Just...just put the gun down, man. We don't need that right now.
Dennis: It's over, man. Don't you get it? It's over. It's over. We're all dead now.
Dennis shoots 2 bullets at Francine and it hits her between her shoulder and chest. She falls to the ground from the impact. He then shoots Richard and it hits him in the abdomen. Richard also falls to the ground from the impact. Mina bursts into hysterical tears seeing Francine and Richard on the floor after Dennis shot them. Dennis looks at what he's done to Francine and Richard, and he looks at Mina sobbing loudly. Dennis puts the gun to his temple and closes his eyes.
Richard: Dennis!
Without hesitation, Dennis shoots himself. Richard feels sick at what just happened looking at Dennis' dead body, and he crawls over to Francine. She's gasping, shocked that she survived the gunshots. Richard thanks God that Francine is alive.
Richard: (weakly) Francine.
Francine: Richard...
Richard: (winces in pain) Can you get up?
Francine: Y-Yeah. I think so.
Francine slowly gets onto her knees, and Mina runs to Francine.
Mina: (sobs loudly) Franny!
Richard groans and holds onto his abdomen.
Francine: Sh! Quiet, Mina!
Mina puts her hands over her mouth to muffle her sobbing. Francine quickly takes off her jacket and wraps it tightly around Richard's wound, trying to slow down his bleeding. Richard winces in pain again.
Francine: Can you walk?
Richard: Y-Yeah. I think so.
Francine helps Richard onto his feet, and the two look at Dennis' body.
Richard: We need to get away from here. The walkers are probably getting close.
Francine: Here.
Francine makes Richard put his arm around her shoulder, and she winces in pain when he accidentally brushes his hand against her wounded shoulder. Francine and Richard, both bleeding out, continue walking in the forest with Mina and the 3 pups following. They don't make it very far, and they have to stop to rest. Francine and Richard both lean against a tree with their backs, and they're both silent. Francine perks her ears when she hears the sound of faint running water.
Francine: Do you...do you hear that?
Richard: (sits up straight) ...water...
Francine helps Richard onto his feet again, and they all continue walking. Richard, Francine, and Mina manage to make it to a stream nearby, and they drink a lot of water with the pups also.
Richard: We should follow this stream.
Francine: (weakly) To where?
Richard looks at Francine, and he sees how pale she is.
Richard: Mina. Mina give me your jacket now.
Mina takes off her cotton jacket and gives it to Richard. He quickly wraps it around Francine's wounds to try to stop her bleeding. Francine groans in pain when Richard ties it tightly.
Richard: Look at me, baby. Look at me.
Francine lifts her gaze to look at Richard.
Richard: (sternly) You are not going to give up, you hear me? You can't give up on me now.
Francine: (weakly) I'm losing too much blood. I don't...(tears) I don't know how long I'll make it.
Richard: No, no Francine, please. Please, you can't leave me. You can't leave me alone. You have to stay with me, alright?
Richard kisses Francine. He helps Francine stand up and with their last bit of strength, the family moves along the stream. After an hour of walking, they come across a clearing through the bushes. Richard, Francine, and Mina walk through the clearing and look upon a large fort-like prison with fenced gates. They can clearly see a man tending to his crops, a few other people killing walkers around the fenced gates, and a bunch of other people doing random chores behind the fenced gates.
Richard: We...we made it...