The group was in a panic when they found the glass windows in the lobby to be shatterproof. Nothing they threw or bashed against them even put a nick in the surface. It was Carol, surprisingly, who had a solution. "I found this with your things on the first day you came to camp." She told Rick as she held out a grenade she had procured from her bag.
Rick looked at her as though she was a godsend and when he pulled the pin, he yelled for everyone to get down as he ran back from the windows. The bang that resounded through the lobby was deafening and Serafina suddenly lost all control of her limbs as a high pitched ringing pierced her ears.
She was vaguely aware of someone tugging at her, pulling her along with them as the group made their way out of the building. She could barely even process anything other than the gunshots that were popping off causing her to flinch back away from the person who had a grip on her arm which only made them tighten their hold.
It wasn't long before they were at the vehicles and she was being pushed into the cab of a truck. There was another explosion of a much larger scale, but that was in the background of her mind now as disfigured faces and torn off limbs filled her vision. She could hear the screaming of her comrades and their pleading voices. She squeezed her eyes shut and her heartbeat quickened as she tried to force the thoughts from her head.
Rough hands had pulled her down, shielding her from whatever wreckage had occurred and a voice called to her when it was over. "Hey!" She opened her eyes after a long while and peered into the blue eyes of Daryl who looked mildly annoyed, but above all, concerned. "The hell was that?" He asked.
He was met with silence for a moment before she said softly. "I am sorry." Her mouth hung open as though she was going to say more. "I — I just..." Her sentence trailed off as she found there was nothing she could say.
"Forget it." He said whilst shaking his head. He stuck his head out the window as Rick called to him, telling the redneck that they would head out of the city before making any final decisions as to where they would go next. Daryl looked to the woman beside him. "You comin' along for the ride?"
She nodded her head, giving a mute response. There was nothing she had to lose by going with them. It was not as though she had anywhere else to go.
It was nearing sundown when the group settled on an old abandoned dirt road far from the city. There were a couple of rundown buildings and deserted cars which they would be able to siphon gas from. Everyone looked worn out when they finally came to a stop. "We'll camp here for the night." Rick said when the group gathered by the old beat up Winnebago.
Despite the tiredness and unease that nagged at her, Serafina was glad to see Andrea and Dale alive and well with the group though Andrea did not seem as happy about that fact.
"What do we do now?" Lori asked Rick.
Shane was the one who answered. "We get as much fuel as we can and head to Fort Benning."
Rick was quiet as he contemplated the idea before he nodded, agreeing that that was what they were going to do. Serafina regarded Shane's idea with a quirked eyebrow wondering why it would be that a man who had shown such disdain for her being a soldier would want to go to a military base of all places. She said nothing about the subject though and began to help the rest of the group set up to camp for the night. It didn't go unnoticed by her that Shane had pulled Rick to the side and they started to talk to each other in hushed voices.
Rick knew that when Shane asked to talk to him in private that the talk would inevitably end up in an argument. "What're we gonna do 'bout her?" Shane questioned.
He didn't need to say a name for Rick to figure out that he was talking about the blonde Russian. He glanced over at her, watching as she talked with Glenn about who knows what. "She stays." Rick said.
Shane wasn't going to let the conversation to end so quickly. "She's dangerous, Rick."
With a snort, Rick retorted. "How? How is she dangerous?" Shane wasn't allowed the opportunity to answer. "She helped us get out of the CDC. Hell, she's probably the reason we're still even alive so how is she dangerous?"
Shane's nostrils flared and he tightened his hands into fists as he stepped towards Rick who didn't back away like any other person would. His voice lowered to a hiss. "We know nothing about her. She could kill us all in our sleep and we would never see it coming."
"You want to put it to a vote?" Rick asked. "Do you really think that anyone would vote to leave her behind? After what she's done for us?"
Shane was quiet for a second before he stepped back, his jaw set. "She does anything to put this group in danger and that's on you, Rick."
He walked away and Rick watched him for a moment and then his eyes turned to Serafina who looked on as Shane stormed past her with a questioning gaze.
The night was infinitely cooler than the day when the sun was high in the sky and it was a relief when the sun finally set behind the distant mountain range. Dinner had already been served and most had already settled in for bed. The Grimes family, save for Rick, was occupying the station wagon along with Carol and her daughter. Shane was sleeping uncomfortably in the front seat of his jeep while nearly everyone else took refuge in the RV.
The only three who were awake were Daryl, Rick, and Serafina. The former of the three was busy preparing his chopper for the journey to Fort Benning. He was irritated when he was told it would be better to leave his truck behind to save fuel. Not wanting to hitch a ride in the RV or with Shane, he ended up deciding to take the motorcycle that was strapped in the bed of his truck. Serafina figured the motorcycle was something left from his past that he wasn't really able to part with.
Serafina sat on the tailgate of Daryl's truck, cleaning her gun as well as she could in the dark. She could not sleep and though Dale had offered her a spot in the RV, she declined so she could stay out in the open air, enjoying the cool breeze. Every now and again she would glance over at Daryl or Rick who was perched on top of the RV on watch duty.
Boredom began to itch at her after a half an hour or so of cleaning her gun and with a huff, she stuffed the gun into the holster that was strapped to her thigh and made her way over to the RV. She would have tried to strike up a conversation with Daryl, but she had a feeling the broad shouldered man has had his fill of her company for the day and she did not want to push any boundaries with the volatile redneck.
"Would you mind if I came up there with you?" She called up to Rick as quietly as she could so she would not wake anyone up.
She saw Rick nod. "Come on up." She climbed the ladder with ease and plopped down next to Rick, her legs dangling over the edge. "Everything all right?" He asked.
"Could be better." There was a joking tone to her voice, but despite this Rick knew it couldn't be more the truth.
"Did you know him well?" He asked and then clarified. "Jenner, I mean."
After pondering over the question for a few short seconds, she shook her head. "No. No, I did not." She admitted. "But— he was important to me." She told him. "I had been alone since the start of this. It is ... hard to be alone." He stayed silent, listening to her. "He let me in when he didn't have to and suddenly I was not alone anymore and neither was he. It — it helps so much just to have someone; someone to share all of your fears and worries with. To not be alone in all of this ... it lessens the burden."
Rick set his hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to worry. You're not going to be alone anymore."
She shook her head. "I — I don't want to impose upon your group. I would understand if you did not want me to continue on with you."
"You're staying." He told her and then quickly added, "... if you want to that is." He could see her hesitation about the subject. "We were all strangers at one point. Give it time and you'll feel right at home here."
"Thank you." She said after being silent for a while. "You are a good man, Rick Grimes."
They didn't speak again that night preferring to sit with one another in a comfortable quiet. It wasn't too long before Serafina bid Rick a good night and crept into the RV nearly having her wits scared out of her by Dale who was seated in the passenger's seat with is feet propped up on the driver's seat. "Finally going to join us?" He had asked.
While her heart tried to slow, she said. "Yes, if there is still room."
Dale smiled. "If you don't mind your back hurting in the morning, you can take the other side of the booth." He told her while motioning to the table where Glenn had taken residence at one side.
She thanked him truly appreciative of how accepting the old man was of her presence with the group. She made her way over to the designated spot, careful not to step on T-Dog who was passed out on the floor between the table and counters.
Sleep came to her a little bit easier than most nights and while her dreams were filled with nothing but a blanket of darkness, she didn't wake with terror in the middle of the night. It was when Glenn started to stir across from her that she woke up, her eyes squinting at the light peeking through the blinds on the window next to her.
"Mornin'." Glenn mumbled while he rubbed his face as though he was trying to wipe the sleep from himself.
"Good morning." She greeted a little more pleasantly than him.
T-Dog and Dale were already up and about, helping Carol with breakfast outside. Serafina was surprised that she had not woken up when they had; she was a light sleeper and any sort of bump in the night usually woke her up.
When she stood up, she glanced back towards the end of the Winnebago and saw Andrea still in the back room on the bed with her back facing the door. Serafina would have thought she was still sleeping, but the light quaking of her shoulders signified that she was indeed awake and trying her best to not make a sound as she cried.
There was a small tug at her heart as she stared, but she was snapped out of her thoughts when Glenn let out a groan as he stretched, wincing when he felt his joints crack. "Man, I hope breakfast is ready." He said. "I'm starving."
Serafina hummed in agreement, her stomach grumbling at the mention of food. She followed Glenn out of the RV, being greeted by a plate being shoved into her hands. Carol smiled at her when she said thank you to the older woman.
Glenn, however, looked on at the plate of food in his own hands with disgust. "Back to beans for breakfast." Regardless, he shoveled the food into his mouth and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. Serafina stayed standing and leaned against the RV as she ate.
"Sleep well?" Rick asked as he passed by her.
"Surprisingly, yes." Rick smiled at that. "We'll be leaving soon." He told her. "You okay with riding in the RV?" He asked.
She nodded. "That's fine." After she finished with breakfast she helped Lori and Carol clean up, not minding so much to help with the household chores. She fell into an easy conversation with the two women who were pleasant to the blonde.
Carol seemed very interested in hearing abut the blonde's life before the outbreak. "What was it like?" She had asked of Serafina's home country.
"Cold." Serafina told her and that earned a smile from both women. "I miss it, though."
Lori, though she tried not to be insensitive, asked. "Did you have family back there?"
There was a slight bob of her head as Serafina dried a dish Carol had handed to her. "Yes. My parents and two brothers." She said. "I lost contact with them a week after this happened."
Lori frowned, now feeling guilty about her question. "I'm sorry." She apologized and Serafina just gave her an easy smile. "It is strange." She noted. "I may never know what happened to them. I do not know if that is for the better or not."
"It must be hard..." Carol started, "... being in a foreign country ... away from everyone you know."
Serafina gave a shrug. "You deal with the hand you are dealt." She would not tell the women just how much she ached to be home with her family. She had not yet come to terms with the possibility that she may never return home again.
The conversation turned to one of the weather and their wish for cooler days which Serafina agreed wholeheartedly with. Then, Lori seemed to have realized something. "Did Andrea ever come out of the RV?" She questioned.
Carol shook her head while Serafina said. "No, she was still asleep when Glenn and I left." She did not say how she saw Andrea crying knowing that it was not her place to say so.
"Poor thing." Carol muttered as she scrubbed at a dish. There was a silent agreement that hung through the air as the women went back to their tasks. It wasn't long before the dishes were washed, dried, and packed away for the long journey to Fort Benning.
Hey guys! So, here's my latest update. A bit of a filler episode and a little interaction between Rick and Serafina. :)
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and added this story to their story alerts! I'm so glad you guys like this story and I hope I can continue to keep your interest.
Keep on reviewing and let me know what you think!