I do not own the Walking Dead.

Previously:

So, without even meeting the girl, Faye decided she liked Sophia. If one little girl could make everyone hopeful, then Faye wanted to be her friend too.

What Faye had seen was more than enough to give her nightmares. It haunted her whenever she was alone, awake or asleep.

What Faye had seen was what she wanted to keep away from Carl and Sophia.

It had been another nightmare filled sleep that night. Faye guessed it was because she had started to use the gun again, but didn't tell the adults this - they might take it away from her. She'd get over it.

Carol had woken her up in the early hours of the morning, after more tossing and turning. Faye had apologised to her for waking the woman, but Carol said it was no trouble.

When Lori came into the tent to wake Faye up, she knew they'd let her sleep in again. Not as much, this time, but it still annoyed her.

"Hey, sweetheart," Why was she talking so nicely to her? Oh, Carol had probably mentioned the bad night. "You wanna get up for breakfast? Carl's waiting for you."

Sitting out of her curled up position, Faye gave a nod as she rubbed her eyes. She pulled her legs out the sleeping bag and Lori left the tent, not before showing Faye the clothes Carol left out for her. They must have been Sophia's, Faye concluded. She disliked the purple colour of the t-shirt and thought it would be weird to wear someone else's clothes, but if yesterday was anything to go by, it was going to be too hot to wear the green hoodie on top. Once she was dressed, Faye stepped out the tent with a little yawn.

Carl waved and beckoned her to come sit with him. She did so, and the girl was given a plate of breakfast by Carol. Faye was happy to see Daryl sat on a chair instead of in bed, and he acknowledged her with a nod. The two children talked between themselves for a little while - Faye wasn't pleased to hear that Lori had plans to make them do schoolwork later - before Glenn stood up before the group.

"Erm, guys," Not everyone looked up him as he spoke. Then he continued.

"So, the barn's full of walkers."

Everyone had rushed to the barn immediately, and Faye could hear the faint moans from inside. There were definitely walkers in there.

To say Shane was pissed off was an understatement. He was currently ranting at Rick. "We're gonna go in there, we're gonna make things right or we just gotta go. Now, we've been talking 'bout Fort Benning for a long time-"

"We can't go!" Rick said.

"Why, Rick, why?"

Carol spoke up. "Because my daughter's still out there."

Exactly! Faye was glad Carol had stepped up and said something. She didn't really want to leave this place, anyway. It was miles safer than her old camp was, and she could tell the others liked it here too.

Shane ran his hands down his face. "I think it's time we start to consider the other possibility-"

"Shane!" Rick stepped forward. "We're not leaving Sophia behind."

"I'm close to findin' this girl, I just found a damn doll a few days ago!" Daryl snapped.

"Yeah, that's what you did Daryl, you found a doll." Shane said back. There was a pause.

Faye could see the anger on Daryl's face, and without thinking, spoke. "Why shouldn't Sophia be able to survive?" The adults turned in her direction in surprise. "I did. Weren't me and her doing the same thing? Some walkers came through and we ran off by ourselves. I survived, so can she."

"Yeah!" Carl stepped beside the girl, nodding his head.

Shane was clearly annoyed at her comment, but held back now that Carl stood with her. "Here's the difference: You had a gun. You had a knife. You were taught, isn't that what ya keep sayin'? This girl hasn't got anything."

Faye was beginning to regret speaking.

"So you think she's dead?" Carl asked.

Lori came forward and put a hand on Carl's shoulder. "Come on, don't get involved." She said quietly. The boy moved back with his mother and Faye followed, deciding speaking up had been a bad idea.

The two children could only watch as a fight began to break out. The conflict scared Faye a little, but Dale intervened. "Hershel sees those things as people. Sick people. His wife, his step-son."

"You knew?" Rick asked.

Dale nodded. "Yesterday. I talked to Hershel."

"And you waited the night?" Shane said, pointing a finger at the older man.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did. I was waiting 'till this morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man is crazy, Rick," Shane raised his voice. "If Hershel thinks those things are alive, they're NOT!"

Everyone jumped as walkers banged against the door, their growls louder. The group watched in fear as the doors rattled and were pushed forward slightly.

Luckily, the barn really was secure and the doors stayed closed.

Shane then ordered everyone to stay away from the barn, wanting to keep a watch on it. Faye was fine with this, she didn't want to stay near the walker-infested building anyway. People were still shaken up after the event, and as Rick went to speak to Hershel, they returned to their jobs.

Unfortunately, Lori's job turned out to be making Carl and Faye do maths problems. As the woman sat Carl down and Faye made an excuse to go back to the tent, hoping for a few more minutes not doing work. What was the point in school anymore?

After a few minutes, Faye grew bored of waiting, and guessed Lori would come and get her soon anyway.

Faye was walking over to where they were sitting, but noticed the private moment between Carl and his mother. Watching them hug almost made her sad, she'd never had a mother to do things like that. Then she realised that not having a Mom hadn't really taken away from her childhood. Living with her Dad and brother was good.

Had been good.

Faye wasn't really all that girly because of it, but that was probably a good thing now. Both her brother and Dad had been quite sporty and played basketball, so Faye knew a little about that. They'd put a hoop in the back garden so they could all play, but Faye always came last. She didn't mind all that much, though, Dad had said that she'd be better when she was taller.

"Faye!" Lori's voice brought Faye back to reality, realising she'd been lost in thought longer than it felt.

"Coming!"

Carl had finished before Faye had. Faye claimed it was because he had a head start, but maths wasn't Faye's strong point. Science was more her thing.

But anyway, Faye hadn't yet finished her work while Carl was reading a comic book. He'd moved away from the table and sat against a log once Lori left and, not wanting to be left alone, Faye moved with him.

"Haven't you finished that yet?" Carl asked.

"No." When Carl chuckled a little, she glared at him. "Maybe if you helped me, I'd be reading comics too."

"Nah. It makes you look like a dumbass."

Faye raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you said we weren't gonna say that anymore?"

"I thought you said you didn't care?" Carl gave a smile. "My Mom and Dad don't have to know. It's funny!"

"I think I'm a bad influence on you." Faye went back to the problems. "Especially don't tell Shane. He'll bite my head off for making you say that."

"No, he won't."

"He would've if you hadn't stood with me at the barn!"

Carl shook his head. "Shane's just scared of the walkers in the barn."

"I'm scared of the walkers in the barn, we all are. He thinks Sophia is dead." Faye retorted. To this, Carl didn't reply. Shrugging, she went back to the last few questions of the book. After a few minutes, Carl was apparently bored of Faye's silence, and helped her with the last problem.

"It's 63. Not 54."

"Oh. Thanks." Putting aside the book, Carl moved over to let Faye read the comic too. A little while later, Faye looked away, eyes on the barn. "Do you think Hershel is right?"

"About what?" Carl frowned.

"About the walkers being sick."

"I'm not sure." He said. "But they're dangerous. We have to protect ourselves from them, sick or not."

"And that's just it? What if they are? If they are just sick, if there really is a person in there, that means we're murderers. That means I'm a murderer." Faye looked down, staring at the ground. She wasn't sure how much Carl had been told, but he was bound to guess what had happened if he hadn't already.

"You're not bad. It's not your fault." Carl smiled at her, waiting for her head to raise. "You didn't kill them."

"I put bullets in their heads, Carl!" The boy was startled by her blunt outburst, but let her speak. "Tell me how that isn't killing them!"

Carl thought for a while, before finally coming up with an answer. "I think they are dead. I don't think there's a sickness that makes you eat people. It's like... It's like it's just a shell left over. You didn't kill them, because they weren't in there anymore."

Faye was surprised. She didn't think he'd thought it through so much. "You really think that?"

"Yeah. I do." Carl nodded. "You don't need to work yourself up over it, or have nightmares."

Faye blinked at him. "I heard Carol tell Mom. We're gonna stay here and Sophia's gonna come back and everyone's gonna be happy. That includes you."

"You've just... decided this? Just like that?"

"Yes! Someone's gotta make you listen."

Faye snorted. "I don't have to listen to anybody!"

"Sure you don't, hypocrite."

"Shut up, dumbass."

They continued to talk for a while, the topic much less serious, but the children were interrupted by the approaching Shane. "Well, if you've decided for the whole group that we're staying, you better start with him."

Carl hummed a 'yes' and stood up as Shane walked by them. "Hey, Shane, can I talk to you for a sec?"

The man turned around, looking at them, before speaking to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I know you think Sophia's dead and that we should stop looking for her, but that's- that's bullshit."

Faye's eyes widened in surprise. Unsure whether to burst out laughing or holding her head in frustration, she watched on as Shane scolded Carl. "Hey, man, watch your mouth."

"We're gonna stay here until we find her." Carl continued, firmly. Shane was obviously conflicted on how to respond.

"You think that's what we should do?"

"It's what I know we should do."

Faye held back a grin at Carl's words. She might not have liked Shane, but she wouldn't have been so blunt with him. "Then we stay. That means we gotta do whatever we gotta do to make that happen."

"Like help out with chores?"

Shane put a hand on Carl's shoulder and nodded. "Like help out with the chores."

"Carl! Come here for a minute." Lori shouted from over from where she was sat. Shane looked annoyed at this, but sent Carl over anyway - not without telling him not to swear. As Carl walked away, he gave a quick grin to Faye, obviously pleased with how that had gone, and she returned the look.

Faye could see Shane looking at her, but decided to ignore it, picking up the comic book.

"I don't appreciate you be against me at the barn." He said, breaking the silence.

She didn't look at him as she replied. "I was just saying what I thought."

"Didn't help much."

She didn't bother saying anything else.

"It's strange, you know, Carl talkin' like that."

Where was this going? "...Okay?" Faye hoped he wasn't going to get mad. People were scary when they were mad, especially Shane.

"Just leaves me wonderin' where he got it from. 'Cause I know he ain't gettin' that from us."

Faye frowned. "And you think he got that from me?" Would Carl have said that if she wasn't there?

"I think he didn't talk like that 'fore you were here."

He was biting her head off. Quietly. Quiet-angry people were the worst.

"You best be careful how you act around him, he ain't gotta be like you."

What was that supposed to mean? Did he... threaten her? She knew he was protective of Carl, but jeez, surely that was a little far. Shane didn't give her a chance to reply as he stalked off towards the RV.

Faye was left sitting, staring in the direction the man went.

Everyone was sat around the front - well, everyone that wasn't busy - and Faye was on the steps, leaning against the fence. Carl was playing a card game with Patricia and Beth, but Faye didn't feel like it. Currently, she was mulling over her thoughts of the barn.

However, the peaceful atmosphere began to leave as T-Dog, Andrea, Daryl and carol showed up, wondering where Rick was.

Then Shane arrived with a bag of guns, and all hell broke loose.

With Rick's approval or not, the barn was going to be cleared.

Just to make things worse, Jimmy, Rick and Hershel came back...

... With a couple of 'friends'.

Everyone raced down towards them immediately, and Shane started shouting.

"You see, you see what they're holding on to?" He shouted.

"I see who I'm holding on to!"

"Nah, man, you don't." Shane circled the group.

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk." Rick's reasoning didn't work.

"What you wanna talk about Rick?" Shane moved to the front. "These things ain't sick! They're not people! They're dead! Ain't gonna feel nothing 'cause all they do- they kill! These things right here. They killed Amy, they killed Otis!"

Faye wasn't who these people were, but from the look on Andrea and Patricia's faces, they must have been close.

"Hey, Hershel, man, let me ask you something." Shane pulled out a gun, and Faye backed away. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see this at all. "Could a living, breathing person, could they walk away from this?"

Gunshots rang out as Shane shot the female walker in the chest. He kept shooting it, and it kept coming.

"Shane! Enough!" Rick shouted.

"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane strode up to the walker and shot it in the head. It collapsed to the ground, and Hershel with it. "Enough, risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough, living near a barn full of things trying to kill us. Enough! Rick - it ain't like it was before! Now, if ya'll wanna live, if ya'll wanna survive, you gotta fight for it! And I'm talking about fighting right here, right now!"

There was more shouting as Shane ran to the barn and smashed the locks. Walkers came rushing out immediately, and the rest of the adults had no choice but to shoot them down. Faye looked over to Carl, but he was hiding behind Lori.

They were going to be kicked out!

They couldn't be kicked out, because out there was death and out there were the walkers and out there your camp got overrun and out there your family died and out. No! She couldn't lose everyone again, everything, she wouldn't be alone again-!

Faye stopped herself as she noticed the tears running down her face. No one was there to stop her watching the walkers fall to the ground, and she saw the Greene family break down and Carl collapse in his mothers arms.

No, she had to be strong by herself. That was what Dad said. Willing the tears to stop, Faye buried her face in her hands as she waited.

When the gunfire stopped, Faye stood straight, hoping no one had noticed her small breakdown.

There was a moment of silence, before a final growl was heard, and out walked a small child.

Faye stood silently, realising they would have to shoot a mere child, when Carol ran forward, and burst into tears. "No, no, Sophia!"

No.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Daryl caught Carol in her run, and she collapsed to the floor in tears and Carl was crying in his mothers arms.

It couldn't be her, it wasn't supposed to go like this! No, it wasn't fair!

As Rick walked forward, gun in hand, Faye realised that yes - this was happening.

Sophia was standing right in front of them - eyes white, shoulder bloody and snarling.

Sophia was a walker.

Author's Notes:

Hello again! Thank you for all your fantastic reviews - they make my day! :)

However, I seem to be having a problem that I receive the reviews a day or two late. Either way, I still read them!

The next update will be on Friday, so I'll see you then!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.