Chapter 16: Groups

After another two weeks of resting Rick finally felt well enough for him and Carl to start moving. After packing enough supplies for a few days they left the house and started heading towards town. Ever since Rick told Carl about his relationship with Beth they barely talked. Now that they were going to have to rely on each other for survival on the road he knew they needed to repair things between them as father and son. "If we find a map it'll be easier to distinguish where we are and where we need to go," He spoke.

When Carl didn't answer Rick took it as his cue to keep going. "We'll start in here, come on," He commanded leading him into a small shop.

Ever since they left the first town Beth had been even more determined to find another one. Her and Daryl had been walking day in and day out with several close calls. It seemed like every day more and more walkers had banded together and tried to kill them. In that time they really had to rely on each other to keep going. They still barely talked but they had a mutual understanding, 'you help me, I help you.'

Daryl had decided it would be best for them to keep close to the road but to remain in the woods with more cover just in case they ran into anymore groups of walkers. It was tougher to keep up with him but Beth refused to complain, as long as they found Rick and the others she was ready for anything. At night they would stop and make a simple camp. Food was scarce but luckily one night Daryl had caught a rabbit and even though Beth felt like she was eating Thumper the hunger eventually took over as soon as the meat was cooked. After they ate she sat with arms holding her knees, watching the fire while Daryl kept watch. "See anything?" She inquired.

"No, don't hear anythin' either," He sighed taking a seat on a stump.

Glancing at the younger girl he wondered how she kept herself going. Before all this she saw her mother and brother gunned down when she had been told they were going to be cured. Then she had to leave her childhood home with people she barely knew but had to trust to keep her safe. Now she just witnessed her father get murdered in one of the most cruel ways he could imagine. All this time he was sure this fragile girl would crash and burn but so far she was urging him on. Keeping his eyes on her he spoke up. "How are you doin' this?"

"Doing what?"

"You're so sure Rick and the others are alive, how can you do that? For all we know they could be dead and we're just runnin' around waitin' to be killed."

Beth swallowed, her eyes stayed on the fire otherwise she was sure she would cry. "I guess...I guess its just thinking they're alive is better than thinking they're dead." She muttered, she knew it was a pathetic answer but it was the truth. As long as the hope the ones she loved most were still out there that was all she needed.

Daryl scoffed. "It don't matter what's better, the truth is they're dead."

"You don't know that." She snapped. "I know we don't know for sure but...but if you don't have hope, even when things look bleak, then what do you have?"

"A life." Daryl mumbled.

"Well what's a life worth living without those you care about? Or the hope that maybe that things are gonna get better?"

"You've got your head in the clouds, kid."

"No, I know the reality of what life like nowadays. I just know a life isn't just about surviving."

"Yeah, go ahead and think that." Daryl said standing up to resume his watch.

Beth knew her way of thinking could be taken as immature and stupid but her father always taught her to have hope. Sure, life hadn't gone the way she expected. When she lost her hope after her mom and brother were killed she was sure it wasn't worth it. She was ready to take her own life and end it all, the crying, the worrying, and the pain but Andrea's words had never left her. 'The pain doesn't go away, you just make room for it.' Maggie had been right, it was cowardly to take the easy way out and Beth knew that now. She couldn't escape the pain no matter how much she prayed and kept going but she owed to those she already lost to keep living. Now she owed it to her father, the one that told her to keep hoping, to go on and find the ones she loved.

As the days wore on Rick and Carl found themselves in a familiar place. They kept to the road eager to maybe find a car but instead they found a road sign. 'King County.' It didn't seem like home anymore but now that they walked the empty streets old memories came rushing back. "This was the street the Christmas parade was on," Carl whispered.

"Yeah, remember the last one?" Rick asked. "I had you up on my shoulders and you were so mad Santa didn't throw you a candy cane."

"He did that on purpose." Carl mumbled with a small smile on his face.

Seeing his son smile for the first time was a happy surprise for Rick. It didn't last long though because soon they stood in front of their old house. The memory of Rick coming to this very spot after he woke up in the hospital was still fresh in his mind. "Can we...?" Carl asked.

He knew what his son wanted, he wanted to see his childhood home one more time. They both knew once they left they wouldn't be coming back so reluctantly Rick agreed. "Come on," He murmured gently pushing Carl's shoulder.

The inside was just how they left it. Clothes and pictures were gone while the furniture was covered in dust. Everything looked undisturbed for the most part. It looked like no one had stepped inside since Rick had left with Morgan. Then a thought popped into his head. As if Carl was reading his mind they said at the same time. "Morgan."

"Do you think he's still around?" Carl questioned.

"Maybe, we'll go see in a little while. For right now let's just rest a minute, I think we've earned it." Rick answered.

Without a word Carl went to his old bedroom while Rick stood in the kitchen. Running his hand over the table he recalled Lori telling him when they first moved in they were to have family dinners every night. He had tried his best to live up to that but he had missed plenty with overtime at the station. Stepping into the living room he thought back to their first Christmas with Carl. Lori had gone above and beyond to make sure the entire house was decorated, at the time Rick didn't understand it because he knew Carl wouldn't remember it. "Yeah well it'll be a tradition and then eventually he will remember it and pass it on to his kids." She had told him.

Blinking back tears he went into their bedroom. So many nights of him working too late and coming home to her already asleep. When they first got married they had to be touching each other when they were to sleep then they got to a point where they were on opposite sides of the bed. Sitting at the foot of the bed Rick took a look around the room. A few knick knacks were still on the shelves but overall everything they had was gone. It wasn't the same room he loved coming back to just like this wasn't the house he had spent so much time on making a home for him and his family. He had moved on a long time ago. Well he still wore one reminder.

Looking down at his left hand he stared at the silver band he still wore. After all this time he still couldn't bring himself to take it off. He wasn't sure why but before it seemed wrong to take it off, it was a symbol of his love for Lori. When he told Carl he would always love his mom he meant it but that love he had for her wasn't what it was anymore. Gently he took the ring off his finger and held it in his palm. It wasn't a monumental moment, he didn't feel anything, neither guilt or happiness not wearing it anymore. He knew it was time. Placing it on the dresser he and Lori used to share he stood up from the bed. Without looking back he went to find Carl.

Down the hall he found his son sitting on his bed, his hat placed beside him. "Didn't mom, you and Shane paint this room together?"

"Yeah, she was supposed to help but she decided she would be best at supervising us." He chuckled slightly.

Looking down at the rug Carl bit his bottom lip. "I miss them."

Seeing his shaking shoulders Rick quickly sat down beside the boy. Honestly Rick had expected Carl to break down a long time ago but he had held it in this whole time. Being in their family home must have brought all those emotions out of him. Carefully he wrapped an arm around Carl's shoulder pulling him close to him. "I know, I do too," He whispered pressing his lips to his hair.

It was the truth, Rick did miss his wife and his best friend but he missed what they once were not what they had become. He and Lori had grown so apart before her death it was a constant worry they would never get back to the place they once were. Then his friendship with Shane ended a long time ago, he figured it started to crack when Rick took leadership of their first camp and gradually fell apart as time went on. Both relationships meant a lot to him but even if both people lived he knew they would have never been the same. For a long time Rick blamed himself but he didn't feel that guilt anymore, maybe it was because of what Beth told him, but now he knew he had to move on.

Gently patting Carl's back he stood up from the bed. "Come on, we need to get moving." He spoke. "You ok?"

Nodding his head Carl wiped his face off. "Yeah."

Before Carl could walk off Rick called his name. "You don't have to be tough all the time, ok?"

Carl placed his hat back on his head. "Ok." He mumbled before walking back to the front of the house.

As they stepped back outside they both realized they felt better. A weight had been lifted off of them and now they were ready to search for the group. "Are we gonna go look for Morgan?" Carl asked.

Nodding Rick sighed. "We both need the ammo and supplies. If we can I'm gonna convince Morgan to go with us. I know its a long shot but his skills would help us out on the road."

"Even though he's crazy?"

"Crazy might do us some good when it comes to walkers and any other Governors that might be out there."

When they spotted the walker traps they stepped cautiously closer to the building they knew Morgan lived. A few walkers were stuck in the traps as Rick and Carl walked down the sidewalk. Hearing a loud crash Rick motioned for Carl to stay behind him. "Morgan?" Rick called. "Morgan its Rick Grimes! Are you there?"

Gripping his gun Rick waited for something to happen. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Carl step forward with his pistol raised. Finally Rick noticed a head peak out from one of the buildings. "Morgan," He repeated.

"Rick?" Morgan questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"We need some help," Rick answered.

When Morgan didn't answer Rick grew anxious. "Be ready to run," He told Carl just in case.

Just as they were about to give up and turn around Rick saw Morgan walking towards them with a rifle on his back. "You look like hell, what happened?" Morgan asked as he got closer.

Rick sighed. "Our old home was attacked, our group got separated. We had to leave without grabbing any food or ammunition." He explained. "Can you help us?"

Judging by the look on his face Rick knew Morgan was apprehensive to help them. "I promise, once we have what we need we'll leave and we'll never bother you again."

Running a hand over his head Morgan eventually nodded. "All right, come on." He muttered gesturing for them to follow him.

The wind blew leaves around Beth making her shiver. She had found a thin sweater at her and Daryl's last stop but still no sign of anyone from their group. They hadn't had a proper meal in weeks and they were getting desperate to find food and somewhere to rest. Beth knew how skinny she was beforehand, now her clothes looked baggier on her to the point she was getting worried. "Do you think we're getting close to a town?"

Daryl didn't answer instead he pointed up ahead. Beth was overjoyed to see a small town not too far away. Picking up the pace they kept going. There weren't many walkers as far as they could tell, they saw a few corpses laying on the road and sidewalks as they walked the streets. Bending down Daryl dipped his hand into the blood. "They were killed not too long ago," He spoke wiping his hand on his pants. "Still wet."

"Maybe someone else is here," Beth whispered, she tried to hide her excitement at the prospect someone from the prison being there.

"Lets find something to eat first then we'll take a better look around."

Nodding Beth followed him as they went from place to place. They were about to give up when they found the remains of a small grocery store. Beth could have cried when she found a jar of peanut butter. Sitting in one of the aisles she ate in silence as Daryl ate some jelly beside her. After she calmed her hunger she turned to him. "Do you think we'll find anyone?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, there's no telling who we'll find."

"I know," She muttered. "But it could be Maggie or Glenn..."

"Or Rick?" He asked glancing at her.

"Yeah," She whispered.

As they fell into silence Beth finished her food before standing up. "We should try to find a bag so we can take some of this with us."

"Then let's take a look around." Daryl sighed grabbing his crossbow.

Taking out her knife Beth followed Daryl as they checked each aisle. They found more food they would be able to take with them but nothing to carry it with. "Ok the store seems clear so here's what we do." Daryl spoke. "I'm gonna go take a look around town and find some bags. You stay here and gather what you can. I won't be gone long."

"Ok," She agreed.

Sitting in Morgan's apartment gave Rick the same creepy feeling as last time they visited him. "So what happened at your prison?"

"We were attacked and outnumbered. We had to leave in a hurry and we don't know where the rest of our group is." Rick explained.

"How long ago was this?"

"Maybe over a month ago." Rick answered.

Morgan nodded. "Well get what you need. I know you gotta find your people. I hope you do but you know you might not?"

Rick sighed. "That's a chance we gotta take."

"I understand, I would do the same thing if it was my family." Morgan mumbled picking up a bag and handing it to Carl. "Go ahead look around."

As Carl started picking up some ammo and putting it in a bag Rick decided to talk to Morgan one on one. "Morgan, remember last time when I asked you if you wanted to come to the prison with us?" When Morgan nodded he continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to go on the road with us. We sure could use your help and skill."

"I don't know, man." Morgan muttered.

"Morgan, I'm begging you. Its just me and Carl right now and having someone else around will definitely help us out there."

Rick could see the other man thinking about his words. After taking a deep breath he answered. "Let me sleep on it. I'll think about it tonight while you two get some rest and I'll give you my answer in the morning."

Nodding once Rick stepped into the other room to give Morgan some privacy and to check on Carl. He found his son sitting on the floor snacking on some crackers. Taking a seat beside him he sighed. "He's gonna think about it." He told him.

Leaning against the wall Rick felt like he was about to fall asleep when he felt his son nudging him. "Here, they're not too stale." Carl whispered handing him some crackers.

"Thanks," Rick sighed taking a bite out of one of them.

In the front of the grocery store Beth had gathered enough food for both her and Daryl to carry for a few days until they found another town. When she finished searching she sat in the corner away from any windows and waited for Daryl to return. Holding her knife close by she remained in silence until she heard the door open. Rising up on her knees she peaked around the wall and covered her mouth to keep any noise from escaping. The man that stepped through the door wasn't Daryl and he wasn't alone. Instead it was an older man with silver hair and a matching mustache along with other rough looking men. All of them had guns and they looked like they had been on the road for a long time. "Hey Joe, look at all this," One of the men spoke.

"Huh," The man Joe said. "Looks like someone's been here, boys. Fan out, they couldn't have gotten far."

Once the men spread out Beth shuffled against the wall as quietly as she could. She had found a storage room close by and if she moved quickly maybe she could hide in there before any of the men spotted her. She almost made it to the closet when she heard the door open again. 'Oh no, Daryl.' She thought.

As she stepped to her original spot she saw Daryl holding his crossbow up to the leader while the others stood in a circle around him with their guns pointed at his head. Gripping her knife tighter she tried to think of a plan. If she attacked one the others would either kill her or Daryl or both but she couldn't just stand here and wait. Just as she was about to step out of hiding she heard the leader speak up. "The name's Joe."

It took Daryl a minute but then he finally dropped his crossbow. "Daryl."

"You alone?" A man asked.

"No...Beth, you around here?" Daryl called out.

Very hesitantly Beth stepped out of her hiding spot. She didn't trust these men and with the way they were looking her up and down she was right to think so. Keeping a firm grip on her knife she made her way over to Daryl. One of the men opened his mouth to say something when Joe raised his hand up. "Nice to meet you two. I see the little lady was kind enough to find us some food. Boys load it up and let's get going." Joe commanded.

Beth watched as the men grabbed what they wanted and packed everything she had found away. Daryl held up an old backpack to her. "Its all I could find."

Nodding her head she picked up what was left. When everything was gone Joe stood in front of her and Daryl. "Its simple really, we claim what we want and then there's no issue. Think you two can handle that?"

"Yeah," She muttered while Daryl stayed silent.

"All right, then lets get out of here. We need to find somewhere secure to stay for the night." He told the group before walking out.

As Beth followed the group she wondered if they could trust them. She knew more people meant more security and food but she didn't like the way the men were staring at her. Keeping close to Daryl she knew she had to talk to him where no one else could hear but she was going to have to wait until they were away from Joe and his followers.