++++++ I do not own the Walking Dead or any affiliated characters apart from my OC. All rights belong to Kirkman and AMC ++++++

++++++ On a small side note, has everyone seen the new episode of the Walking Dead? All I can say is OMG and poor Michonne ++++++

Fifty-Four

The next few weeks passed without any problem. We were bringing more and more people into the prison which meant that I was getting more and more students at my classes which now required Matthew and Andrew's help considering the growing numbers. Everyone was anxious to learn how to use a gun right and the best way to use a knife.

Rick and I had fallen into a routine much to Carl's disgust, every morning he'd make gaging sounds when we kissed or displayed any signs of romantic affection to each other. Originally I had chosen to spend the afternoon's working on the crops with Rick but as it turns out, I had a black thumb and would kill any kind of plant I touched so I drafted myself into the security team that Matthew had put together. Dealing with the trainees, the constant permitter checks and the group I had put together was taking up all of my time, not to mention Lizzie and Myka. Ever since Alicia had arrived and settled in, she was no longer taking care of the girls in any way, shape or form. It was Ebony and Carol who were splitting their time between the girls and their own children as well as their own duties. Not to mention Ebony wasn't as fast as she used to be. You could clearly see her baby bump underneath her clothes now and she was sleeping frequently but in short intervals.

In a few more days Rick and I were supposed to be getting married by Herschel which Ebony assured me would hit me in no time at all. Ebony, Beth and Carol were working away, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy into the event but all I could think of was the gathering walkers at the fence and the lack of food. The lack of food we could fix by going on a run, the walkers were being dealt with by Matthew and his security team.

"You all set?" Carol questioned her daughter, a nervous tone in her voice. Carol wasn't completely thrilled by the idea of Sophia coming on a run with Daryl and I, but the one thing that I had learnt in our sessions was that Sophia had a keen eye and was a fantastic shot. Last night all you could hear throughout the cells was mother and daughter fighting over her being allowed to go.

"Yes mum," Sophia replied as she picked up the rifle that was leaning against the wall. "Don't worry, PJ will take good care of me."

"I'm still not sure about this," Carol frowned, staring at me.

"Daryl and I will be there," I assured her. "And so will Maggie and Liam, what could go wrong?"

"Lots," Carol retorted. "PJ…just take care of my baby girl and don't let anything happen to her."

"I'll keep her safe as if she was my own daughter," I answered, messing up Sophia's blonde locks. "We'll only be gone a few days." I slung my arm around Sophia's shoulder and the two of us left Carol in the call. "So how are things going with mum anyway?" I asked her.

Sophia shrugged. "I dunno…I'm not a little girl anymore and she keeps babying me." She shifted the rifle uncomfortably. "I want to move out of the cell."

"You're only fourteen," I reminded her.

"Fifteen," Sophia corrected. "There isn't enough room for me and mum let alone Matthew."

"Come again?" I asked her. "Well-Matthew and your mother…wow."

"Ebony said that I could bunk with Jade," Sophia told me. "Can you talk to my mum when we come back?" she asked when we came out into the courtyard.

"I can try but I don't think your mum's gonna budge," I sighed. We came to the cars that we were taking. Daryl, Liam and Maggie were huddled around a map on the hood of the Tucson. "Where we going?"

"Maps say there's a country club couple hours away," Daryl answered. He pointed to it on the map, "we'll go for there first. Make our way down the I85 if it ain't blocked with cars."

"There's a lot of cemeteries around here," Liam spoke out.

"A lot of farms as well," Maggie answered. "Plenty places to search through. Maybe pick up other survivors. Some livestock as well. Daryl's gonna take the bike a head and we'll follow him."

Everyone nodded their agreement.

"We ready to go?" I spoke up. "Once we're on that road we don't stop until we hit the golf club." I looked sideways at Sophia. "Wanna learn how to drive kid?" I asked her.

Sophia's eyes lit up and she nodded. "Yeah!"

"That sounds dangerous," Rick laughed behind us.

I smirked. "Well, if you had half a brain, you'd let Carl come to. Would be good experience for the kids. This holy shit house will be theirs when we go to the walker killing fields in the sky."

"Did you just say walker killing fields?" Daryl snorted.

I shrugged. "I'm a poet."

"You are not!" he exclaimed.

"I like to think I am," I retorted. I threw my arms around Rick and pulled him in for what anyone would describe as a Hollywood kiss of epic proportions.

Rick broke away with a laugh. "What was that for?"

"My way of saying that if I die out there then that kiss is what will keep you warm at night," I answered. "I love you."

"I love you," Rick answered.

"I'd like to keep my breakfast down," Ebony groaned.

I ignored her and kissed Rick again. I left him as he went to tend to the crops and jumped in the front seat of the familiar green car. "Ah Laura, it's nice to drive you again."

"You named the car?" Sophia inquired, jumping in the front seat.

I nodded. "Sure did." I started the car and after one look back at the prison the small convoy followed Daryl from the prison.

It was almost midday by the time we'd reached our destination.

But instantly we all knew that something was up. The road leading up to the golf course was littered with the decomposing bodies of walkers and humans alike, amongst the bodies, spikes had been driven into the ground and severed heads had been shoved onto the spikes. The whole scene reminded me of a documentary on head hunters I had watched when I was seventeen. Daryl stopped on the side of the road, forcing us all to stop.

"Stay in the car Sophia," I ordered when I got out.

Sophia shot a glare at me and she climbed out.

"We should turn around," Maggie suggested. "I'm getting all kinds of signals about this place."

"Agreed," I nodded.

"Agreed," Daryl spoke up. "We'll go around…this place gives me the creeps."

I looked around at the bodies and the heads. Liam hesitantly walked closely over to one of the heads and leant forward. "Liam, come back."

"This one's new," Liam shouted back. He looked at us and then turned back to the head.

In slow motion we all watched as the eyes of the head snapped opened and the owner lunged forward, a feral growl escaped their lips. Liam screamed as whatever it was latched onto his neck and ripped a chunk of skins out. He tried and failed to stop the blood pouring from his throat.

Out of the bushes and trees came more of whatever these things were.

We all aimed our loaded weapons at them and enclosed ourselves in a circle to protect each other.

"They're people!" Maggie balked.

Sophia screamed at the top of her lungs as some of these 'people' surround Liam and started clawing into him, biting. "They're eating him!" she sobbed.

"Daryl!" I shouted as they circled us.

"I ain't dying like this!" he responded.

"Fucking cannibals!" I shouted, loosening an arrow into one of our attacker's heads. I stabbed another in the heart with an arrow and used it to fire at one of them who made a beeline for Sophia.

Something heavy and hard cracked me in the back of the head.

I heard Sophia screaming for me.

"Run…" I whispered, hitting the ground. "Run…"

Then nothing.