A/N: Thank you for the follows and the favorites and for continuing to read. And thank you to Hongo En for the review.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead.

Chapter 11

"What's it like out there?" Maggie asked out of the blue. Marianne was helping her pick peaches and so far their conversation had been limited to the weather and Maggie telling her more about peaches than she ever wanted to know.

"Bad. You're living in a nightmare where you can never wake up."

"How many have you killed?"

"Too many to count, although I never really counted in the first place. Waste of time."

"And you don't feel bad about it?" Marianne wondered where these questions were coming from.

"They're not people anymore. They're dead. As far as I'm concerned I'm doin' them and the rest of the world a favor by killing them."

"So, you don't think they're sick?"

"No, I don't." Marianne told her about the CDC and it seemed to put Maggie deep in thought.

She decided to change the subject.

"So, what's goin' on between you and Glenn?" Marianne asked while Maggie handed her a peach.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"I have eyes. And Glenn's not too hard to read."

Maggie looked at her. "I really don't know."

"Glenn's a good guy. He cares." She put a peach in the almost full basket. "Sometimes I think he cares too much."

They finished picking peaches and began walking back to the house. Maggie was carrying the basket and Marianne was helping herself to the fruit. They were nearly at the tents when she and Maggie saw Glenn with the binoculars. Marianne wondered what he was looking at so intently.

"I'm gonna talk to Glenn and give him the peaches," Maggie said. Marianne took this as a sign to leave and they parted ways. She headed towards Lori, who was adding some kindling to the fire.

"How're you holding up?"

Lori stood up and brushed her hands off. "Good."

"I think you're lying." Marianne put her hands on her hips. "Because in your situation, I wouldn't describe myself as 'good'."

Lori looked around them. "I'm dealing with it, okay."

"You don't have to do it alone."

Before Lori could say anything Glenn walked up and set the peaches down. He looked like he wanted to say something but he kept nervously glancing at Marianne before staring meaningfully at Lori.

"She knows Glenn."

"She knows? Oh, thank God." It looked like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. "What did Rick say?" Instead of answering him Lori bent down to stoke the fire. "You didn't tell him? But you have to. You're pregnant. Right?" He looked at Marianne for help.

"He's not wrong."

"You need vitamins, medicine, a nice pillow."

"And more food," Marianne added. "Let us help you."

Glenn grabbed some jerky out of paper bag and offered it to Lori. "You can have my share."

"Honey, I don't want your food, okay? Eat." Lori picked up a water jug. She was trying to ignore them both by keeping busy.

"Take the jerky, Lori. For the baby." Marianne grabbed the water jug out of her hands.

"You're too skinny. You have a medical condition." The expecting mother looked at Glenn and scoffed. "I'll make another run into town. Just tell me what you need."

"I need you two to be quiet about this. Please."

Glenn didn't look happy about it and Marianne knew she wasn't. The discussion between the three of them ended when Shane called Glenn over but Marianne was still there.

"I already told you I'd stay quiet but me and Glenn are involved whether you like it or not and it looks like neither of us are giving up on you." Rick was headed their way so Marianne lowered her voice even more. "And just so you know, I'd be willing to make a run for you too. If you need something, just ask."

Marianne handed the water jug back to Lori as Rick came to stand next to them.

"You didn't join us today," he said to Marianne, referring to planning the search for the day.

"Didn't think there was a point to it. I'm stuck here." She motioned at the camp.

"I talked to Hershel and he says your stitches can come out in couple of days."

"That's not news to me. And I hope we find Sophia before that happens."

"Me too." Rick nodded. "Do you want to join us for gun training?"

"Is she going?"

"Yeah."

"No, I shoot just fine."

Rick sighed but left well enough alone.

Everyone that left for gun training, minus Shane and Andrea, pulled up right as Marianne began putting empty water containers in a cart for a trip to the well. T-Dog volunteered to help and while they walked he told her how the training went for everyone but conspicuously omitted a certain blonde. They reached the well and Marianne started to pump water into the first container.

"How are you doin'?" T-Dog asked.

"I'm hot."

"You know that's not what I mean." They switched places at the pump. "I bet no one's asked you that since Daryl was hurt."

"No, nobody has, but why would they? I'm not the one that got shot."

"Because the only brother you have left almost died. You nearly tore my arms off going after Andrea."

"That was you holdin' me back? I didn't hurt you, did I?" She looked at him a little worried.

"Nah, I'm okay. So, how are you?"

There was a long pause and they finished filling up the second container.

"Why should I tell you?"

T-Dog rolled his eyes. "Because I'm your friend."

"You are?" Marianne asked, really confused. That was not what she was expecting. T-Dog started to speak but she cut him off. "Daryl's always been there for me. And then he was almost gone. How do you think I felt? I'm pissed. At Andrea. At the world. At that damn horse. He's the only family I have left."

"That's not true. This group can be your family too. If you'll let us."

Marianne and Glenn were chopping firewood, a task that never seemed to end, and she wondered why they hadn't done this in the early morning while it was still relatively cool outside.

"I kind of accidently told Dale about Lori," Glenn blurted out. Marianne stared at him. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I guess it's a good thing you didn't promise to keep quiet today."

"What are we going to do?" Glenn asked.

"About what? Your inability to lie?" Marianne threw some split wood on the pile.

"No, about you know…"

"We'll do what we can do." She shrugged.

"That was a really unhelpful answer." He swung the axe down, chopping a log in half. "I'm almost sure you did that on purpose."

Marianne held back a laugh. "We'll watch out for her. She'll need something sooner or later and if she doesn't tell Rick then we're the only ones she'll turn to."

"Okay, that was better but still not the kind of answer I was looking for."

"You gotta take what you can get. So what's up between you and Maggie?" Glenn nearly dropped the axe in mid swing and Marianne flinched, almost sorry that she asked but the look on his face was worth it.

He was saved from answering her when Lori walked up but that meant he had to answer for something else.

"I'm sorry. I'm sor—It just came out. And it was Dale."

"It's okay. I never should have put you in that position." Lori looked at them both. "I've been thinking about what you two said, about needing help. And you're right, I do."

"Name it. Yeah." Glenn looked eager to help.

"If you're still willing to make a run into town…"

"I'm your man." Glenn said while Marianne nodded and side stepped to avoid getting hugged by Lori.

Marianne left Glenn to finish chopping the firewood while she searched for Maggie, who she found sweeping the porch.

"Do you have a hunting store in town?"

"There's one down the street from the pharmacy. Are you makin' a run?"

"Glenn and I are headed to town and I wanna see if it has any bows."

"It might. I'll go with you."

She helped Maggie saddle the horses and they all rode side by side with Marianne in the middle.

"I don't think we should split up," Marianne said. "The hunting store first and the pharmacy second?"

"Sounds like a plan," Maggie said.

After that, no one spoke as they rode to town. Although Glenn looked over at Maggie so much Marianne fell back so the two of them were next to each other but by the time they reached the hunting store Glenn still hadn't said anything.

They tied their horses up in the front. Marianne put her forehead against the glass and shielded her eyes so she could get a good look inside.

"Do you know if it's clear?" She checked to see if the door was locked and it wasn't.

"No, I haven't been in there yet."

"Let's see if we have any friends hanging around." She knocked on the window and they waited. Nothing appeared.

They entered the building and her first impression was that the place had been picked over. It wasn't a big store and Marianne walked around, her hope of finding a bow faded. It looked like someone had cleared out all of the guns and most of the other useful merchandise. She came across a small section with arrows and accessories but no bows. However, she managed to find a few hunting knives, complete with their own sheaths. One was the perfect size for Carl.

After making a circuit of the front, Marianne searched the back. The door had been kicked in and it looked even worse than the store itself. One of the shelves had been completely knocked over, creating an avalanche of shoe boxes. At least now they knew where to find a new pair of boots.

Marianne came out of the back.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fischer, Lacey, Duncan." Maggie was heatedly reciting names and Glenn looked upset. Marianne decided to ignore whatever was happening between them. She already had Lori's secret to deal with, she didn't need to get sucked into another soap opera plot line.

"The back is a mess. There are some stale donuts in the break room if anyone's interested."

As a last resort she went behind the checkout counter to look inside some floor cabinets that were up against the wall. The first one she opened had a bag of chips which she gave to Glenn but after that it was only disappointment as she opened each one to find nothing useful. She reached the last one, not holding her breath on finding anything, but when she looked inside she had to remind herself to breath. Right in front of her was a compound bow. She felt a surge of delight and for a second her heart felt lighter.

It was a display model, decked out with add-ons, including a mounted quiver. She picked it up and felt its weight. It was about the same weight and size as her old bow. She put on one of the wrist releases she'd found earlier and drew the string back, careful not to fire without an arrow. It wasn't a perfect match. She'd have to adjust the draw length and weight, and then there was the fact that she'd have to break it in. She'd ask Hershel if she could borrow some hay bales to shoot.

"You found one?" Marianne smiled at Glenn.

"You look like a kid on Christmas morning," Maggie said.

"Well, that's a first for me. Christmas wasn't big in my house growing up."

"Really?" Glenn asked.

"Yep, Santa didn't stop by."

"That's kind of sad," Maggie said.

"Ain't it though?" Marianne finished packing everything she was taking. "I'm done here. Let's head to the pharmacy."

They walked their horses down the road and tied them up again. Marianne kept her bow with her, not having realized until now how much she missed the feel of holding one in her hands. Marianne gave the pharmacy a quick once over when she first entered.

"Why is the party section wiped out? Didn't think there was much to celebrate at the end of the world."

Glenn looked at the shelves. "Oh yeah, that is kind of weird."

"What does she want now?" Maggie didn't sound too pleased.

Lori gave Glenn the list while she was helping Maggie with the horses so she hadn't actually seen it yet.

"I can't say." Glenn said and handed Marianne the list. Her brows furrowed when she read it and she gave it back to him.

"So when one of them asks you to keep your mouth shut—"

Glenn held up the list to Maggie. "Crawl out of my butt and help us look, please."

Maggie looked at the list, then at the two of them and stomped to the back of the pharmacy. "You've got to be kiddin' me."

Marianne wandered around the store. She pocketed a black bandana for Daryl and when she walked by the baby section she grabbed a pacifier, just in case. And anyways, it's not like they needed a screaming baby around alerting walkers to their presence.

"No! No! Glenn!" Maggie screamed. Pill bottles were tumbling to the floor and a walker was growling. Marianne turned on her heel and rushed towards the noise.

"Maggie!" Glenn yelled.

"Glenn, help! Get it off me!"

Marianne nocked an arrow. Shelves were in the way and she couldn't get a clear shot. Glenn was running to Maggie and grabbed a metal shelf. Marianne swiftly moved forward and to the left and fired. In the blink of eye she had another arrow ready in case the first one missed but she lowered her bow. The walker wasn't in sight. Glenn dropped the shelf and was leaping over the counter.

"Did it get you? Did it bite you?" He asked quickly and then hugged Maggie. She began to cry.

Marianne retrieved her arrow. She let Glenn comfort Maggie and searched for the pills herself. By the time she found them Maggie had calmed down. They packed everything and left.

Maggie was silently fuming the entire way back. When they got back to the farm she leapt off her horse and took off with the bag. Marianne and Glenn followed after Maggie, who looked furious.

"Hey! We got your stuff."

"Maggie, hang on, please." Glenn jogged up to her. Maggie was really fast at walking.

"Come on in here." Lori motioned to her tent.

"Why? Nothing to hide. We got your special delivery right here. We got your lotion, got your conditioner." She threw each item to the ground and then the entire brown paper bag. "Next time you want something get it your damn self. We're not your errand boys."

"Honey, I—"

Maggie bent to the ground and picked up a small box. "And here's your abortion pills." She stood up, threw it at Lori's feet and stormed away. Glenn looked apologetically at Lori before going after Maggie.

Lori stood there, shocked into silence. Marianne picked up the stuff and put it all back in the brown paper bag and handed it to her.

"Lori, those pills won't work the way you want them to. If you're plannin' to take them all, it'll give you a hormone swing to rival puberty but it won't…" Marianne sighed and walked away, keeping the pacifier to herself.

She skipped breakfast and left before everyone woke up, heading to the field where Jimmy had helped her set up hay bales yesterday. She had spent the previous evening making adjustments to her bow and now she was ready to shoot.

Marianne was retrieving her arrows for the seventh time when her stomach rumbled a little too loudly and the smell of cooking coming from camp was too enticing to ignore anymore. She pulled her last arrow out of the hay and turned around. She noticed everyone was at the barn having what looked to be an animated conversation.

She started jogging to them and could hear people talking but not the specifically what they were saying. As she got closer it was easier to make out the words.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll," Shane said. So they were talking about Sophia, but why next to the barn?

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." Daryl moved angrily towards Shane.

"I'm just saying what needs to be said. Now, you get a good lead it's in the first forty-eight hours—"

"Shane, stop," Rick said. Marianne finally reached the group.

"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife, she would run in the other direction," Shane shouted.

A fight was breaking out between Daryl and Shane, and this time Marianne wasn't going to intervene, but everyone else did.

"Now let me talk to Hershel," Rick said and Marianne decided to end her confusion.

"Dale, what's goin' on?"

"There are walkers in the barn."

"What?" She looked at the building behind her with alarm. It suddenly didn't look so sturdy anymore.

This felt like a really bad joke. She had to see for herself so she walked up to the barn doors and peered in. Yes, there were definitely walkers in the barn. She blinked and for a second she thought she saw a child but no, it was merely shadows, a trick of the light. She stepped away and focused back on the conversation which had turned into a shouting match between Rick and Shane.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people, sick people. His wife, his stepson," Dale said, taking advantage of the break in shouting to get a word in.

"You knew?" Rick asked.

"Yesterday I talked to Hershel."

"And you waited the night?" Shane asked.

"I thought we could survive one more night. We did," he directed at Shane.

"The man is crazy, Rick. If Hershel thinks those things are alive or no." Shane's voice was starting to get hoarse from yelling.

Rick and Shane were beginning to fight again but suddenly the walkers, driven by their hunger, growled and pushed at the barn doors. The chains rattled ominously and the wood creaked like it wasn't going to hold. Fingers were sticking out from in between the planks. They needed to be killed.

"Stupid bitch."

She turned the corner and saw her brother looking annoyed and angry.

"Daryl, what—" But he was gone. She continued into the stable, concern making her steps slow. Marianne wanted to go after Daryl but knew from the look on his face that there wasn't a whole lot she could do. She stopped when she saw Carol standing there. The woman looked upset. She noticed a saddle on the ground and looked back at Carol.

"He was going to search for Sophia. I told him not to. Is that what you're doing?" Marianne nodded. "You shouldn't either. You're still hurt."

"Barely."

"Does anyone know you're leaving?"

"I was gonna tell Daryl but I couldn't find him." She picked up the saddle, put it back, and selected a different one. She'd be riding the same horse she used to make the run.

"Please don't go."

"I'm leavin' and nothin' you can say will stop me." Marianne sighed at the look on Carol's face. "Fine. I'll be gone an hour, two at the most."

True to her word, Marianne was back in two hours with five squirrels stringed up and hanging from her shoulder. It would've been six but she missed the first one by an inch and nearly lost the arrow.

Carl roped her into playing checkers with him, Beth, and Patricia. She'd never played the game in teams before. They were tied one-to-one and well into their third game when T-Dog and Andrea walked up to the porch.

"Where is everyone?" Andrea asked Glenn, who had been sitting on the porch steps with Maggie.

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn asked. Marianne stood up, abandoning the checkers board, and saw Carol and Daryl walking up too.

"He went off with Hershel. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago," Andrea said. Marianne walked off of the porch and stood next to Maggie, starting to get angry that hours had been wasted not looking for Sophia.

"Yeah you were. What the hell?" Daryl had looked to be in a better mood but not anymore. "Damn it. Isn't anybody takin' this seriously? We got us a damn trail." Daryl turned around. "Oh, here we go."

Shane was coming towards them looking like he was on a mission. He had the bag of guns and Marianne had a good idea of what he wanted to do with them. He began handing them out.

"Look, it was one thing sittin' around here pickin' daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe, but now we know it ain't."

Shane offered a rifle to Glenn, who hesitated before taking it. Maggie told Shane to stop but he didn't and the next gun he gave out was to Marianne. Lori showed up not looking happy about what was happening. Shane tried to give Carl a gun but she stopped him.

"Oh shit," T-Dog said, making everyone turn around. Coming into view was Jimmy, followed by Rick and Hershel, who were each leading a walker with a snare pole. Shane took off running towards them and the group followed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shane yelled.

"Shane, just back off," Rick said.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked.

"You see what they're holding onto?" Shane pointed at the walkers that were struggling to reach the closest human.

"I see who I'm holding onto," Hershel said. He was delusional.

"No man, you don't."

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk," Rick said but Shane wasn't having it and continued his tirade. Marianne agreed with what he was saying but it didn't help that he looked like a madman.

"They're gonna kill all of us!"

"Shane, shut up!" Rick's patience for his friend was gone.

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something." Shane pulled out his gun. "Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" He fired three times at the walker Hershel was holding, hitting it in the chest. Shane continued to make his point by shooting it five more times.

"Why is it still coming?"

"Shane, enough!"

"Yeah, you're right man. That is enough." Shane shot the walker in the head and it dropped to the ground. Hershel fell to his knees in shock. He wasn't the only one. Marianne looked at the faces of several people. What were they expecting? That Shane wouldn't follow through on what he so obviously wanted to do?

"Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone," Shane said and Marianne frowned. "Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough. Rick, it ain't like it was before. Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it."

Shane ran to the barn, grabbed a pick axe and started hitting the lock. Rick was yelling at Hershel to take his snare pole so he could be free to stop Shane but Hershel didn't move. All Rick could do was plead with him to stop but Shane broke the lock and lifted away the plank of wood, which was all that was left holding the doors closed.

The first walker appeared and Marianne took the safety off and raised her gun. Shane was the first to shoot. Bullets started flying and not all of them were hitting their mark. Even so, walkers fell to the ground as fast as they were coming out of the barn.

When everyone thought it was over, a faint growling came from inside the barn. It sounded different, timid if that was possible and not like any walker she'd heard before. It was almost as if…

A child's shoe was the first thing she saw and then there she was. Sophia.

Of course she knew. Deep down, in places she didn't want to go, she knew. The child-sized shadow had been bothering her all day. She had convinced herself that it was an illusion and that her eyes hadn't adjusted yet during the brief time she had looked into the dim barn. And even if there was a child in that barn, it didn't mean it was Sophia.

No one moved, except for Carol who ran towards Sophia before Daryl stopped her. She cried and whimpered her daughter's name. Sophia's clouded eyes spotted the group and she began to take shaky steps forward, stepping over and around the dead walkers.

Marianne couldn't breathe. She couldn't let Sophia be like this. Not for another second. She raised her gun and took aim.

"I'm sorry." Marianne pulled the trigger.