The rest of our road back to Maggie's dad's farm was rather quiet. The girl tried to start a conversation once or twice, but noticing my tension, she decided to leave me be.

Even though I've been with a group of people once since the whole shit started, it broke up a while ago. Some of them died, including my friend Katie, others got separated from the rest during frequent and quite uncoordinated escapes from the biters. I noticed with a startle that I must have been on my own for around four weeks, maybe even longer. Of course, I've met smaller and larger groups of survivors during the time, but I noticed quickly, that I'm way better on my own. I mean, I wasn't any great fighter, ex-military or anything, but when it came to the world we're living in now, it was pretty clear that those who survived were not distinguished by enormous physical strength, but rather a mixture of cleverness, determination and the will to survive.

Now, however, my situation has changed quite drastically. Obviously, there is no way I can be equally fast, quickly reacting to an arising situation and quiet with a baby in my arms. That's why I was feeling nervous — having to join a group of people, who have probably bonded already — not to mention I didn't know the first thing about them. I wasn't naive, and I knew they wouldn't be happy to take me in: two more mouths to feed and just one pair of hands to work wouldn't sound appealing to me if I were in their shoes.

My musing was stopped when I noticed we were driving through a gate opened by Glenn. The surrounding area was clean and nice, and it was quite obvious whoever lived here — simply loved this place. Maggie moved the window down and the male rested one hand on the roof of the car, peering inside. I could see a slightly nervous movement of his throat as he swallowed, and he finally started, gaze fixed on Maggie, "I haven't spoken with them yet. Thought it'd be best to wait for you."

She nodded, not sparing him a single look. I couldn't quite decide whether the invisible tension which suddenly appeared between them was the result of my arrival, or something else. However, one glance was enough to decide that was not my main problem at the moment: a tall, long-legged man was moving in a steady pace toward us, his gaze fixed on the Silverado. I couldn't help but notice how well he was built and how sure his steps were, though he was limping the slightest bit as if he had some sort of injury recently. Hell, if the circumstances were different, I would probably even try to smile flirtatiously. For now, the only reaction I could manage was watching him with my mouth shut in a grim line.

"You found a car?", he asked, coming closer, addressing Glenn.

"Even more," the Asian male said, sighing deeply and pointed at me with his head, "She was in the town when we came."

The male approached the car from my side and opened the door. For some reason, I felt even more insecure than I should. The way his light smirk didn't reach his eyes suddenly made me hold the baby tighter in my arms and his gaze made me feel exposed. To his credit, even if he was surprised by the situation, he remained very calm.

"Deputy Shane Walsh," he never stopped smiling, but I was more than aware of his eyes carefully inspecting both me and the kid. Trying to find an answer in my head, I couldn't help but notice that talking to Maggie was way easier. Luckily for me, Mr. Deputy wasn't really waiting for my response, as he continued, "Care to join me for a walk? I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Am I under arrest?", I asked jokingly and almost winced when I actually heard the words. Well, leave it to me to put my foot in my mouth when meeting new people. By the look on Shane's face, I could have guessed I wasn't the only one who ever tried to use this lame joke. Thankfully, he had mercy and decided not to comment on my idiocy. I swallowed, praying to God I wasn't looking like a rasp tomato, and added, "Maggie told me you have two people, who could use some antibiotics. I happen to have them," the man opened his mouth to say something, but I was faster to add, "But those are antibiotics designed for prescription meds."

"They are powdered", Maggie added from behind us. Shane eyed me and the kid and nodded his agreement.

"Okay, let's go," he said, moving from my side, towards the driver's seat. For a split second, Maggie looked as if she wanted to object, but Glenn's hand gently touched her arm and she just left the seat obediently, sending me an apologetic look.

Shane sat down next to me and started the car. He smiled lightly and looked at me, "So, where are you from?"

"Fayetteville," I said, looking around at the farm. It seemed our trip would be short — I could see a house leaning out from behind low trees. Even though we were quiet for just a moment, it didn't feel like comfortable silence, so I shrugged and added, "But you could say I actually lived in Atlanta, considering my classes and work."

Shane nodded and stopped the car just outside the house. He handed me the keys with a small smirk, letting his finger brush my hand for just a second too long. Then, he opened the door of the car, and he got out, a bit awkwardly pulling his left leg behind him. His behavior was kinda unnerving, and I didn't exactly know what to do with it, so I decided to drop the topic for now. A bit clumsily, I managed to get a good grip on both the meds bag and the baby and got out of the Silverado.

"Accident?" I asked, nodding my head at Shane's leg, when he limped towards me around the car.

"You could say that," Shane shrugged, moving towards the house entrance, still limping slightly, "We went to the local hospital for the equipment to save my friend's son and the place was swarming with walkers. Only I made it back."

"I'm sorry," I murmured, adjusting the baby in my arms. I didn't realize that earlier, because I wasn't really carrying her around, but she was quite heavy.

Shane just shook his head, looking at the tidy stairs in front of us and led me through the white, wooden door. "Just did what I had to do," Then, his eyes fell on the now stirring kid, and he asked, "She yours?"

"Nope. Found her in the car when I was running away. Took her with me, because well, what choice did I have?", I asked, smiling sheepishly. Even if Shane wanted to elaborate, he didn't get the chance, as we entered a small room with closed curtains. There was a young boy with a face so pale it was almost not visible against the clean sheets, a pretty woman with a tired expression and a man, who was curled up in a chair next to the boy's bed. While neither the boy, nor the man took notice, the female's head snapped up almost instantly as she looked at Shane and then moved her gaze to me, her expression becoming suspicious.

"Shane?", the word left her mouth in such a low voice I started wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. The man next to me shuffled on his feet as if he wanted to go and comfort her, which would be quite a natural gesture if he didn't stop himself. Before things took an even more unexpected turn, I decided to step in.

"Umm, hi," I started quietly, trying to not wake up the sleeping kid and the man, who was probably his father, "I'm Victoria."

"Lori," the female said, her eyes moving slowly from me to the kid in my arms and back to Shane, "I'm sorry, but what's going on?"

"She's here to help you," Shane offered, a soft expression on his face. To say I felt weird with this display of affection is like saying nothing. The way he treated other people, me included, and the way he looked at her made me perhaps think of a sweet couple in love.

Well, if the man, who was probably her husband AND Shane's best friend, wasn't sleeping like maybe 8 foot away. What is more, she didn't seem equally invested, but maybe I was wrong — after all, it was the very first time I saw her. Deciding whatever the case might be here it's way too awkward for me to handle at the moment, once again I tried to bring the attention to me. "He's right, I'm Victoria, and I am a med student. I've met Maggie in town and so it happens I have the antibiotics you need. I just need to know the weight and age of your son."

Lori nodded, brushing a hand over her tired face, "Can you consult it with Hershel?"

Ouch, that hurt. But then again — what did she know about me to trust me with her son's life?

I nodded my agreement and was about to ask where we can find that Hershel, but at that moment the man napping in the armchair woke with a terrified gasp and looked at me with wild eyes. Something in his gaze made me want to simultaneously approach and comfort him and take a step back to a safer distance. He wanted to stand up and that was exactly when I noticed there was something wrong with him. A quick glance at his exposed forearm and a patch secured there, an unnaturally pale face and sweat covering his body despite the relatively low temperature in the room told me everything. Without second thought, I moved towards Lori and placed the baby securely in her arms and then walked to the man. "How much did he donate?"

"I don't know, a liter? One and a half? I'm not sure," Lori muttered, coming to stand next to her husband. If she was even half right, we're lucky the guy is still with us, breathing and conscious, but I decided it wasn't exactly the right time to tell them that.

"Okay," I muttered instead and eyed the man, kneeling in front of him. I could see a glint of fear and distrust in his eyes, as he was trying to fully understand the situation. I started slowly, making sure he understood my words, "My name is Victoria. I know Hershel's been taking care of you, but can I please take a look? I am a medicine student and I would like to help you."

He looked at me, his gaze unfocused, and I nodded, smiling slightly, "Good. Now, could you please tell me, what your name is?"

"Rick," he murmured weakly, and I could see it took a lot of effort to keep his attention on me. "What…"

I shook my head vigorously, "No, no talking, Rick," I touched his forehead, "Please save your strength."

"What's going on?" I heard a voice behind us. I looked up, not moving from my position in front of Rick.

"I think he is on the verge of shock," I said, gently lifting the man's eyelid. The mucosa was extremely pale, which told me he had donated far too much blood in too short a time, "How much blood did you take?"

"Way too much," the old man said quietly, not moving from his position next to the door, "But he is one stubborn bastard, and I didn't exactly have a choice."

"Okay." I weighed my options, looking at the barely conscious man in front of me, "Okay."

I stood up, pulling up the sleeve of my blouse with a clumsy movement of my shaking hands. "Do you have any blood collection kits left?"

"Well, I do, but I don't think-", Hershel started, but I stopped him abruptly.

"I am a blood donor, I am not saying we give him as much as he gave, but the standard 400 ml won't be a problem," I said, taking a piece of cloth that I used to tie my hair and tying it around my arm. I saw Hershel open his mouth again, so I interjected "I am o-negative, it's safe."

Now go on with it, before I change my mind.

XXX

A woman, who introduced herself as Patricia, gently took out the needle from my arm and handed me a piece of gauze. I applied some pressure to the place where the cannula was just seconds ago, feeling slightly lightheaded. Considering the amount of food and water I had had access to recently, I was a bit surprised that I hadn't passed out after all, but figured it was a detail that I wouldn't share with the rest. Thankfully, Shane left the room when Patricia came with a basket full of medical supplies. I couldn't exactly say what was wrong, but I really didn't like the tension in the room when he was here.

"Thank you," Lori whispered and her voice startled me a little. She was gently rocking the baby — my baby, I guess? — in her arms. My gaze wandered to Rick, who was now sleeping soundly in the armchair.

"Don't mention it.", I smiled. "Happy I could help."

"So, you've met Glenn and Maggie in town?", she asked, placing the baby gently in a wooden box, padded by Patricia and a young girl — sister Maggie I think — with many layers of soft clothes. To be honest, I was really grateful for that, because holding the baby was becoming inconvenient and a bit ineffective at the same time.

"Yeah," I murmured, getting the bad, that was laying on the floor, a bit forgotten. I rummaged through it and took out two bottles, "I was kinda contemplating my next steps, when they suddenly appeared, both riding horses in the middle of a damn apocalypse. I would probably find the view hilarious back then, if only I wasn't so frightened."

Lori snorted softly with amusement and Patricia, kind of forgotten by both of us, joined the conversation, asking me, "Where is the father?"

Her eyes landed on the baby in the basket as she crouched next to it. I sighed quietly, "No idea. Don't know where her mother is either, as a matter of fact. I found her in the car we drove here. She was in a baby seat, covered with a blanket. How did she get there or how did she survive? Well, your guess is as good as mine. To be honest, I was driving with her for like an hour or two at the very least before she made any noise."

Both females looked at the sleeping infant with a mixture of sadness and maybe a bit of longing. I sighed, getting up, "Okay, do you happen to have any kitchen scale?"

Patricia nodded and got up abruptly, silently motioning for me to follow her. I grabbed both the antibiotics I prepared earlier and almost left, but stopped in my tracks. "Umm, can I leave her here, Lori?"

The female nodded her agreement, smiling slightly, so I followed Patricia to the other room.

XXX

When the antibiotics were distributed between Carl and the big guy, who introduced himself as T-Dog, both Shane and him insisted on me meeting the rest of the group. In the meantime, Maggie came back with Glenn hot on her feet and by the look on her face, I assumed they just had a not particularly nice conversation. When the girl stormed by us, he awkwardly excused himself and left the house, closing the door with a loud crack, earning himself a surprised glance from T-Dog.

All in all, the situation was getting kind of awkward for me. I know it shouldn't be a thing with the doctors, but I don't really like meeting new people. While patients are just business, making new friends isn't exactly the same. Those people will be my company for some period of time, and I was getting nervous. Leave it to me to be stressed out with the introduction evening during a freaking end of the world.

"Before we go, though, I think you should know one thing," Shane started slowly, looking for words, "One of ours, a little girl, got missing. We're looking for her, but the mood is rather poor these days."

I could see T-Dog's head dropping slightly, and I stopped all the questions rising in my head. Well, probably now's not the time to ask them, all things considered. Patricia volunteered to feed the baby and I left the house with Shane and T-Dog next to me. I felt my hands getting a little sweaty and I quickly wiped them on my jeans, which were in such a state that I wasn't quite sure if I had helped myself at all.

I saw a group of people sitting together, chatting and eating. Among all of them I only recognized Glenn, and, well, I didn't really know him as well.

"Guys," Shane started, approaching them. I absentmindedly noticed that even limping a bit, he was moving so fast, I found myself almost jogging next to him to keep up, "This is Vicky. Glenn and Maggie ran on her in the town. She will be joining us for now."

Even if I was slightly surprised by his choice of words, I was definitely more stressed, so I decided to leave the thought for now. I allowed my eyes to wander from one person to another. There was a middle-aged lady with strikingly beautiful eyes and gray hair, a young and really pretty blonde, an older man with a funny cap and a friendly smile, Glenn and a man with a stormy expression on his face and muscular arms, from which I almost had to tear my eyes away.

I felt a sudden blush creep on my face. I was torn between waving and smiling, so I decided to perform a short movement of my hand and a grimace, that was supposed to imitate a smile.

"Victoria, those are Carol, Andrea, Dale and Daryl," Shane motioned his hand, "You already know the rest."

A variety of reactions was visible among the group. While the muscular guy, introduced as Daryl just stared at me without any emotions, the beautiful-eyed woman — Carol — tried to smile, the blonde — Andrea, I think — gave me a half-smile, and the old man, Dale, nodded to me with the same, friendly smile.

"It's-" my voice came out weakly, so I cleared my throat, trying again, "It's my pleasure to meet you all."

"Likewise," Dale said, the smile never leaving his face, "Please sit down, we'll fix you a plate."

Just then I noticed the big pot set over a fire nearby, and I felt a rumbling in my belly. Muttering a quiet 'thank you', I quickly sat down on a free chair and attended the meal. While it was hard to define this stew as a dish from a five-star restaurant, it was definitely the best I had in weeks, so I tried to enjoy the taste of it, instead of just pushing the food into my mouth.

"It's made of a rabbit Daryl caught and some vegetables, courtesy of Hershel and his family," Dale explained, sitting down next to me.

I nodded and smiled at him, "It's excellent."

This statement must have been enough for the old man, as he just smiled and resumed his meal. I mirrored his movement, picking up the spoon and placing some warm food into my mouth.

I also took time to look at my companions. They all seemed to be quiet and contemplative, eating their food with appetite. Carol was pushing her portion around her plate, so my guess was the kid they were looking for was hers, but I didn't have the courage to ask. My eyes wandering further, I've noticed the Daryl guy sitting across from me ate so fast that I wondered when his last meal was. No one else seemed to notice that though, and I could see the pot was already set aside from the fireplace, probably empty. Biting my lower lip, I looked at him once again just in time to see him setting up his plate and getting up from his spot, as he walked away.

I fixed my gaze on my portion and carefully pushed half of it aside, slowly eating the rest. I tried to be as slow as humanly possible and when T-Dog, Andrea and Shane finished their portions, I stood up with my plate and looked around. Daryl was kneeling next to a bike, so I took a long, steadying breath and moved towards him.

Even though he focused on the task at hand, I could see he knew I was moving towards him by the sudden tension of his arms. He looked at me, continuing to tighten some part of the bike, whatever it did. After a brief second I decided it's as much of a welcome I would probably get. Fighting the urge to just turn around and run the hell away, I slowly moved closer, as if I wanted to approach a wild animal, my each movement measured and slow.

"Umm-", I started, suddenly thinking perhaps my brilliant idea wasn't so good at all, "Well, I hope you won't think, uh-", I stopped, feeling a fucking blush creeping all over my face. His impassive gaze wasn't helpful at all, but I tried to regain my composure, "I'm already full, but I figured perhaps you might want some stew? Of course, it's untouched-"

"Don' matter," Daryl said, putting the tool he was using aside and wiping his hands on a cloth which, honestly, looked like it could rather harm than help clean anything, and he took the plate from me, "No one wanted it?"

Feeling utterly stupid, I muttered, "Didn't ask them." and, not knowing what else to say, I just turned around on my heel and walked towards the place, where Carol was doing the dishes, trying to decide if I wasn't better with the biters than I am with people.

XXX

After helping around the camp a bit, I found myself attending a funeral of a man I didn't even know on a spot that definitely wasn't specified for this, carried out by Hershel, who certainly didn't have the authority to hold such ceremonies. My feeling of unreality about these events was deepened by the child who was now trying to get out of my arms, squirming wildly. I tried to look serious, but it was fucking hard with a kicking, impatient baby, who desperately tried to reach for literally anything that seemed to be close enough, so I took a few steps back discreetly, trying not to ruin the moment for the whole group.

A big hand stopped me from bumping into someone by grabbing my arm and I heard a quiet voice behind me, "Where you goin'?"

Looking around, I saw Daryl standing there with his hand clasped around my upper arm. Of course, it had to be him out of all the people here. "Nowhere. She's just so impatient, I don't want to bother everyone with her cooing.", I muttered, slightly adjusting the baby in my arms and turned my head in time to see her trying to grab Daryl's hand. He slowly let go of me, offering his index finger to the girl, his eyes not leaving her face. She clenched her tiny fist on Daryl's finger willingly and while I almost winced at all the dirt on his hand, I didn't have the courage to move, so I stood there awkwardly, like some freaking wall between them.

While the baby was finally still, playing with Daryl's hand, I looked around carefully. The eyes of the inhabitants of Hershel's house were full of tears and the rest had sour expressions. I looked at Shane, who looked a bit grotesque in oversized dungarees, his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. I couldn't quite put the puzzles together, but it hit me that his face was not so much sad as irritated? Embarrassed? It was really weird, considering the fact he was the one who saw the guy as the last one. I mean, I don't know, it just didn't seem to me that he was actually sorry for the loss.

I sighed, as the ceremony came to an end and noticed that Daryl was still behind us, letting the baby play with his fingers. The little one was overjoyed with the opportunity to touch and move them, and literally do whatever she pleased. I smiled at him only to earn myself a glance, as he slowly untangled his fingers from a grasp of the tiny ones. Patricia, Beth, Hershel and Maggie were still standing in front of the stone mound covering Otis' body and I decided to give them some space, so I started walking towards the house.

I wasn't exactly sure where to go. There was the camper which belonged to Dale, Hershel's house, my car and on top of that, I could see Glenn, Rick and Shane start setting up the tents. No one told me where to sleep, so I stopped in my tracks, trying to make a decision. To my great surprise, Daryl was still beside me and stopped as well. "What?", he asked, looking down at me.

I shook my head. "Nothing, I just realized I have no idea where do we sleep."

"Jus' ask Rick. Guess we have some spare tents," he muttered and left without another word.

Yeah, of course, I will just ask Rick.

XXX

After a bit of confusion, it was decided me and the kid will stay in the house, at least until there is a better solution. To be honest, I felt relieved, as I found the silent attitude and stormy gaze of Daryl and Shane's ironic smile a bit unsettling. I was just unpacking the small amount of belongings I've had, getting ready for a much-needed shower, when quiet knocking on the door sounded in the silence.

"Come in," I said, pushing the dirty bag with my stuff under the bed.

The door opened and Maggie appeared in the doorway, holding clean clothes in one hand and a plate of food in the other. "Dad and Patricia already went to bed, so I figured I'll fix you something to eat.", the girl smiled, putting the sandwiches down on a small table, "We figured with Beth her clothes should fit you better, so you can change and wash yours."

"Oh, thanks a lot!", I exclaimed a little more enthusiastically than she apparently expected because her small smile turned into a grin, as she eyed me curiously. "I don't even remember when I had the luxury of wearing fresh clothes and taking a shower in one day!"

Maggie's expression suddenly turned into a much more troubled one. She sat down on the bed, biting her lower lip and looking at me thoughtfully. "I've been meaning to ask you, but-", now her eyes left mine and stared down on the wooden floor, "I didn't have the courage."

I wanted to say something to encourage her, but nothing really worth saying came to my mind, so I sat down next to her in a weak attempt of comforting her. Maggie chuckled breathlessly and started thoughtfully, "You know, we've been here for this whole time. I went from town to town and Otis was hunting. We were good. But today was the first time I saw so many of them. It was-", her voice cracked a bit and I could have seen some unshed tears in her eyes. I reached out and touched her hand, letting her collect herself a bit.

"I know what you mean," I started quietly, "When it all started, I didn't really know what was going on. Honestly, I thought it's some sort of mental disease and there will be a cure soon, but-", I stopped for a second, trying to gather my thoughts, "When my own sister tried to bite me, I didn't wait another minute.", I looked at the girl in front of me, "My point is, you were safe here. But when the time comes, and I'm sorry Maggie, but I think it will come sooner or later, you have to expect the unexpected."

She took a deep, steadying breath and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah," her eyes moved to mine hesitantly, "You know, my dad-"

And she stopped abruptly, as if reminding herself where her loyalties lay. As curious as I was, I decided no to push the matter. I offered her a small smile and asked, changing the subject, "I don't suppose you have any hair conditioner?"

Maggie chuckled, clearly thankful for the lack of pressure. "You will find some in the bathroom. Also, Beth asked me to tell you it'd be her pleasure to stay with the baby for the night."

"Tell her thank you from me. Starting tomorrow, I will take her, but tonight I would really love to sleep a bit with both my eyes closed, you know?", I smiled at Maggie, grabbing my things and moving towards the door. I sighed and added, "I'm really grateful. For taking us in and well, persuading me to come."

She smiled at me once more and patted me on her way out of the room. She stopped abruptly, turning around. "Oh, I totally forgot; did you name her?", noticing my dumb stare, she added, "The baby. It's kinda weird to address her like that."

It was my turn to chuckle as I shook my head. "No, to be honest I was too busy keeping us both alive to think about that. Any suggestions?"

"I'll ask Beth, she'll be thrilled to figure something out.", Maggie offered. I nodded my agreement.

"That'd be great."

XXX

I am so sorry about the formatting - it's been a while since I used this page and I think there were some changes. I'm trying to fix most of the things when I notice them, but if something looks out of place - just let me know.

Other than that, I would love to hear (well, read ;)) your thoughts!