Curative

By Kaimaler

WHOA Laura, WTF woman?! Have you gone off the deep end?! Damn... Well, that didn't seem exactly good, huh? Well, this chapter starts the Glenn-Laura friendship on a different level and also shows you what Laura is becoming to the group. Which is like another runner like Glenn is, but with less risk. And we also see a little more development of Laura and the Voice. :D

Well, we'll just have to wait and see how Laura handles this new, strange person in her head. :P

Now, I figure a lot of you are probably going to skim through this chap, but I promise that it was necessary. It's a little plain, just Laura and Glenn out for a run into town, but it was needed to further both Glenn and Laura's friendship, establish them as a team, and deepen the concern about the voice. xD

Review Replies:

Lorem Tenebrae:

Something's definitely happening to Laura! I wonder what it is... HMMMM ;3
I'm just happy to have someone who thinks so much of me, I try to be a crowd pleaser, but I know sometimes I fall flat. x.x
I like elephants. :D
I hope you find some interest in this chapter, it's mainly what I call a "Development Chapter" which means it is written for the sole purpose of continuity and to build upon certain things, so that in the future, actions and events make more sense. :3

When it came time for Glenn and Laura to leave, she hadn't been expecting to be given a horse to borrow for the ride into town, she thought they were going to take one of the cars or walk, but a horse...

Laura was anxious when she mounted up, it was alien to be on horseback alone, to be in control of the beast beneath her, one that could very easily throw her off again or harm her in some way. This horse, however, wasn't the same one Daryl and Laura rode in the woods, Laura wouldn't get on that horse again if it meant her life.

However, the steed that was chosen for her seemed to do just fine by her.

They were off, Glenn led the way, but they were side by side as they rode into town. Laura loved getting used to riding a horse, the last one that threw her and Daryl off unnerved her, but she knew that animals had personality, some were scared of everything, some were playful, other calm and quiet. It just depended, so she wasn't scared on being on horseback again.

Laura had seen Daryl in the distance before they left, he was sure he would be watching the road they took until he knew they were really gone. She adored his concern for her, but she needed to help around camp and this was how she chose to do it.

"So," She heard Glenn to her side, when she saw his face, he was smirking smugly. "You and Daryl...?"

"What did I tell you about playing with your food..." The Voice droned out, sounding absolutely miserable but it made her mouth water, against her own will. Laura shoved the Voice into the recesses of her mind, forcing it out of her thoughts for now.

Laura chuckled, "You're not the first person to ask me that... Certainly not the last." She shook her head, amused. "What about us interests you so, Glenn?"

"Just... Daryl?" Glenn had a look of disbelief, "I honestly didn't think that guy would ever get a girl. I guessed wrong."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Yeah, you did. I like Daryl an', despite what people may think about him, he ain't that bad. He really does care about people, he just doesn't like them to know he cares... Kinda' like why a hero wears a mask, protect themselves an' those they care about."

Glenn laughed at that, "Daryl's a superhero now? What would that make him... like the Green Arrow or something?"

She grinned at him, "That's a bow, not a crossbow."

"I know, but I can't think of any heroes with a crossbow, so just pretend." He chuckled and Laura shook her head.

"No, nothin' like that. I'm sayin' that he just doesn't like people knowin' he gives a fuck. Which he does, but he'd rather kill you then admit to it." Laura was sure Daryl had a higher chance of stabbing people in the group then saying he cared. Glenn made a face at her before rolling his eyes. "He ain't heartless, just doesn't like people knowin' that."

"Before we left he came up to me," Glenn shuddered, "Said that if you don't come back in one piece, I wouldn't make it to see tomorrow basically."

Laura laughed out loud, "That sounds like him alright."

Glenn rubbed his hand over his throat, "Not good news for me. Let's just stick close and avoid that problem. I'd actually like to not get bitten and make it back to camp without that crossbow pointed at me."

"Fair enough, just don't jump into a herd of walkers an' we'll be fine." Laura giggled, reaching over and whacking his shoulder. "So long as you walk like a walker an' don't make a sound, apparently walkers don't care, play it safe an' we'll make it back to camp whole."

Glenn shrugged, "You don't have to worry about that." He stated, rubbing the spot Laura whacked. "It's the same thing like back in Atlanta right? Just limp around and it'll be fine?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Just don't do anything really... human and, like that walker me and Daryl were watching, nothing will happen. I mean, it looked straight at us both, but because I was between it and Daryl, the walker just left. Until Daryl spoke, then it caught on." She explained, it was definitely an interesting experience.

"That's pretty cool." They were in the town now, Glenn lead her off to the left with a tug of the reins. "So you can bring a walker back, if you're around we can blend in with walkers, and you can just normally hang around with walkers. Rick told me you were a doctor too. You're really handy."

"You say that like I'm a multipurpose wrench!" They both laughed while looking around for walkers, "But I guess... Never really thought like that before. All I can see is very specific things I can do, things that ain't used much so I gotta' find other things to do with my time, to help out."

He pointed to a building ahead of them a little ways, telling her where they were going without interrupting her. "Makes sense, but when we do need them, they can be a lifesaver to have. I don't think anyone else out there can do what you do, just having you around makes me feel a little safer. Knowing that you can do all that stuff. I think that makes you like... a secret weapon, I'd rather have you with us then not, can help us out a lot."

She looked at Glenn, a wide open smile on her face. "Y'know what, you're absolutely right. I keep thinkin' that this... thing I got goin' on, since I was a walker at one time, is actually kind of a burden. Shane wantin' to kill me, the last group I was with tryin' to do the same thing, but this I can be a big help when things go south, can't I?"

He nodded surely to her, "It depends on who you're with, really. I don't agree with Shane or that group you were with, you've done everything but try to drag this group gown. The way I see it, you're a pretty neat person and from how Rick talks about you... I'm happy you're here. Especially right now."

There was a longing sound in her head, "So am I, Dessert." It moaned out, as if waiting for a delicious plate of food, something it desired most. Laura was struggling to keep it quiet.

"Thanks Glenn, it puts my mind at ease to know that there are less who agree with Shane then I thought... I really felt like at least some of y'all would go along with him on that." She had too, after escaping the CDC the only thing that made her feel like they weren't going to drag her off and shoot her in the woods was when T-Dog pulled her away from Shane.

"Nah, I wouldn't worry about that. Between you and me...?" Glenn looked at her, wincing, "I think Shane's kind of went off the deep end. At first, he was real cool to us, helping us out and other survivors. Now?... I don't know, it's like he's not the same guy I met outside of Atlanta." Laura saw Glenn felt like he was admitting a secret to her, something he didn't want to think, but did anyways.

She sighed, "I know exactly what you mean." He gave her a questioning look, "When I got to camp with Rick, he went off to be with Lori an' Carl. I just stood around with a buncha' strangers runnnin' by me, no one said nothin' to me an' I felt out of place. 'Fore long, Shane popped up an' helped me out. Pitched me a tent an' had..." Jacqui. Laura didn't say her name and changed it quickly before Glenn noticed her mistake. "... had one of the people at camp bring me a bedroll. He was real nice to me."

"Yeah, that's the Shane I remember." He grinned, but make a very unsure face. "Did you ever get to talk to him? Like normal I mean. He was really funny, when there wasn't any immediate danger, he would always crack jokes."

"He never made jokes with me, but I got to talk to him one night on night watch top the RV." Another big reason Laura stayed with the group was because of what Shane said to her, it made her feel safer with them. "He told me that Rick's return to the group gave everyone hope. Him, Lori, and Carl thought he was dead an' moved on best they could, but him just comin' back like that? It meant a lot to every person there an' that 'cause me, a young lone woman, survived in the city for so long... Same thing. Rick an' I gave hope to people, it was important too. Shane was extremely nice to me, made me feel better about bein' in a group."

"That's so Shane." Glenn grinned at the memory, "Sounds like him. When things got bad and people were scared, he'd give these speeches. Like, long on the spot speeches that calmed everyone down, made the the group happier to go about daily life. Shane was cool like that, always trying to make people feel better and he did it too, even after people lost their families."

"Just the kinda' guy he was..." Laura and Glenn fell into a comfortable silence, thinking about the old group at the quarry while they continued to keep an eye out around them, just checking for walkers to be safe.

The Voice hummed sarcastically, "He shouldn't be alive right now, after everything. That's the kind of 'man' I see him becoming..." It cackled, "But to be honest, that isn't much of a 'man' so much as a new kind of mignon." Laura couldn't stop it, when the Voice wanted to speak up, it did, it didn't care if Laura cleared her head and did what she could to keep it silent; it just always came back.

Laura looked around, it was definitely not a large town. She could see a few buildings, a clothes store, a pharmacy, a sign that pointed down the main road into the town saying Market, and a small family owned hardware store.

She liked it, very cozy, even with walker lurking in the corners.

They neared the hardware store, both of them dismounted and after Glenn hitched his horse, he looked around for walkers. Laura hitched hers and joined him at the door to into the store. The glass had been cracked, not by walkers, but by a person quite some time ago. There was a section of the glass that was broken and cracked, a hole just large enough to fit a hand through and unlock the door.

It had worked, the door was just barely cracked open. Glenn and Laura entered cautiously, Glenn had his blade out which Laura could not honestly say she knew what kind of blade it was and she had her hatchet at the ready.

She put a hand in front of Glenn, when he looked at her she just winked a nodded ahead. She went first, looking down the isles and behind the counter. When she was satisfied that there were no walkers nearby, she waved him over.

"We're good?" He whispered and Laura patted his shoulder, "I don't see nothin', keep your guard up. I'm gonna' check in the back."

Laura turned and walked away, not giving Glenn enough time to protest. She was already opening the door to the employee's only rooms. It was dark inside, the blinds were down in front of the only window in the room.

She pulled the string and the room lit up.

Laura looked around for walkers, but the only body she found was of a dead walker, obvious by its mouth mainly. The lips and flesh around it were chewed through and it had a hammer hooked into its skull on the left side, which it what finally did it in.

This was an old kill, the died blood was already discolored, multitudes of insects had found the body, and the corpse stunk, but not too bad, the ventilation in the room allowed the corpse to breathe out so there was no build up of the stench.

She scanned through the room. It had no other doors then the one that she entered, there wasn't much back there. It was all cleaned out, the cabinets had been emptied and Laura didn't want to know what was in the fridge. She'd looked in fridges in Atlanta, the food that required refrigeration were all bad and she couldn't describe the milk, it wasn't a liquid anymore.

Without anything of value nor any threats in the backroom, Laura left to return to Glenn, who she could barely hear rustling through tools. He was in one of the middle isles, where a large wall of tools were hung, most of them Laura didn't recognize, she was never into hardware. So she stood by and watched him work.

He took a few things, tossing them into the backpack he had taken off his back and held open. He was shoving tools in before he looked down to the list in the hand that was holding the backpack. He seemed to pause and think for a minute, then scanned down the isle until finding his goal and threw it in with the rest of the tools, it clanged as it hit them.

Laura just leaned on the shelf, not even bothering to help, knowing fine well anything he asked for she wouldn't be able to identify, she'd just end up running back and forth with asking him if she got whatever it was on his list. That would get annoying for him and frustrating for her.

It took a few more minutes diving through isles before they were done with the hardware store. They didn't speak while digging around or on the streets anymore, it would only serve to attract more walkers... If the horses' hooves clip clopping on the road didn't. Horses were quieter then cars, Laura suspected she shouldn't be too ungrateful for the Greene's allowing them to borrow them.

They did this time to, Glenn had gotten permission from Hershel himself. Laura hoped that would be enough this time to not get on Hershel's bad side, considering the last time she rode one of their borrowed horses. He wasn't too thrilled about the ordeal.

Glenn lead her down another street and they dismounted again, hitching their horses to whatever stable object they could and entered another store. It was the market the sign pointed to, it wasn't so far into the town as she thought.

It was darker inside, as the store was deeper. Laura pulled out her flashlight but didn't turn it on yet, waiting until they actually got deep enough to warrant it and cleared the store of walkers, so she wouldn't waste batteries or attract walkers.

She took point, Glenn covered her back as she delved deeper into the cozy town market. It wasn't very large, but it was definitely big enough for the far side to be almost completely pitch black. She had no trouble seeing through it, but Glenn was beginning to squint as they neared the dark.

Stopping, she turned and handed the flashlight to him, he smiled at her, his silent thanks, and flipped it on. She continued, not slowing down in the dark as she cut a clear path through the isles. From the far side of the store, isle one with a wall on their left, they began to check out the other isles, one at a time the same way they started. Laura in front and Glenn watching the back.

They were able to make it to the seventh isle before Laura stopped again, a walker stood lamely in the middle of the isle. Glenn glanced over her shoulder, seeing the decayed walker groaning to itself. She shook her head slightly, showing him she didn't want him to just run up and try to kill it, she'd wait until they got close enough, safely, then dispatch it.

Walking slowly to the walker, it didn't even acknowledge Glenn as he reversed. He didn't turn away from watching their back, in the event that another walker left one of the isles they hadn't checked and decided upon coming after them.

When she neared the walker, she raised her hatchet from her belt and behind her head. It turned to her, groaning still, but made no move for Glenn. Close enough and her hatchet struck the walker in the forehead, piercing deep into the brain. Quickly, she reached forward and put an arm under it's own, holding it up so it didn't fall to the ground in a loud thump, which would attract more walkers.

Carefully, and quietly, she laid the walker down before they moved on. Looking at her arm and part of her shirt, she realized that whoever the walker was before must've bled profusely, because the side of her shirt where she had braced the walker's body against and her arm that she held it with were covered in sticky, old, dried up blood. It wasn't a lot, but enough to where she knew instantly coming back to camp and seeing Daryl would cause him to inspect her for injuries.

She smiled at the thought, Daryl would see the tiniest bit of blood on her and insist on a full inspection. It just sounded like something he'd do.

As they cleared out the rest of the market, Glenn relaxed and began to search the shelves. This wasn't a listed stop, there wasn't anything anyone wanted but rather needed. It was a scavenge for extra food supplies. The farm could sustain them for sometime, but the farm could support four people, the Greene family, easily, but with so many new people at the farm, food was a little stretched thin.

Though they could continue surviving off the farm alone, Rick insisted that they didn't eat so much of the farms' food supplies when they could avoid it. So when Glenn made his run into town with Laura, they would stop off for a quick look around the local market, just to see if they could find anything worth while. It was a smart move, just because they have a stable food source now, doesn't mean that something could happen or that they should take it for granted.

So Glenn and Laura dug around to see what they could find, always remaining within sight of each other, keeping any distance between them clear enough in case of an emergency. For Glenn of course, but they both acknowledged this unspoken rule and heeded it just the same.

There wasn't much, even after scouring the sixteen isles for anything. The frozen food section was filled up though, with ruined food, gone bad from the heat. Glenn avoided the spoiled meats and other foods in that isle, Laura tried to take a look, but ended up just looking at what happens to rotten food after long periods of time. She had never seen a solid food turn into a syrup-like liquid, but she had now.

Shaking her head, she checked down more isles. The best she got was a half crushed box of crackers, all still sealed up though, so they'd be a bit crunchy. There was two small bags of chips that had slid under the shelving units. The rest was molded breads, rotted greens, and the rest was infested by insects. They couldn't save the rest of the food.

Laura didn't know if Glenn found anything, but when they were ready to leave, she shoved what she got into the backpack. She saw a glimpse of other food products in the bag, telling her he had found something at least.

These were only snacks, best saved for a time when fresh food wasn't available.

They left the market, the bag just a tad bit heavier, not as much as they would've liked, but it spared Glenn from carrying anything else excessively heavy. So far the biggest things they got were the tools.

The last stop was on the way out of the town, at the local pharmacy. Someone at camp needed something, but Laura didn't know what and didn't care so long as they got it. Hitching their horses for the last time, they entered the store.

Laura immediately picked up on the stench of the dead and drew up her hatchet, heading straight for the origin of the smell. It got stronger the closer and closer she got to the counter, when she crossed over it, she saw the body of a partially decapitated walker, who died from its skull being cut open. She frowned, this corpse wasn't that old. A day or two at best.

Glenn came up, glancing between Laura and the walker. "It nearly got Maggie." His statement stole her attention, "It grabbed her and I was able to kill it in time before it bit her. She was really shaken up, she'd never been attacked by a walker before."

"You're jealous..." The Voice taunted her, but she managed to ignore it for the most part now.

Laura nodded, putting the hatchet back on her belt. The concern wasn't that there had been a walker in the store, which suggested that walkers could get in somehow, she made a mental note of that, but that it was very obviously killed by human hands and more recently then the one in the backroom of the hardware store. That would've meant people were actually nearby, possibly, but what Glenn said calmed her down a great deal.

She didn't want to run into another group, like the ones she knew or the one that Rick told her about. In actuality, Laura remembered him explaining that they were chased off by a herd of walkers... Where was this herd?

"We need this," Glenn snapped her out of her thoughts, handing her his list. "I already know what's on it so just... take a look around, see what you can find."

Laura read over the list, it was all common stuff, which was probably why the camp needed it. So many people would have to use it over time that eventually the well would run dry and they'd need a run into town.

The first thing that caught her eye was anti-inflammatory, ibuprofen came to her mind first, it was something she always kept in her house. Extremely common, but she realized so many people had been hurt lately that it was bound to be gone by now and, if it wasn't, Laura would be amazed. So she shrugged it off and began searching through the shelves.

Common enough medicine, it wouldn't be over the counter like that. She headed back to a sign that said household medicines and looked around. It didn't take long at all to read the tags on the shelves that listed child medications, aspirins, fever reducers, and finally anti-inflammatories.

There wasn't anything on the shelf, which made Laura frown, annoyed. She sighed and scratched her head, then remembered the chips she found under the shelves at the market. She smiled again and began to look around at her feet, there were a few boxes, unfamiliar items and the like before she saw an aspirin bottle. It was still closed tightly, so she took it and got on her hands and knees, putting her face on the floor as she scanned underneath the shelf.

Sure enough, she could see -rofen on the side of a bottle. "Ah ha!" She reached under it, which was a little difficult because of the tight space and stickiness of the blood on her arm, but once she wiggled her arm through her hand grasped the bottle and she yanked it out.

The last bottle of ibuprofen, possibly the last bottle of any anti-inflammatory in the store. She had to warn Rick about it, it wouldn't stop them from using it as needed, but it would at least make them aware of how little they had, should the need arise for more then the bottle they found.

When she was satisfied with the bottle, she spotted Glenn in the back behind the counter and she licked her lips, she wanted something a little more... selfish.

So she snuck over to the feminine section, a few of the creamiest lotions and body washes were there. She wanted to feel clean again, knowing she'd have to take some kind of wash after this, if nothing else but to clean off the blood. It had soaked through her shirt a little and aside from that, she didn't really sweat, she never feltoverly hot, something she hadn't noticed until now, but she had collected a new level of dirt and grime on her again and wanted it gone.

With a little bit of persistence, she was able to find a bottle of strawberry body wash, green apple shampoo and conditioner, nail clippers and finally a nail file. Her nails looked terrible, she could swear she still saw Shane's skin beneath them and the thought made her a little disgusted with herself.

She had felt that need to survive at all costs again, which is what drove her into clawing him like a walker. She wasn't a walker, she knew that, she wasn't stupid, but there were times when she felt the only difference between her and a walker was that she had some measure of reasoning left, but it would disappear the moment she felt her life was in danger or that someone would bring her harm.

The last thing she wanted was to make herself harder to tell from a walker, by clawing Shane she had done just the opposite. She would keep her nails, if she'd ever need them again, but she wouldn't make a habit of using them. They didn't even really feel like nails anymore, it was like they were so much stronger now, they were talons or claws themselves.

It made her feel inhuman.

She was kneeling on the floor, looking through the supplies on the floor, she caught sight of a cheap box of birth control. She smirked, she supposed she wouldn't need those, without natural body functions as is, her body wasn't fertilized and could never carry. It was actually a comforting thought, she had never wanted children, never saw herself with someone to want them, especially in this world.

Ignoring the other products lying uselessly about, she collected her things and looked back to the counter, seeing Glenn just coming around from behind it, he was smiling at her.

"You find everythin'?" She asked, seeing the backpack in his hands as he was zipping up the front pocket. He nodded, "Everything. It's a good thing this place was so well stocked, not a lot of people were around to loot it, so a bunch of the stuff is still here." He glanced around the store, he was right, a lot of the shelves still had quite a few things left over. Most not useful in an apocalypse unfortunately.

"What've you got there?" He caught sight of her personal items in her hands, she bit her lip. "Umm, just a few things really. Nothin' dire or anythin', just kinda'... wanted a few things. If the bag's full, I don't care, doesn't matter, don't need this stuff anyways..." She was nervous about wanting these feminine products, they were so unnecessary now, but she just wanted something nice.

He shook his head quickly, "Oh no, no no! That wasn't what I was saying." He said defensively and held up the backpack, opening the main compartment. "I was just asking. It's cool if you want that stuff, I'm not complaining. Here, put them in. It's alright." He offered a reassuring grin, a little flustered by her comment.

She smiled at him, stuffing her products in the bag. "Ain't too heavy?"

Glenn raised his chin up, "Not at all! I can carry it easily!" He had a very smug and proud grin on his face as he zipped up the bag and put the straps on his shoulders again, a little thrown by the weight, but otherwise fine.

"Thanks Glenn, it's all just junk anyways. All purely selfish!" She laughed and Glenn waved her off, "Eh, it's perfectly normal and I don't mind carrying, really. I was just asking, curious is all."

They left the store, Laura going first in case of walkers. They weren't too concerned, they hadn't seen many around since they arrived. "Well, I haven't been properly cleaned up in a long while, figurin' I deserve a good scrubbin'. All that stuff I picked up is for that express reason. I feel like bein' clean again an' took the opportunity to get what I need." She gave him a very large smile, flashing her teeth.

He chuckled, "Y'know what, that actually sounds really good right now. I must smell terrible!" Glenn exclaimed, pretending to smell himself and reeling back, gagging.

Laura untied her horse and mounted up. "You don't smell bad to me... course, I don't really know what smells rank an' what don't anymore. Don't really have much of a reaction either way, I mean, I can tell when somethin' don't smell right, but it doesn't bother me."

He looked at her oddly, mounting his own horse. "Seriously? That's actually really cool. It would make running around like this easier, I've come across some bad, and I mean bad smells before. Mostly from the geeks."

"I'm sure, most of 'em have odor's that could kill a person an' they wouldn't even have to touch a thing! Like I said, I know a bad smell from a good one! We came across this walker once that smelled so disgustin', one of the people in my group just returned all the food he'd eaten in the last two fuckin' days, I swear! An' he was the big guy, he usually could take bad smells the others couldn't. It was just that bad." Laura cringed, she didn't smell anything too bad, but it was hilarious watching them all get sick from it.

That story made Glenn laugh a little, "That must've been bad."

She nodded absently again, "Yeah, it really was..."

They pulled the horses away from the pharmacy and ended their run into town. It wasn't exactly the most fruitful she'd ever been on, then again, she didn't actually know what they'd come for. Their first stop was the hardware store, Glenn had a list for it, which told her that he had gone there for specifics and not just because they could.

Logic and sense told her that this had something to do with the cars, that machine she was unfamiliar with that Hershel had, or something to do with the house. She didn't know and wasn't too interested either, they got what they came for and were heading home now.

"Did you like them?"

Another out of the blue question, they were happening to her a lot lately. Laura smiled at him. "The group I was with before y'all?" She got confirmation when he nodded at her. "Yeah, I like 'em."

"The same way as someone likes a fine wine..." The Voice spotted in there, she could practically hear lips smacking in her ear. It made goosebumps rise on her arms.

"But they tried to kill you." He commented, she assumed word got around quickly. She'd only told Rick and Daryl about that in extensive detail. She made passing mention of them to the group after leaving the CDC, directly after Shane cracked her over the head with the butt of his shotgun that is. If Rick or Daryl didn't say anything, Glenn probably just put two and two together. Which ever way, Laura didn't care in the slightest.

"Yeah, but look at me Glenn. It ain't hard to see why." She held her arms out to the side in a really? gesture. He shot her a very amused look. "I don't blame 'em. Hell, I'm sure if I was in their shoes, I woulda' done the same! It's all good, if we ever cross paths in the future... Well, I can only hope they don't try to kill me again, but I understand. Y'all live in a world where everyday is life threatening an' you may or may not see it comin'. So there ain't a problem with 'em gettin' all worked up about me."

"I can see that," He was talking about her appearance, but didn't want to say it out loud. "Just thought you might, I don't know, be a little mad or something? Betrayal and things like that. I would, even if I did get it, I'd still be pretty mad."

"Maybe I should be, but I can't find it within myself to be mad at any of 'em." She shrugged, it was the truth. She didn't know what it was like to live in this world as a survivor like them, she could only guess and help when she could, but it never really felt like enough. "I kinda' hope I do get to see 'em again, even if they wanna' kill me still, thinkin' I'm a threat. I want 'em to know I'm alright, that I'm alive an' well. Livin' with you guys has been great, ups an' downs, but whatever."

"It's cool having a geek on our side." He snickered as she gave him a pointed look, trying to hide her smile. She wondered if he really thought of her as a walker, but his grin and his inability to stop himself from laughing told her he was just making a little joke. Being called a walker was insulting, but having fun and joking about having been a walker is something else entirely. She quickly fell into laughter with him. "It's amazing you can be so calm about it all too, you were a geek and now you're not. Here you are, acting like it's nothing. I'd have freaked."

"Because she still is in her own way..." It chastised Glenn, even though it knew he couldn't hear it. Laura shook her head slightly, thankful that Glenn didn't see it.

"I did to, trust me." She let out a playful sigh of exasperation. "I remember bein' a walker, when I woke up I couldn't even fuckin' read anythin' I looked at. Couldn't identify a damn cup. It was really sad." She chuckled, "But I don't care, I was brought back to life an' I think I can deal with that."

"Yeah! That's what I keep thinking. There was a lot of talk about you when you first explained to us all about your dad and... stuff." He mentioned her father and what he had done quite awkwardly, like it was offensive. She just smiled through it, it was normal to be hesitant to talk to someone about their trouble pasts, which is mainly why she didn't ever ask people where their families or friends are. She knew the answer for most of them at least. "Everyone kinda' agreed that you obviously aren't that bad. Otherwise... well, y'know-" He made that biting motion again, it made Laura giggle making him grin at her amusement. "And I never had a problem with it. I saw you in Atlanta when Andrea was with me, you didn't do anything that they were talking about, like what Shane said. You helped us, got us out of a bad place and never even tried to, well, do geek things, so I don't think you'd do it now."

Laura snapped her fingers, "See! That's what I tried to tell Shane! I look back now, after he accused me of eatin' Sophia an' tryin' to eat Daryl, he said that I had plenty of opportunities an' stuff, so I got to thinkin'. I have! I've been alone with so many of you an' look! Y'all are still here! I met you for the first time in Atlanta, you an' Andrea, but I didn't do nothin' to y'all! The thought never even crossed... okay, it kinda' did, but I never did nothin' an' I wouldn't!"

Glenn frowned, "Wait- what? You did? You thought about it?"

"She most certainly did! I wanted nothing more then to taste you, I'm sure you are just as good as the blond one. She would make a good meal to end the day... Always so feisty, I'm not sure if I prefer my dinner to roll over and die or to stand up and fight..." It took a moment, humming thoughtfully to itself. "Perhaps I should find out." It's deep growl, the hissing sound. Laura hated it, she didn't want it to sound like that, she preferred it when it barely ever spoke.

Laura froze up and shook her head, smiling. "Not like that. I had bad experiences with people in the past, that group that tried to kill me an'... an' another group that weren't so good to me." Her smiled faded into a concentrated expression, "I wasn't thinkin' about eatin' y'all. I was thinkin' about ignorin' y'all an' lettin' the walkers get ya. Not 'cause I wanted 'em to, but 'cause I was kinda' scared of people. I had too many people tryin' to hurt me or kill me 'cause I am the way I am, just thought y'all would do the same. I was in a real bad place then, but I still chose to help. I felt horrible for thinkin' it too, 'specially after you were so nice to me afterwards, offerin' to bring me to the group an' all."

He didn't say anything for a few minutes, just looked a little off in his own world. Laura wasn't trying to say she wanted them to be eaten when she first saw them, she didn't want that at all. That's why she stepped in, because she knew what pain felt like, from the smallest things like a paper cut to being dissected and having her muscle and sinew being poked, prodded and cut apart. She didn't want Glenn and Andrea, even though they were complete strangers at the time, to feel even the tiniest fraction of that pain.

Glenn didn't get deep and thoughtful very often, but he is very decisive and straight forward. He has a goal and he reaches it regardless of obstacles, he remembered having to face Maggie after telling people about the walkers in the barn. She'd hated him for the longest time, but what he said he had meant and it won her back.

He had a bounty of confidence after that, Maggie forgave him instantly because he was being so honest and he knew he was right, she knew it too, and in the end it worked out fine. Even Hershel approved of their relationship now, he felt like he had accomplished something, jumped a hurdle most don't even make it to, not anymore at least.

Here, riding next to him, was the newest addition to their group, his newest friend. They had never spoken a great deal, but not because they didn't want to, but because they never really found time to. They had so many other things weighing on them and Glenn wasn't exactly the hunter's best friend, Glenn may actually like Daryl, but they weren't exchanging life stories anytime soon.

So he spent most of his time just spotting them around camp, he wasn't looking for them really, but he noticed everyone that came and went, it just came with the territory of being in an apocalypse. He always knew who was around him, what they were doing in relation to what he was doing, it was a kind of paranoia that he readily accepted and used to his advantage.

Worked for a very long time and was still working today.

"You came across two groups?" Glenn didn't hear about this one, the one she found herself stuck with in the dark room.

Laura sighed, a little tired of saying this. Not aggravated at him for asking, it was hard enough saying it to the others she knew best like Rick and Daryl, she had only told Rick because she told him back when they were leaving Atlanta that she would and Andrea could sympathize with her, she seemed like a very caring woman to Laura. "Yes, I was with my father, I escaped him, then I was... found by another group, before the one that tried to kill me. The one I liked... This other group, they weren't good people in the slightest."

Glenn nodded, "How did you... survive them, if they were that bad?"

"I don't really know. I was tied up most of the time, I was... in bad shape too. It just happened one day, I heard 'em talkin' about a horde of walkers headin' down a street nearby, that they needed to keep it down to not get overrun. So I planned to get up an' away, long enough to find this horde anyways." Laura knew it was the Voice, it had a personality but she didn't want to admit it, to herself or to anyone else and this personality was not friendly. "I was able to get one of their guns, I got out of the buildin' an' dove into the horde. One of 'em got eaten, the others got away. May still be in Atlanta for all I know, but I don't really care. They ain't here an' they ain't hurtin' y'all, so I'm good."

It laughed, it actually laughed at her. "I saved you, I've always looked out for you, dearest. Do you think I'd really leave you? I want nothing more then to help you along, satisfy your every need, food is the most important form of nurture. At that time though, food was secondary and your survival was imperative. I do hope you stop fooling around with these morsels before you find yourself in a similar situation. It'd be a shame to waste all this good food." The Voice spoke of the group, her friends, like fruit that would go uneaten and rotted on the table. Laura couldn't stand the imagery, it made her head spin.

He got that, accepted it as fact even without the violent details. Glenn was a kid, relatively new to the harshness of the world around him, but he had seen plenty in his time running around the city, he didn't know much about other groups, but he knew enough about what happened when someone didn't move fast enough. "So, you came to help us... Why?"

"I was never a really social person before all this, in fact, I spent my time avoidin' social interaction. Didn't like it, people made me nervous." She rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassingly. "But even after all those things, I don't think I can just let someone die. I didn't know y'all, I know nothin' about you, who you were, if you were a good person or not... The not knowin' made me feel like I had no choice, I had to help in anyway I could. I just had to. If I didn't... I don't think I could continue on knowin' that I was responsible for someones death, someone that could've had a family or friends waitin' for them. So I helped, that's all there is to it. I couldn't stand by an' let 'em get y'all, it was like murderin' someone myself, no better at least."

Glenn smiled at her, "That's good, you were in the right place at the right time. We really did need help. I heard geeks getting close, but I didn't know how many and couldn't go out on the road to see. Too dangerous, I make a point to never go out in the streets, there is always too many geeks walking around. I'm really happy you showed up when you did, holding the geeks back like you did, it gave us the head start we needed."

"Then I did what I set out to do. I had no ulterior motives, I just wanted to help people an' I guess I succeeded, 'cause you an' Andrea are here now. Sophia's back too." Laura couldn't recall a happier moment in her life then when Sophia woke up in that barn, unless she counted when Carol saw Sophia alive again, cured. The best moments in her life. "I suppose I am doin' some good around here."

"Don't doubt it! No one could've brought her back like that. We all thought that when Sophia came out of the barn as a geek. Well, we all just gave up, even after you offered to try and cure her. None of us really thought it was possible, but I kinda' thought you could. You came back right? So I thought that maybe Sophia could too and be just like you, not having to run from geeks anymore." Glenn entertained the idea of Sophia's return to the group many times before they found her in the barn, everyone did, but when they saw her as a walker and Laura wanted to try and cure her... Most of the group didn't hope for a second that it would work.

No one wanted to get their hopes up again, only to be crushed. Sophia being turned was hard enough, but if Laura's cure didn't work... It would only make things worse, he was sure people would be mad with Laura, maybe even blame her for it not working. Glenn knew better, but it didn't stop him from knowing that he would feel disappointed in Laura had Sophia not come back.

He would never tell Laura that, he suspected she might know it about the entire group, but it would be like sticking a knife in, then slowly twisting it. Especially for Carol, she was decimated after seeing Sophia like that.

"I still can't believe Shane accused you of eating Sophia." Glenn made a disgusted face, shuddering at the horrific thought. "When he said that all I could think about was not hurling. I'm glad you didn't..." He smirked for a moment, then shot her a worried look. "I mean, not that I thought... or think that you would! I never ever-"

"It's alright Glenn, I understand." She gave him a reassuring smile, "I've talked to people around camp, like you said that same day Shane said I tried to eat Daryl when we were out in the woods. I know you don't think that, but even if you did, at any given point in time, I completely an' perfectly understand. I have a strange story an' I'm kinda' weird too. Look the part now, huh? But I don't care that much anymore. I love this group, like a big family in it's own way."

"Don't lie to yourself, little girl, adult man, pregnant woman... All fair game." Laura felt sick, she hadn't had an issue with exhaustion or illness since she was revived, but this was too much. "If only I had found that girl first... It's like veal, you have to take good care of it, treat it well, and eventually you'll have yourself a fantastic supper."

Shut up! Laura panicked, the idea... the thought... of Sophia! Unbearable, detestable, Laura's mind raced to find some way to lock down the Voice, force it to end its torture.

It stopped, for now, but Laura feared when it would speak up again.

"That's great then, just stick with us. I think this group will make it, I don't know how, but I really think we can." The conversation ended on that higher note, it was optimistic and made them both feel better about being in this world, the dangers they faced.

Yet it almost felt like they were stopping while they were ahead, choosing not to say anymore out of dread that they'd talk about something that would ruin their high spirits.

It was a taunting in the back of their minds, but they ignored it. The day was too nice, they were going to make it back from their run safe and sound. No events, no dangers, no one else and nothing else. They enjoyed it while they could, things were bound to go wrong again. This high they were in was temporary and while they both knew it, acknowledged it within their own heads, they didn't feel like it was worth mentioning. Only so many days in a year, only so long to live, both of them were satisfied enjoying the little things.

"You can't be rid of me." It chimed in, "I'm here for good, to stay with you until our dying breath. I do not intend that to be anytime soon, naturally."

I just want you to stop. They're my friends and I don't even know why I'm talking to you! You're some part of my brain that got fucked up in the experiments or trauma talking to me. You're not real. Laura scolded, the Voice was becoming so much more ruthless, she couldn't stand the constant sound of it in her ear, in her head.

"I told you once, all I'm here to do is watch over you. Showing you the bad from the good is my way of making sure you understand that, making you see that I am not here to hurt you or them, but to protect you, even if it means against yourself!" It emphasized, sounding more and more like a mother dealing with an unruly child. "Listen to me and listen close, this will all end one day. Perhaps not tomorrow, the day after, or the months after this, but wouldn't you rather it be over now, spare yourself the pain of later? When it will be so much worse?"

Laura glared into nothingness, I would rather you stop all this, stop talking about them like that, they aren't going to kill me just because I was a walker. They've made that perfectly clear.

"Maybe not because of that, sure." The Voice groaned, "What happens when you finally give in, when you actually do sink your teeth into someone? What happens when they find out you have?"

Her mind reeled back. I haven't! I've never done that to anyone! What are you trying to say...? The Voice was grinning in her head, it was amused by her, but it only served to make Laura more frustrated. What do you mean? I have done no such thing!

"It doesn't take much to convince them you have though, would it? Just a little nip here or there, maybe by accident, maybe not even by you..." It offered these scenarios, none of the suggestions Laura appreciated. "Just one bite... that's all it takes. They'll put a gun to your head and not even give you a chance to defend yourself."

That's not true, they would ask, discuss, do something before condemning me just because I could bite someone. I can do it right now, but they wouldn't kill me if I did. Laura insisted, arguing with the Voice got her no where. Besides, I wouldn't do that anyways. I'm not a walker and I like them, I wouldn't.

"We'll see how long you can resist..."

Laura was unnerved, the Voice was beginning to become louder in her head, but she wasn't afraid of the Voice so much as she was of actually having a voice in her head. She didn't want to go crazy, she still knew that it couldn't be there, that it was impossible, but she still humored it. She couldn't say why she did, but she felt compelled to talk to it.

She hoped it would stop soon, she didn't like it very much and it proved that, in the past, it could make her dangerous. Putting a gun to that man's head, Laura would never do that, she stayed and listened to his screams as they walkers ate him alive. The Voice wasn't just a sound in her head, it moved her to do things and that made Laura nervous, more then anything else.

While she rode back to camp with Glenn, she wanted to keep her mind on him and what they talked about. He was a good friend too, she couldn't believe she had so many people that cared about her now after she spent her life alone for the most part and would refuse all company when she had the chance to.

But the Voice, it just kept clawing its way back into the forefront of her mind... It made her angry and frightened, she didn't want to be seen as weak, even to this Voice in her head, but she knew the Voice knew all her thoughts and fears. It was no use trying to hide them, she'd end up making herself look like a fool.

She felt like one just because she replied to the Voice, she should've ignored it, let it ramble to itself. It was just so damn distracting. She couldn't hear anything over it when it wanted to speak with her.

And what was this resistance thing it spoke of? Laura didn't feel the need to resist anything, much less eating someone. She had no desire to, no need to. It wasn't like she was fighting anything.

So what was happening to her?