Chapter 8-King County
Beth's P.O.V
Beth opened her eyes and looked around the mattress. She saw that Daryl was no longer laying beside her. She looks out the window and sees that it was still early in the morning, no later than 6:00 Am. She stands up and grabs her gun and walks down the stairs and outside. She sees Maggie standing by the watch tower. She walks up to her sister and sees Glenn and Daryl picking up bodies and throwing them into a pile. "How long have they been doing this?" Beth asks her sister.
"Daryl came out here two hours ago and started to drag the bodies, Glenn started helping him," Maggie answers. "Came out for watch around midnight. Saw you and Daryl."
"There is no me and Daryl. He hasn't been sleeping so I went out there to make sure he laid down, and he pulled my mattress, and we went to sleep," Beth says as Daryl grabs the Governor's body. Glenn helps him and they throw the body on the top of the pile.
"Maggie bring down a gas can," Glenn tells his wife who nods as she walks away and Beth walks down to the two men.
"Did you sleep at all?" Beth asks Daryl who nods.
"Yeah, got a couple of hours," Daryl answers as Maggie comes down with the gas can and hands it to Daryl who starts to pour it on the bodies. After he sets the gas can down and pulls out a match. "You want the honors?" Daryl asks Beth.
"Nope, your turn," Beth says and Daryl smiles as he lights the match and throws it on the bodies. The pile goes up in flame as they stare at the bodies.
Shane's P.O.V
11 months ago
Shane sat by a fire. He looked around where they were, Shane had taken the group to the quarry for the night. Shane looked over at Blake's group as they ate. Octavia stood up and walked over to him and held out a bowl of food. "You need to eat," Octavia says.
"Thanks," Shane says as he takes the bowl.
"How'd you know about this place?" Octavia asks.
"I was here for the first three months with my group," Shane says as he points at the red mustang. "We left that here."
"What happened to your group?" Octavia asks.
"Something happened, I got separated from them. I don't even know if they are alive," Shane says. "You guys gonna ditch me tomorrow?"
"Even if I wanted to, Blake wouldn't let me. She is a stubborn child."
"I know," Shane says. "Thanks for the food," Octavia nods as she walks back over to the others.
Rick's P.O.V
Rick ate beside Clarke and Carl as they ate breakfast. "So now we leave for Sherwitt?" Theo asks.
"Not yet," Rick says, and the group looks at him. "I have another stop."
"Where?" Michonne asks.
"King County," Rick answers and Michonne nods.
"Morgan?" Michonne asks and Rick nods.
"Who's Morgan?" Oliver asks.
"I was a cop before the turn. I was shot and I went into a coma, I didn't wait up until after the world had ended. Morgan found me, saved my life, showed me to how to deal with walkers. I left him and his son, Daune in King County and a couple months ago, Michonne, Carl and I went back for some guns, we found Morgan, he tried to kill us, his son had been killed and he was...unstable. We got the guns, and we left him there."
"Now you wanna go back? How do we know he won't try and kill you again?" Octavia asks.
"We don't, but I owe Morgan my life. I can't leave until I ask him if he wants to join us. He had a lot of supplies, guns, food, medicine. We all have to agree," Rick says to the group.
"Might as well, supplies, might get another fighter, can't hurt, Sherwitt isn't going anywhere," Daryl says. "We should go," Rick looks around at the group and they slowly nod.
"Alright, we leave in an hour, make sure you have everything."
Daryl's P.O.V
Daryl walks down to the graveyard and looks at his brother's grave. "I wonder what you would say about all this. Probably call me a pussy, you getting handcuffed to that pipe was the best thing to ever happen to me, it finally gave me a chance to become my own person, to become a better man. These people, they're my family and I would gladly die for each of 'em. Thing is I don't know if they'd be here if it wasn't for you, so thank you, Merle. For giving your life for my family, for our family. Goodbye, brother," Daryl says before he walks up to the rest of the group.
"Ready to go?" Rick asks Daryl who nods as he climbs on Merle's bike. Beth climbs on behind him and they leave the prison.
Clarke's P.O.V
Rick, Clarke, Carl, Judith and Theo sat in the truck as Rick drove down the road following, Daryl. "Does he know where he is going?" Theo asks.
"Yeah, I gave him a map," Rick says.
"How'd you get shot?" Clarke asks Rick.
"We were two there were two suspects in a car, we threw spike strips on the road and the car crashed. We took out the first two suspects, one got me in the chest, but my vest caught it. We thought that was it, but there was a third man, he climbed out of the car and got shot me in the side. I woke up three months later in a hospital and that is when I met Morgan," Rick tells them.
"You came back to find Shane sleeping with your wife," Clarke says, and Rick looks at her. "He told us everything," Rick nods as they see the sign to King County. "Here we go."
Rick's P.O.V
Rick stops the truck and climbs out and looks at Daryl as he climbs off the bike with Beth. "So what's the plan here, Rick?" Abraham asks.
"Daryl, Beth, Maggie, Glenn, Shane, Clarke, Octavia, Rosita, Carl, Blake, Michonne, and I will head in. The rest of you stay by the cars, we'll send someone back when it's safe to drive them into town," Abraham nods as they walk away. Daryl and Rick walked in the front.
"What should we be expecting, Rick?" Shane asks.
"Traps, watch where you step and watch the roofs," Rick says. "If he's still here, that is where he will be," Rick says as they round the corner and see all of Morgan's traps.
"This is a bad idea," Octavia says as they continue to walk forward.
"Rick, what building was he in?" Shane asks.
"That one," Rick says as he looks at the building. "Carl, and Michonne come with me, the rest of you stay down here," The others nod as Rick, Carl, and Shane walk into the building. They walk up the stairs and stop when they see the apartment. "Shit," Rick says as he walks into the apartment, parts of it were black from a fire.
"No body, it means he got out," Carl says as he looks around. "Most of these supplies are destroyed."
"We'll grab what we can," Michonne says as Rick looks around. "I'll get the others," Rick nods as he stares at the apartment. Fifteen minutes later, he hears Michonne. "Rick, everybody is down here." Michonne says and Rick nods as he goes down the stairs.
"We'll search the town, get whatever supplies we can and stay here tonight, tomorrow we'll leave for Sherwitt," Rick says and they nod.
"Rick, I'm going to head to my house, you remember Luke?" Shane asks Rick who nods.
"Drunk Luke, what about him?" Rick asks.
"One of those survival nuts, going to check his house and some of the houses around it."
"Alright," Rick says. "Octavia, Maggie, Glenn, Daryl and Beth go with Shane. Clarke, Oliver, Sasha, Michonne, Carl and I will take the hospital. Abraham, Rosita, Theo, Blake, Tara, Tyreese, and Eugene, take these buildings and the surrounding ones," Rick tells everybody who nods. "Shane, stay where you are when you're done, we'll camp there, tonight, everybody else, meet back here in four hours," Everybody nods as they head for cars.
Shane's P.O.V
11 months ago
The morning sun rose in the air as Shane stared at the graveyard they had made. "Your people?" Oliver asks as he walks up behind him.
"Yeah," Shane says. "First time we lost people, most of them were good people."
"Most?" Oliver asks.
"A man named, Ed. Beat his wife," Shane says. "Gave him a beating the day before he died," Shane says. "This was the beginning of the end for me."
"Blake says you were brought into the hospital with a stab wound," Oliver says. "Where's the person who did that?"
"I don't know," Shane says. "But I wanna find out, so I can make up to him."
"He stabbed you, what do you have to make up for?"
"There is a a lot about that you don't know," Shane says before he walks back down the hill and Oliver follows.
Rick's P.O.V
Rick walked up the stairs to the hospital with the others behind him. "So this is where you woke up?" Clarke asks Rick who nods.
"Search this floor. I have only searched this floor, it's clear, we'll stay here and get what supplies we can," Rick tells the others who nod. Rick and Clarke walk to one of the supply closets and open the door.
"Still has must of the medicine, this will be good, Octavia can start up an infirmary when we settle."
"What did you do before the turn?" Rick asks her.
"I was a teacher," She answers. "High school. I know not as exciting as being a cop."
"Probably gave you more headaches," Rick says as he puts medicine in his bag. "Where?"
"Atlanta," She answers.
"I always preferred smaller towns."
"I probably would have to," Clarke says as she closes her bags. "Let's go."
Rick nods as he follows her.
Shane's P.O.V
Shane stopped his car in front of his house and climbed out of the car followed by the others. "So where is this guy's house?" Glenn asks.
"Right there," Shane says as he points at the house across from his. "He caused our department plenty of problems," Shane says as he walks towards the house.
"We had one of these," Daryl says. "Crazy son of a bitch was—" Daryl is cut off by a gunshot and a bullet going through his shoulder. He falls on his back groaning.
"Daryl," Glenn says as Shane and Octavia aim their guns at the house and begins to fire.
"Get him behind the car!" Shane shouts and Glenn and Beth nod as they grab Daryl and drag him behind the car. Shane and Octavia get in cover as they are shot at.
"Shane, keep him distracted," Beth says as she moves around the car.
"Beth," Maggie hisses.
"I'll be fine," She says as Shane and Octavia reload their guns and continue to shoot. Beth moves around the car until she reaches the kitchen window. She opens the window and climbs inside. She moves to the stairs and slowly goes up the stairs. She stops by a room and sees a man shooting out the window. She removes her gun. "Put the gun down and turn around," Beth growls and the man stops shooting. He turns around and looks at Beth. He raises his gun once again and Beth shoots him in the chest. He falls to the ground as blood starts to form on his shirt. Beth walks up to him.
"Thank you," He says as Beth raises her gun and shoots him in the head. Beth walks down the stairs and outside.
"He's dead," Beth says as she walks down the stairs and over to the car. "You okay?"
"Yeah, went through. Shane, I seem to get injured around you a lot," Daryl says.
"Get him inside my house, Octavia and I will check Luke's house."
They nod as they take Daryl inside.
Night
The group sat around Shane's living room as they ate. "Tomorrow, we head for Shirewilt" Rick says. "It will take us probably two days to get there."
"What do we do if we get there and Noah's family…is dead?" Maggie asks while look at the young man.
"I don't know, if they are and the community isn't in to bad of a shape, we'll rebuild it," Rick says. "So, get some sleep," Rick says as he stands up and walks into the guest room where Daryl was laying on the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Daryl says. "I can still do what I need to."
"Are you sure? We can figure something out."
"I'm fine man, it's just a flesh wound. Get some sleep," Rick nods as he pats Daryl's shoulder and walks away.
Thanks for reading. Next chapter will have a small time skip as the group arrives at Shirewilt and meet some new people as they inspect the community. There will not be any uploads next week. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.