NICOLETTE

After what happened at the CDC, they had been travelling for hours, trying to get as much away from the city as they could. As the landscape changed in front of her, Nicolette couldn't help but think about Jenner. The desperation in his eyes; desperation for having lose his wife, for not being able to make the difference. Realizing that they would have probably had live like that forever. She noticed a walker as Daryl kept driving. He was just walking around looking for something to kill. She knew that wasn't a safe world anymore and if there was something she had learned that day was that she didn't want to die afraid, feeling miserable. She simply didn't want to die.

Jacqui's image came back to her mind. She didn't want to end up like Jim and Amy, she said already giving up. Nicolette clenched her jaw remembering all of them and how fast they had been taken away from them. Her gaze fell on Sarah who had fallen asleep few moments before as Daryl drove silently. They could all die any minute, but that thought only made her realize that she wanted to keep living. She didn't want to end up like Jacqui or Jenner.

"We should stop" Rick's voice made Nicki lean over to listen closely as Sarah woke up a bit startled.

"What is it?" she asked looking around.

"Just Rick talking" answered Nicki calmly then looking at the radio.

"We need to find some food, copy"

He was right. They were lucky they still got weapons. Soon they would be hungry and it wasn't easy to search for food in the dark. And they were still away from the woods, so Daryl couldn't hunt.

"Where? Copy" Shane's voice came from the radio.

"About two miles" said Glenn that was surely looking at the map, like he had been doing since they had left the quarry "There are smaller roads there, some shops, maybe some food" there were some moments of silence before he spoke again "Oh yeah... copy" his uncertainty made Nicki smile a little.

"Hope we'll find some food" said Sarah after taking a breath.

"We ain't doin' anythin'" Daryl almost growled "You stay in tha car" Sarah scoffed with raised brows.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and my sister" she argued. Nicki noticed Daryl looking her sister for a moment before turning to the road.

"Whatever" Sarah's expression was of pure disbelief.

Nicki frowned a bit looking at the scene. Sarah wasn't someone to lose her temper immediately.

"Are you saying that I can't?" Sarah insisted turning her full body at him "Daryl" she insisted when he didn't answer.

"Am sayin' don't be stupid" he spatted. Nicki's mouth opened as Sarah's face become paler and eyes wider in anger.

"I want to get off" Sarah said stiffening her posture.

"What?" he asked frowning.

"Stop this car, I want to get off of here" she said as she went to grab the microphone of the radio, when Daryl went to stop her, grabbing her wrist. But Sarah pushed his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" she said.

"Stop actin' crazy, girl!" he argued back.

"Stupid and crazy?"

As they kept arguing Nicki's frown just deepened looking from one to another. She had never seen her sister losing her temper like that. Sarah was usually calm, funny and understanding.

They suddenly stopped just in time to not hit the RV in front of them. Nicki yelped as she brought her hands up to stop herself from crushing against the sits in front of her with her head.

"Nicolette, get out" Sarah said opening the door. Nicki was still confused from the few moments before when she heard Daryl speak.

"Hey!" he said opening his door too with a glare "Hey, ya! Get back inside!"

"Get lost!" Sarah exclaimed "Nicolette, now!"

"What the hell?" muttered Nicki with wide eyes, before jumping on the front sits to get out of the car.

"What's going on?" she heard Glenn ask as he walked towards Sarah that was still glaring at Daryl.

"Nothing" Sarah said crossing her arms as Rick walked closer with a small frown looking between Nicki's sister and Daryl.

"We gotta figure something out" Rick said turning to Shane as he walked by, leaning his back against the car T-Dog had been driving. Soon all of them were out of their vehicles as Dale kept watching to be sure no walker got closer. Only Andrea wasn't showing up.

"What should we do?" asked Lori.

"We have to find a safe place" Carol said keeping Sophia closer to herself. It was true, they couldn't keep going around. The road was no safe.

"Fort Benning" Shane said observing Rick. The man took breath looking around himself.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too"

"How many miles from Fort Benning?" asked Sarah turning to Glenn.

"125 miles" he said.

Everyone looked at each other. 125 miles it was a long way from where they were. No food, little gas. They were still shaken up from what had happened and very tired.

"How much gas do we have?" asked Rick.

"Pick-up's almost over" Daryl said.

"RV got a bit" said Glenn "But not enough for 125 miles"

"Four cars" said Sarah looking around "That's surely a lot of gas"

"Mom, I'm hungry" they all turned towards Carl.

"Me too" said Sophia.

Nicki was too. And she was pretty sure all of them were.

"Maybe we should find something first, we can wait few more hours" Lori proposed looking towards Rick, who nodded his head.

"Yeah..." the he turned to Glenn "Think you can find something?" Glenn looked around.

"Think so" he said.

There were few shops in that road, maybe there was something.

"I'm going with you" said T-Dog making Glenn nod his head.

"You need someone else?" asked Sarah.

"We should be fine" said Glenn "If we need anything I'll make sure to call you" Sarah smiled a little to him.

"Alright" she said sweetly "Be safe" Glenn and T-Dog nodded their head before starting to run away.

"I go that way, maybe there's more gas" said Daryl pointing in the other direction before glaring in Sarah's direction, who just glared back. Then he adjusted his crossbow on his shoulder and started to walk away.

"What is this about?" asked Nicki walking closer to her sister as she noticed Rick and Shane getting away from the group and starting talking.

"This what?" asked Sarah with a frown.

"This with Daryl" Nicki said simply sitting on the hood of an abandoned car "You're acting pretty crazy" that made Sarah turned towards her with a glare that made Nicki frown.

"I'm not" Sarah said "He's been an ass to me from quite some time"

Nicki frowned again.

"When?" she said "He saved your life, you've travelled together-"

"Ok, maybe not form quite some time. But he has been an ass" Sarah said raising her hands before turning to where Daryl had walked away "It's not like we had spoken that much when Merle was around"

She was right. Until Merle had been with them, Daryl just followed him around. Letting the man do the talking. But since Merle had gone, Daryl was talking more, getting comfortable with them, even if he remained very grumpy.

"He is right" said Sarah making Nicki observe her "I can't protect us both. And I have to learn. I have to"

Nicki wondered how much worry her sister was carrying. How much she wasn't sharing with her. It was inevitable. Lately she was acting more like a mother than a sister. Not that Nicolette blamed her, there was just the two of them now. But she just hoped that Sarah wasn't asking too much on herself.

"That's what he told you?" she asked and she noticed Sarah looked at her briefly from the corner of her eye.

"No..." she said making Nicki turn in the same direction Sarah was looking. What had happened between Daryl and her sister? Their argument from before seemed the continuation of something. Daryl surely wasn't the politest man in the world, but Nicki had seen the both of them. They seemed to get along pretty well until now.

"I... just don't get him" said Sarah crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sarah" Dale's voice made them turn.

"Yes, Dale"

"We should check the RV" he said gesturing to her to come closer "125 miles seem too much for it to make it"

Sarah tied up her brown hair in a ponytail and walked towards the man, ready to get to work. They had to make it work. They were too many for the number of cars they could use.

Nicki observed her sister working on the engine of the RV, she was starting to get the hang of it. Nicolette bit her lip. She wanted to find her place too. Something she was good at. Something so that she could help the group and not just standing there, watching.

"Mom's saying that we'll stay here all night" Carl's voice made her turn as he sat next to her on the car.

"You're here because?"

Carl shrugged his shoulders.

"Just because" he said "And my mom told me to come here" Nicki chuckled looking away.

"That makes sense" she said leaning her weight back on her hands. They stood in silence; Nicki looked up observing the sky over her head. It was like nothing was different when she couldn't see the ruins around her. The sky was still blue, the sun kept coming up every day. It was inevitable to feel small in all of that.

"Are you afraid, ever?" Carl asked after some moments making her turn her attention to him.

"Why do you ask?" he took a breath.

"Dad is right" he said "You never answer a question" Nicki looked over to Rick who was talking with the others, probably about what they had to do.

"I answer with a question when there's no point in answering" she said simply, making Carl frown.

"What does it mean?"

"That everyone's afraid" she said. She had seen how much inside that lab. Every one of them, no one excluded.

"Even your dad" she said looking at Carl, that silently nodded his head.

"Then why don't you ever show it? Not even at the CDC?" he asked, his piercing blue eyes studying her. He was very observative, every time, with everyone.

"You're a strange one" she said getting off the hood.

"Still no answering" he said behind her making her chuckle before turning to him.

"Stop asking stupid question, then"

After that she walked for a bit, always were the adults could see her. But she really couldn't stand to be sitting down for hours.

She looked the empty streets, once noisy and full of people, now empty, ruined and silent. The only noise was made by them, talking or fixing the RV. She walked around for some time. Losing the track of it. She didn't know that it was going fast or slow. But she just walked.

Nicki wondered what Fort Benning would have been like. Safe, lively? Or maybe there was another strange man wanting for them to commit suicide?

There wasn't much she could do, though. Just wait. That all that she seemed doing. Wait.

"What are ya doin'?" Daryl appeared behind her, startling her. He surely moved silently.

"Walking?" she said shrugging her shoulders. His eyes went to look over her and following his gaze she saw him looking at the others.

"They know" she said "That's the only thing I do" then she looked up at him "Found anything?" he was chewing the side of his lips when he nodded his head.

"A lit'le" he said before starting to walk pass her "Don' wonder 'round" she nodded her head as he moved towards the others.

It didn't pass much time before Glenn and T-Dog returned from their run. They had found some food apparently; chips, protein bars and cereal. Nothing very nutrient, but it was something. But they had found even some canned food. It wasn't much, so Carol and Lori started to talk about how they should save it for the right moment. They had found some bandages and plasters and even some painkillers too. Daryl had found some gas, he had said, but it wasn't enough for all the cars that they had.

"We could use Shane's jeep gas for the RV" proposed T-Dog.

"The pick-up's too" Daryl said "I can keep goin' with ma brother's bike"

"That could do" said Rick nodding his head "That way we'll have the RV, that car and the bike"

"We'll not get much attention" Dale said as Sarah kept working on the engine.

"Alright" said Rick "Let's rest today, we leave tomorrow at first light" they all nodded feeling a bit relieved to finally have somewhere to go.

"Sophia" Carol said caressing her daughter's head "Let's get ready to eat something"

"Yes, mom" the girl said nodding her head following her mother.

"Nicki!" she turned when she saw Glenn walking towards her.

"You ok?" she asked seeing him with a wide smile on his face.

"I've got something for you" he said taking off the backpack from his shoulders and kneeling to the ground.

"Is that a new shirt?" she asked observing him "After the run we made I need one"

Glenn chuckled.

"I'll make sure to remember it next time" he said with his hands in his backpack, making her frown a little. He was having trouble taking what there was in there out, but once he did Nicki's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that..." she whispered as he stood up from his knelt position "Is that a bow?"

He chuckled again looking at the black bow in his right hand and the quiver full of arrows in his left.

"You tell me" he said gesturing to her to take them.

Nicki almost felt her eyes water as she reached out a hand to brush her fingers against the black weapon.

"It's a takedown bow" she whispered with a smile "Some people use it to hunt" her hand finally closing around it, she slowly brought it closer, observing it with a smile. Then she turned taking one of the arrows from the quiver still in Glenn's hands. Immediately she positioned it, nocking it, raising the bow in front of her with her left hand and with the right she pulled the string until the arrow touched her lips. She felt it, tense in her hand. The arrow screaming for her to release it. She saw a bottle left on the side of the road a few metres from them. She pointed at it, focusing only on its green glass shining under the sunlight. Nicki took a breath with a small smirk before releasing the arrow. It brushed her cheek, making that sound that she had missed so much. It flew right through the street and hit the glass bottle shattering it in pieces.

Nicki slowly pulled down her bow, not being able to stop smiling. She wasn't used to it anymore; her cheeks were hurting. She turned to Glenn who was still looking at the glass on the floor when she hugged him, throwing her arms around his middle making him stumble backwards a bit in surprise.

"Thank you" she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it" he said patting her hair sweetly, before they stepped away from each other to turn to the others, that were all looking at the scene with wide eyes.

"Holy shit" T-Dog exclaimed.