Dead Days

Chapter Twenty

Darkness on the Horizon

This has taken forever to get to the point where I felt I could update but the last year has been kind of slow when it came to me writing. So many new games came out and my focus was mostly on them... lol. So I'm sorry this took longer than normal but good news!

I started writing the next season so that means I have the last chapter prepared for this one and then we'll be moving on!

I'll update the last chapter for Dead Days on March 10th, and then the first chapter of season three: What Lies Ahead on March 17th.

I look forward to hearing from you all!

"Howling ghosts, they reappear

In mountains that are stacked with fear

But you're a king and I'm a lionheart

And in the sea that's painted black

Creatures lurk below the deck."

-King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men

Jenner turned out to be kind enough to give Remington the night before he dropped the bomb of what was going on with Hershel on her.

The morning had been a good one even if it had started quite unlike most of her mornings. She had woken up to a tent free of children, Shane gone, quite possibly with the said missing kids for breakfast, and Daryl nowhere to be seen, though she had been certain he was off checking his traps like normal, and only Merle within sight. A man who had decided to wake her up in such a way that hadn't been intended for young eyes to view, but had her toes curling, even if it hadn't gotten any more heated than PG 13.

By the time she slipped from the tent, feeling wide awake, and in a good mood Remington hadn't seen the day going toward the complicated mess it had started to veer toward as soon as Jenner caught her attention. With the sighting of him her breakfast was quickly ruined, and turned into a simple need for nutrition as she silently altered her morning schedule to make room for the obvious crisis the elder Greene was experiencing as his beliefs were shaken.

Jenner had taken her words to heart yesterday and kept a close eye on Hershel, and had ended up being the man's ear to vent to as he tried to understand what type of danger he had put his family in. It sounded like Hershel was still caught between wanting to believe the scientist and wishing to prove his own beliefs on the subject.

Regardless, Jenner had concerns on how Hershel was taking it, and felt that his leader needed to be brought in before she disappeared from the camp again to go back to the housing development.

Something told Remi that she would be sending Merle out in her place and hoping beyond hope that everything at the Development had gone like planned.

As it was Remington followed after Jenner as they made their way toward the farmhouse where they met Maggie on the front porch as she stared out across the front yard to where a certain ball capped wearing man sat. Something else that Remington would need to put off was her talk with Glenn, and her hope of having been able to speak with Maggie as well about the subject. It would seem that the hopefully, soon to be love birds, would just have to figure out their relationship on their own without her guiding hand. It seemed there was never enough time for the more fun things she could be sticking her nose into. Disappointing as that was one of the few things on her list of stuff to do that Remington was actually looking forward to. Her idea of fun did not include trying to bring around an old man from walking off a metaphorical cliff.

"Daddies inside," Maggie said, her eyes tearing away from where she had been staring at Glenn to focus on the two of them. The fact that Maggie had been expecting her only made the situation seem worse and she mentally prepared herself for a man in similar shape of where he was at in the show. Thank lord Hershel hadn't taken off for the bar this time as Remington didn't want to tempt fate and see if someone else, other than the group she had already dealt with, would appear in their place. Jackson wasn't around to go with her, and Remington didn't want to go into a situation like that with anyone else.

When her eyes finally fell onto Hershel a different kind of worry lit up inside of her. He looked the same as usual. His eyes narrowed slightly when she walked into the dining room, and he barely took in that Jenner was at her side. He must have known why she was here, but he was sitting there pretending as if this was just another one of their meetings about when she would be leaving with her group.

"I hope that your meeting went well yesterday, and you all have somewhere to move along too."

A bone-deep weariness filled her as she took in his words and how he carried himself. The man she had adored in the show was nowhere in sight. All she saw in front of her was a fool determined to bury himself in denial. Had she fucked up by taking away his realization that he had gone through in the show? Did he truly have to go through something traumatic to get his bearings and finally open his eyes to the world? Would she have to push the subject and do something similar to what Shane had done?

And worse yet, if she decided not to take that route, would it mean a fate sealed by an earlier death than the one that had been destined for him?

Would this be an unforeseen consequence due to her actions? Remington didn't want to be the reason why Maggie and Beth lost their father.

There were too many unknown variables and Remington still hadn't figured out how everything worked with her changing everything up. She wasn't sure if there was a set code and that certain events would always take place, even if they were altered, or if she could truly set the course on an entirely new track.

"I think we managed to find a potential place to go," she settled on saying. "We still have five more days, plenty of time for me to figure out if this place is right."

"Even if it's not you'll be moving on of course. I have to get things settled right for my family. Things need to be safe."

Remi caught onto something new here, the meaning behind his words, and she took control over the conversation.

"Are things not safe for you family right now, Hershel?"

"Things won't be safe until you and your people move on and stop filling my families head with nonsense. It's dangerous the way you all think. Don't pretend I haven't seen the way Maggie is already starting to change as she spends more time with your people. She's getting dangerous notions in her head and getting attached where she has no right being attached."

"Maggie's an adult, Hershel. Her attachments are her own to make, and I assure you that Maggie, nor Beth will ever come to any danger from my group. We would never pay your generosity back in such a way."

He huffed, growing frustrated, and she could see it in the way he carried himself, even while sitting.

"You people are dangerous because of the views you bring, and the fear you place in my families hearts. It's my right as her father to guide her and she's being led away."

"If you're talking about the Walkers, Hershel, we're not trying to hurt your family by sharing our knowledge, and views. All we wish is to keep you safe and keep you from making the same mistakes each of us made in the beginning."

Remington wondered where this conversation would end up going. She felt the buildup, knowing it would lead them somewhere, and there would be revelations but for herself, or Hershel, she hadn't quite concluded yet.

"Those that you call Walkers, I call my friend, my neighbors, and my loved ones." He stood to his feet, looking wary, and tired, but a determined glint in his eyes as he decided to try one last time to show them how their ways of thinking was wrong. "I have something to show you. I hope you'll spare an old man a moment of your time."

She wasn't certain how she could simply not follow after him. A sick feeling in her gut told her that what was about to go down seemed awfully familiar to what happened in the show, and Remi couldn't help but think that her talk with Hershel the other day hadn't gotten through to him at all. He had seemed as if his eyes had been forcefully opened and he was horrified to learn that he was wrong, or worse, he understood, but still couldn't get past his own beliefs and it would get him, or his family killed. Those people he once cared for could not be saved.

"I'm thinking I don't have much of a choice. It would be rude to decline after everything you've done for us."

He paused a moment, taking in her words, and then nodding, even if his eyes had narrowed at her tone of exasperation.

"It would."

With heavy feet he made his way toward the back of the house where she knew there was an old back door, and on the other side of it Otis was waiting, a pole and noose-like thing formed on one end, and Remi's stomach dropped even more. She hadn't seemed to change much of anything when it came to this situation. Was she about to go out into the woods, to help Hershel bring back a couple of Walkers? She wondered if the barn would somehow find it's way opened today as well. Had it been written in the stars for today to have always been a chaotic event? That thought truly horrified her and she wondered what the catalyst would be and if she needed to stay and make sure her group, and family was safe, or if she was overthinking it all.

She wished there was some kind of guide that helped her along, to show her what events would stay the same, and what would change, for the good or bad when she did make them.

Having Jenner with her during this could only help so her initial idea of sending him back with a warning to Shane wouldn't be helpful, and she was about to speak out, to tell Hershel to wait a moment when she spotted Daryl off in the distance as he arrived back from the woods. She did excuse herself at that moment, explaining that someone had to be aware of her leaving the farm so no one panicked, and as she strode toward Daryl she was quite aware that her body language screamed something was wrong.

Daryl picked up on it as soon as his eyes fell on her and he began to stride across the grass at a faster pace to meet her part way.

"I'm leaving with Hershel. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I have a pretty good guess, and while I'm gone I need you and Shane to watch after the farm." Her tone was stressed, and a little bit desperate, as she tried to lay it on thick, but not too thick, that she was indeed worried about something. She still didn't want to raise the flag on the barn, not when it would cause a mass panic, and though she doubted Shane would barge in and wreck the place, she worried that it would be too much of a temptation. Remington held a delicate handle on everything going on, and if she misplaced a decision, she knew how fragile everything was and how easily people's composer could come crashing down.

Perhaps it would have been different if the farm had been a more permanent place, but it wasn't, and everyone would be wired, and looking out for disasters until they could finally properly settle down. Remi also knew that this group was already pre-destined to not handle things in the right way, or with the right frame of mind, at this point in the apocalypse, and she didn't want to tempt that knowledge into being true by telling them they all were sleeping by a barn full of Walkers.

Someone would crack under the pressure and Remington didn't want to go purposefully around making more issues for herself to deal with.

"Something we need to look out for specifically?"

He eyed her carefully, taking in the way she held herself, but paying more attention to what she wasn't saying with her words.

"I'm sure that I'm just over worrying about everything, and that I'll handle things, and my fears won't come to fruition, but regardless of all of that I would hate myself it I didn't have you all on look out." Remington decided right then and there that she was going to have to have a conversation with her men. That she needed someone to understand and to know the things that she was aware of, even if they didn't totally get why she was aware of them. A part of her wished that Jackson hadn't been the one left behind as he would have been the easiest one to find, to tell to keep an eye on the barn, without raising anyone else's suspicions, but she was going to have to trust Daryl with that instead. Thank God she actually did trust him. "I just have a bad feeling and I just want everyone to be on guard."

"Should someone go with you wherever you're going with Hershel?"

Daryl looked concerned now and Remington couldn't have that, because she knew she was going to be relatively safe, as long as you squinted, and ignored the possible Walker catching that might end up happening. Stepping forward she kissed him, trying to ease any of his worries over herself because she'd much rather have his mind focused on the farm while she was gone.

"I've got Jenner going with me, and Otis will be there as well. We'll be able to handle what's going on over with Hershel. He seems to be struggling with coping with everything he learned about the infection yesterday. Just keep the farm safe while I'm gone, alright."

He still seemed a bit confused over her request, and felt as if something more was going on, but he nodded. His eyes lingered, hurriedly taking her in as Remi began to back away, and she knew he was trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

"We're always looking out for Walkers, but I feel as if you're thinking of something more specific."

"I am, but I don't think it'll be an actual hazard to anyone, I just worry, because I have no insight." Her words only proved to confuse him further and she could see that. "I'll talk to you more, all three of you more, about this later, but I really need to get back to Hershel now. Keep Maisie, and Landon close, alright."

:'Course, woman, won't let 'em kids get too far away."

"Can you tell Merle to go ahead and head back to the House development without me. He can take Morgan again and meet up with Jackson. Between the two of them I'm sure they'll come up with something and we'll know if we're moving." Remington trusted Merle and Jackson to make that choice, and she was certain that after spending time with the military group last night Jackson would know if it was safe.

"You ain't gonna go?"

"I need to deal with Hershel."

Something told her the man was going to be an even bigger pain than in the show, and Remington had no one else to blame but herself. Fuck, Rick was probably the better choice for this than she was in this instance, but she had changed that man as well. Though, in his case, it was probably for the better.

As she moved to step away and to head back toward Hershel and the others Daryl grabbed her before she could. He eyed her carefully for a moment longer, nodded, and then caught her with a searing kiss before gently pushing her back toward the way she had come. Remington felt a little light headed after the kiss but quickly took off toward the back of the house after giving him a small little wave goodbye.

He bit the side of his thumb in agitation as he watched her walk away feeling like something was going to go down, and he didn't like the fact that he wouldn't be there with her when it did. Not having any other choice, he kicked at the dirt before darting off to find Shane and Merle.

┈┈┈┈ ․° °․ ┈┈┈┈

Being placed into a world that shouldn't have existed, especially one like the Walking Dead, would have automatically been stressful, but Remington felt as if the universe was making it exceedingly more stressful than it had to be. Perhaps it was her fault for changing things, but honestly if God existed why the hell did he think it was a good idea to punish her for trying to make things better for people.

She supposed she could blame it on free will, and perhaps she could just blame this all on Hershel, as he seemed entirely against doing anything the easy way.

\Remington stared as she watched Otis trying to drag a Walker out of the water it got stuck in. Jenner was standing beside her looking just as concerned as she was. She could tell he was nervous about being around them still. There had been opportunities for him to be around the Walkers since he left the CDC with them, but he never had to get close to them, or personally deal with them. This was probably out of his comfort zone.

"Are you certain you want these people in your group?" he asked her in a low whisper as he watched them. Remington sighed, wondering that some days herself, before nodding.

"Yeah, I do."

Hershel had been a great man in the show, but he also had knowledge that they needed, especially if she was going to be able to keep Lori alive this time.

"These people haven't been in their right minds since everything that happened, and you're trying to tell me they can't be saved." He sent her a look after saying this, one that clearly stated of the conversation they had had yesterday where Jenner revealed that Remi may hold a cure. It still annoyed her that the old man knew, but at least he was keeping to his end of the deal and not blatantly talking about it with Otis around.

"I told you yesterday that they can't be saved, Hershel. They just can't." Feeling more than irritated Remington jabbed a finger toward the one that Otis was fishing for. "Look at them. Do they look like they could be brought back. That state they are in-." Remington frustratedly shook her head as she eyed the decayed state they were in. "They are just shells of themselves. They are decaying!"

"Those who are first turned, we could save them, I understand these people might be a lost cause, but I still don't see putting them down like a sick dog being the right answer," Hershel said, his voice practically pleading with her. "We should keep them safe. Take care of them for the souls who are attached. You should be treating them like humans and not animals."

Remington took a step closer, but Jenner was quick to grab her arm keeping her from actually getting near any of the Walkers.

"Their gone, Hershel. The right thing to do is to put them down, to have mercy on their souls, so they are no longer stuck in that husk that's left behind." She was trying to put it in a way he would understand to make him come around to the new worlds way of thinking already. "These people, if left roaming around, will stop at nothing to harm us. They kill us, Hershel."

"You must listen to her, Hershel. There is no helping them, they are no longer human, but something other," Jenner said, trying his best to step in as he kept a firm hold on Remi's arm to keep her right by his side.

"I can't believe that they are no longer those that I once knew. I can't stop seeing them as who they once were. To allow you to shoot them down? I just can't." Hershel shook his head, taking the lead like thing from Otis when the other man handed it to him so that he could grab the other one himself.

"This way of thinking will be a mistake. It'll bring harm to your family. How many more Walkers can you put in that barn of yours before they finally have enough to break out. Do you think you, Maggie, or Beth could protect yourselves from that many? They would tear you apart and not even hesitate to do it."

Remington wasn't sure what else to do but to speak of the worst-case scenario.

"I have to believe that won't happen."

"Your belief won't get you any further than your grave."

Slowly she followed behind the two men as they began to lead the Walkers back toward the farm and anxiety began to fill her at the thought of what she needed to do. She couldn't take out her gun and start shooting at the Walkers, showing that they keep coming even when vital parts are shot at, but she also couldn't let the rest of camp see these two parading Walkers around.

"Hershel, you can't walk these things through the farm. If you're wanting to cause a panic that's how it'll go."

"Don't worry, we're going to come through the back of the barn, your people won't see what we've been doing. I don't want them knowing about it anymore than you do."

Feeling like there wouldn't be much more she could possibly say that would get through Hershel's head Remington continued trekking toward the farm beginning to believe that when they left in a few days it would be without the Greene's. The thought caused her to feel miserable because she had genuinely grown close with Maggie, and she worried about Beth, especially with what the girl had tried to do in canon, but there wasn't much more that Remi could do to change that. Hershel refused to listen, and Remington couldn't possibly force her help on someone who didn't want it. Even if that's exactly what she had tried to do. All she could do in the end was hope and pray that nothing bad happened to the Greene's and they had another chance to join with them later on.

Stuck in her own internal thoughts, and coming to conclusions that was hard to swallow, Remington missed the way Otis mis-stepped, and his ankle twisted. The man went down with a thud, calling out in pain, as his hold on the Walker loosened, and the pole clattered against the side of the Walker. Remington blinked, having fallen slightly behind in her misery and annoyance.

The Walker seemed to figure out it's new freedom pretty quickly as she turned toward her prey that had made so much noise when he let her go. She lumbered forward, hissing, and growling in excitement as she stumbled and lurched forward.

"Fuck!" Remington cursed under her breath as she darted forward but the Walker was closer to Otis than she was and trying to take it down quietly wouldn't work. Hershel was staring wide eyed, barely containing his own Walker that seemed to have been riled up by the other one. "Hershel! The Walker!"

He struggled to keep a hold, but she could also see that he was struggling with coming to terms with what was happening in front of his eyes.

"Don't hurt him, Maybelle," Hershel hollered out as if that would change Otis's fate.

Otis for all it was worth was trying to stand back up, to get away, but his ankle continued to give out, and he would fall back to the ground.

With a frustrated yell Remington stepped forward, brought out her gun, aimed, and shot. Only her aim was off, the Walker had stumbled over a root from a tree, and she missed. The second shot went through the woman's chest, right where the heart would have been, and if she was alive would have stopped her right in her tracks but she wasn't and she kept coming for Otis. The third shot rang true, the growling stopped, and the woman collapsed into a heap on top of Otis. His yells of fright bounced off through the tree's and Remington winced at all of the noise they were making.

Her instincts went haywire and no longer caring about repercussions she stepped away from Jenner, toward, Hershel, grabbing at the pole, and yanking it from his hands. In a fit of just being over and done with everything she shoved the pole froward, throwing the Walker off balance, and on his knees. Putting away her gun she pulled the machete from its place at her waist and brought the blade down on its head with a sickening squelching sound.

Hershel stared at her with horror in his eyes. Otis, with the help of Jenner, had shoved the body of the Walker off him, and was now covered in Walker guts.

Spinning on her heel Remington turned to glare at Hershel.

"That could have ended with your man being killed, Hershel. This could have happened at any moment when no one was with him, or no one willing to step in and deal with the dead, and he would have been bitten and died. That should be on your consciousness. You keep going down this line of belief and you will get your family killed. Not me. Not my people. You."

Huffing and finding herself shaking from all of the adrenaline and anger coursing through her veins Remington wasn't certain what she should do at this moment. How far away they were from the farm was undetermined as she didn't recognize any of the woods surrounding them, but she worried that they were close enough that the others would have heard the shot ringing out. Perhaps not the yells, but they would be on edge regardless, and she hardly desired to keep anyone waiting for what had happened.

Daryl and Shane would be worried enough if they had heard the gunshot. They'd probably end up running into Daryl on the way back as she doubted he wouldn't try to go out and track them down.

She stood over Hershel, who was now kneeling in the mud, his eyes locked onto the walker she had shot down, his eyes wide, and full of fear, and something else that felt damning. Damning her, or himself, she wasn't for sure, but it hardly mattered one way or another.

If this didn't change his tune then Remington felt like nothing would. He got his traumatic moment, perhaps not on the scale that it was on the show, but she could see it on his face that it had hit the scale of trauma.

"That woman kept coming even after I accidentally shot her in the heart. She would have kept coming regardless of what I did to her if I hadn't shot her in the head. She would have made food out of Otis. This is what you need to see when you see them. They are not people anymore Hershel. I'm sorry."

She felt pity for the man as he peeled his eyes away from the woman he once knew and turned his sorrow filled gaze onto her.

"There is no hope for us."

Remington moved to kneel in front of him before she spoke so that they were on eye level.

"Of course, there's hope Hershel. We make our own hope these days. Hope is in the form of your family making it another day. It's in the people you surround yourself with. It's not in the form of holding onto the past. No matter what, going forward, there is no way we can ever have what once was. It's best to come to terms with that now, when you have people to lean on, then later, when their all gone."

She stood up, reached out, offering her hand, similarly to what she had done for Landon, and then waited to see if he would accept it. She could see the struggle that he was having internally but eventually he took her hand, and when she focused back on Otis and Jenner she saw the bigger man back on his feet, but limping.

"We should get back so I can take a look at your ankle Otis," Hershel said. His voice was shaking, but he seemed firm, not about to break down. Remington knew that could change later when he no longer had anything to focus on.

Both men helped Otis walk forward and as Remington led the way she couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. What was in store for her? She may have kept the barn from being torn into by her group, but would that really hold out for much longer? Or would she be presented with an even worse future.

Anxiety and nerves pulled at her as she thought back to that single gunshot. It had echoed throughout the tree's, and if she was lucky nothing was around to hear it. It hadn't been clear what led the herd to the farm back in the show, but she knew it probably had been a mixture of events, and once again she felt the urge to leave as soon as possible.

She could only hope the Greene's wouldn't be left behind when they did, and if they were, she hoped they wouldn't go through such a horror themselves.

┈┈┈┈ ․° °․ ┈┈┈┈

As expected Remington and the others didn't quite make it back to the farm before Daryl appeared from within the tree's and was immediately on top of them. Or, more accurately, on top of her.

"Daryl, I'm fine. I wasn't the one in danger."

He didn't outwardly show his worry like the others did but in this instance everyone could clearly see it. His eyes darted over her, and he was standing closer to her than usual, and as she explained what happened his eyes narrowed, and he was outright glaring at Hershel. The hostility caused her even a little bit of concern as she reached out to gently take his hand.

"We could hear the gunshot from the farm," he explained, his voice tight. "Was sent out to check and make sure everything was okay."

"Do you think it could have carried and drawn anything toward us?"

Remington had been worried about this possibility far too much since it happened and needed someone to either be worried about her or try to talk her into thinking it would be okay.

"Could be, but the sound of it wasn't that loud at the farm, and I wasn't able to pinpoint what direction it came from. I just knew where the lot of yah disappeared into the tree's."

It made her feel a little bit better, but she would still be on high alert until they left the farm. In all honesty the whole farm thing had been stressing her out more than finding them a place to live. The fact that it was supposed to be overrun didn't sit well with her, and Remington didn't want to be anywhere near such an event.

"We should keep a closer eye out tonight just in case the sound did draw attention our way," Remington muttered, her hold in Daryl's hand growing a little tighter at her thoughts.

Daryl agreed with her but silently began to drag her back toward the farm, his hold on her not releasing, as he wanted her back to where it was safe. There was no resistance from Remington as she allowed it, and even though she could hear the other two struggling with Otis behind them, she could see in Daryl's face that he didn't have any plans on helping them. He was pissed at Hershel, and was annoyed with Otis, a man he normally felt no particular emotions toward, but knowing that Remington had been placed in harms way because of them instantly landed them on his shit list.

Nerves had settled in and even though the morning bled away into the afternoon without any signs of the barn suddenly combusting or Walkers descending on them, Remington couldn't get her emotions in line. All signs led to her plans continuing the way they had been laid out. Especially when Jackson, Merle, and Morgan came back from the house development. After she talked to Jackson and Merle the realization that they had a place to make a home had caused a portion of the weight on her shoulders to lift, even with the news that somebody had indeed already begun to settle into the development and make it her own. A woman who had made it very clear that she was more than willing to cohabitate with them as long as she could stay and in return she would share with them her knowledge. After being assured by Jackson that Kalera, the person in question, held no desires to be an issue, Remi felt secure enough to leave the matter alone for now. They spent another hour talking and planning and deciding that they would have people start to pack their loose belongings up and tomorrow they would start taking groups over to look at the place.

They would move out officially in two days' time, giving everyone time to pair up in living together and picking out a home, but also so that they had time to get use to the military group. A part that had set some people on edge as they weren't sure if they could trust strangers.

By the time Rick had come up to her, asking for one of those BB guns she used to help teach the children, some of her irrational fear had begun to settle as her planning put her at ease.

She eyed him in surprise but didn't really mind handing it over. The gun they used was relatively quiet, only making a small amount of noise that didn't travel any distance, so even after today's gunshot she didn't really think it was a bad idea. Especially if they were kept relatively close to the house.

"I need to start getting used to not having this hand anymore," he said, a determined glint in his eyes. "And Carl needs to start to learn how to protect himself."

This had caused a small moment of startlement on her end because the last thing Remi knew Shane had talked to Rick about it this morning, but the man had been doubtful Lori would allow it. She knew Lori's views wouldn't have changed, so something about Rick had.

"Lori was okay with that?"

"No, but she's just going to have to deal with it. I won't let our boy feel this way anymore. Not in this world."

Silently she congratulated the man, but she could see some deep resentment there toward his wife and knew that the man was in for a hell of a long healing after everything that had been revealed.

Even though Shane had said Rick spoke to him there had been some tension between the two, and Remi just had to remind Shane that it would take some time before anything could potentially be put back together.

"Sure, you can take it out, we've still got plenty of ammo for it, just try not to go too far away. Maybe out in the fields a little but it'll be dark in a few hours."

Some of that earlier tension bled away and all there was on his face was amusement as he watched her.

"I'll make sure to stay nearby, and be back for dinner, mom," he joked, causing Remi to scowl at him slightly.

"I'm serious, Rick. I know how sometimes people get distracted and I'm just anxious today."

"Contrary to recent events I am usually a levelheaded adult. I'll make sure things don't get out of hand."

Still scowling slightly but knowing he was right the two of them walked toward her tent where she had the gun put in one of her bags. He picked up Carl on the way and Remi got front row seats to the heated glare of mass destruction that Lori was sending Rick's way. There was a lot more hostility there than there had been in the show and Remi was beginning to worry slightly. What if Lori went off the deep end before the baby came? She would need to keep a close eye on the woman, because instead of Shane melting down, she worried it would be Lori this time.

Carl, however, was excited, listening with rapt attention as Rick explained the rules, and occasionally Remi popped in with something. Neither of them had used the gun the children practiced with and even though it was similar to a real gun in many ways the weight wasn't the same and the lack of kickback helped the smaller kids have no problems with it.

When they arrived at her tent she found Jackson, Maisie, and Landon hanging out on the outside, Maisie trying to bait Jackson into a game, and Jackson pretending not to fall for it. Landon glanced up when they arrived and looked curiously at Rick and Carl being with Remington.

"Landon dad's gonna take me out and teach me to shoot!" Carl announced with an excited glint in his eyes, and voice. Landon glanced over, looking surprised, but happy for his friend, especially after what Carl had revealed to him just the day before. "Do you wanna come with?!"

It was clear Carl wanted his friend to be there with him knowing that this was because Landon had kept it word and somehow talked the adults into doing this. Landon, however, looked a little uncertain and Remington remembered the boys words from last night.

'I'm afraid of guns.'

Remi could already tell the boy held the word no on the tip of his tongue but hesitated to not be there for his friend.

Stepping forward Remi crouched down next to Landon and tilted him away from Rick and Carl so they could have a private conversation. Quietly, and in whispers, she reminded him that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, but there was never any reason he needed to touch the gun if he did want to go. She understood his negative reaction toward the weapon was at its worst when he was physically touching one, and typically was alright when he was a healthy distance away from them when people carried them.

In the end Landon had ended up agreeing, and Remi made sure Rick knew that the gun was never handed to him or offered.

Landon really wanted to be there for Carl and Remington felt pride at the fact that Landon could make this decision and put boundaries in place to keep himself from becoming uncomfortable.

Trusting that Landon would be safe with Rick, Remington set about to make sure everyone had begun to pack things away and were preparing themselves for the move. She knew that Shane and Merle were working on their tent, and Daryl had gone to help Dale when the man asked for his advice about the RV. It was once again acting up and they wanted it to be moveable by the time they left in a few days.

Little by little Remington felt herself easing up on the anxiety as things continued to be normal with no signs of danger on the horizon. The only thing that lingered was an uncontrollable nagging in the back of her mind that the events with Hershel had caused to flare up.

The man in question had hidden away in his house, and Otis was now walking around in an old boot he had to wear in the past to keep the ankle from getting worse.

By the time that evening had fallen around them everyone had managed to become organized, and their things were mostly ready to be carted off. Most of their food supplies was packed away, small portions put in different vehicles, so it wasn't all in the same space just in case something went wrong. They would only leave enough out for a days supply so they could continue to make their meals while they were here.

Before the sun had started to set and she began to worry that Rick wouldn't be coming in Carol had offered to go out and get the man and the two boys in his care. Remington had noticed a curiosity settling in about the BB gun and Remi could only hope that Carol would let Sophia start to practice using it. Even though Sophia had begun to sit in on Maisie and Landon's lessons when it came to survival in the way of how to protect yourself and stamina, Carol had refused to let her hold any type of weapon.

Remington agreed to send Carol to find Rick, and she figured they'd simply run into one another midway as Rick had promised to start heading back around this time.

A blossoming hope that Carol was beginning to see reason lit up inside of her when she brought Sophia along with her. Maisie had piped up, wanting to go with her, and while biting her lip she told her no. Something still wasn't sitting right with her, and she already had Landon out there. Even though things should be safe something within Remington wouldn't let her say it was okay.

Watching Carol and Sophia move off toward the fields Remington's eyes darted over toward the camper where Merle was standing on top of it gazing out around the farm on watch duty, and she knew that Morgan and Duane were walking the perimeter. No one had sounded out the alarm, and she had been keeping a personal eye on the barn as often as possible, but no matter what she couldn't get that lingering fear to leave her mind.

Something felt wrong.

An event from the show had happened, and even though the barn hadn't been opened, and the Walker swarm had come days after today's events, Remington couldn't lose the fear that it meant other events would still try to happen.

Reaching out she gently led Maisie over toward the camps' fire as she tried settling her racing mind. Soon night would fall, and she would spend most of it keeping an eye out for anything wrong. There was no way she would be getting much sleep the next few days, not until they were behind the safety of those walls that the development gave them.

Realizing this, a weary sigh escaped her lips as she waited for Carol to come back with Rick and the kids.

"Momma, I'm bored."

Maisie had been sat down in a lawn chair next to the fire, but it hadn't taken long before the small child began to twitch and grow irritated with the lack of things to do.

"Don't you have toys nearby?"

"No, I put 'em up cause Shane said we should keep things tidy, and I was done with 'em."

Remington frowned, the headspace she was in meant that trying to keep focused on a game wouldn't be easy, and as it was all she could do was pace nervously near the fire as she waited, and it grew darker. Greater worry was beginning to clasp tightly at her as she realized that there was still no sign of Carol or Rick, and there had been plenty of time passing to bring them back. He had promised not to go out very far after all.

"Maisie, go on over to Merle up on the RV. Momma needs to go find Landon."

She could no longer just sit around and wait, or do nothing, not when every instinct in her told her that something had to have happened. Remi watched to make sure Maisie had made it to the ladder before she spun on her heel and took off toward where she had known Rick had gone earlier.

Remington wouldn't realize it until a little while later, but her instinct that something was wrong, would be proven right soon enough.

┈┈┈┈ ․° °․ ┈┈┈┈

Ragid breathing broke the silence in the evening air, a body stumbled, more than walked, as he stalked his prey. He could see the woman who had caused his blood to boil, the reason he was like this, walking out toward the field. He knew that those she was looking for were nearby and he had no plans on letting them meet up with her.

His mind felt frenzied. Sluggish in some moments, but crystal clear in others, however it didn't matter. His anger and frustration was always the same in either state. Solely fixated on her. He cut across the tree's; eyes locked onto the barn that he had found to be full of the dead shortly after following her back here. He hadn't been ready to release them before, no, he had used all of his energy to lead the others this way as well, but now that his revenge was in place, he was prepared to break open the barn.

That bitch was going to regret ever messing with him.

She would regret putting him into this state.

Feverish, and delirious, he was driven forward by the voices in his head that whispered to him that this was the only way. They pushed him forward. Raising his tired arms, he slammed the shovel he found nearby against the lock. It took far longer than he would have liked in his weakened state to break the lock. He had been making too much noise. That hadn't occurred to him until a voice called out.

"Hey!" a males voice broke through the silence. He didn't recognize this voice. He hadn't been there that night. No, he only remembered her being there. Listening as he begged and cursed to be saved. She had done nothing, only rushed away, damning him to his fate. Before the night was done he may be dead, but there was a vicious satisfaction in the thought that she would be sporting a bite of her own. "What are you doing? Who are you?"

He spun on his heel, pitching forward, only barely catching himself on the barn door to keep from falling down. It groaned against his weight, and he felt it get pushed back as the sounds of the dead entered his ears. They had heard the man call out. They were looking for a way out and he had just given it to them.

It barely registered in his mind that there were two kids with the man. It didn't matter much to him. As long as he managed to get his revenge on that bitch he didn't care if anyone from her group went down with her. It would just be payback for what happened to his group.

He only hoped that it would be his undead body that bit into her flesh. A last moment of revenge on his part.

"I'd get to running if I were you."

The words fell from his lips, humorless, serious, as he began to tug on the doors, feeling them give easily as the dead pushed on the other side. It swung open and the stench of rotting flesh met his nostrils.

Fear was not something that lingered in his mind.

He was already damned to die.

That mark on his shoulder told him exactly what was in store for him, he had barely managed to get away that night, the teeth of the undead ripping through his flesh, and leaving more of a hole than a bite mark behind. He could only be happy that he hadn't succumbed to the fever before he had managed to set up this wonderous night.

Behind him he could hear the horrified cries of the two boys with the man, but he was no longer paying attention.

No, he was staring into the milky eyes of his salvation as the rotting corpses began to slowly lumber out.

Laughter fell from his lips, crazed, and manic as he watched them slip from the barn. Even he was too far gone. More dead than living. They must have sensed the death clinging to his body. They barely paid him any mind as they followed after the three living that rushed away.

It would do them no good. He had seen the herd he had led this way. They were already in the fields. By now that woman would have spotted them. She would know her damnation.

Perhaps he could make sure her death ended in his bite after all.

Moving away Randall began to slowly lumber toward the way he had seen her go in.

Death was right around the corner.

So because I actually have the next chapter ready to go I want to give you all a little peak into what's happening next update!

"When all she had left were the moans of the dead, and that low drone of excitement of seizing their prey, Remi felt something inside of her break.

A guttural scream ripped from her lips.

The Sea of Death coming her way was the only answer as low moans, and a buzzing sound filled her ears.

… and the sweet salvation of metal under fingertips."