Dead Days

Chapter Four

An Eye for an Eye

Hi guys! I'm a few days late but I got sick over the weekend and didn't even want to think about doing anything but sleep.

Hopefully, this makes up for that!

And! Due to the fact that I will be busy traveling this weekend, my aunt is really sick, so I'll be going out of state to visit her, I will be updating this week's chapter earlier. Look for that before friday!

"Some people got the real problems

Some people out of luck

Some people think I can solve them

Lord heavens above."

-Human by Rag'n'bone Man

The next day was spent mostly in the cabin. The pain had tripled during the night and her body felt far too stiff to move. Daryl, upon seeing how she woke up, told her to stay put, and after he was gone Carol made sure to enforce the rule. Every now and then as she used the old wood stove to make breakfast, she'd send Remington a knowing smile but refused to comment on what they were about.

Slowly over the day, Remington felt as if she was going crazy, even with the occasional visitor from members of the group. Maisie had stuck around for a little bit after breakfast before growing bored and eagerly following Merle outside when he came in to retrieve her for survival time. She wasn't sure how those lessons got called that but suspected Merle had let Maisie name it.

Landon had gone with, looking annoyed by the older man, but followed obediently. He liked the lessons, he just preferred when it was Shane or Remington teaching them. Sometimes Amy or Andrea would step in, this had happened when it came to fishing, and tying knots, something only Shane had any practice in, but those two knew more.

With the kids gone, and Merle off teaching them, Remington laid back against the piles of pillows Maisie had fluffed for her. Dale had arrived earlier that morning with a book for her to read but Remington wasn't sure what it was about and didn't recognize the author.

She used to love reading, but now, she hardly at the time, and now that she did, Remington wished she were doing anything else. She wished she had her comfort series within reach. With a sigh of frustration, she closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep, when the door of the cabin slammed open.

In rushed Lori, looking panicked, as she ran for the bathroom door. She barely made it within retching distance before she doubled over and vomited her guts up. Thankfully, it managed to make it into the toilet.

Remington listened, having expected it to happen, and wondered if they were that far ahead in the series already. They should have made it to the farm by now, having met the Greenes, and worked on building relationships with them. Except Remington had fucked that up back at the quarry and then again when their stay at the CDC lasted longer.

When Lori emerged from the bathroom Remington continued to stare up at the ceiling, not caring to glance over to the other woman, knowing it would only lead to an argument, and now that she knew Lori was for sure pregnant, Remington didn't like the thought of stressing her out. She didn't like Lori, but had always adored Judith in the show, and didn't want to accidentally change anything for the worse when it came to her. Remington may have never made it past the middle of season seven, but that didn't mean she hadn't caught pieces of the show from here and there and had fallen in love with the way the characters interacted with an older Judith.

That was not something she would damage.

Lori hesitated in the doorway, glancing over to where Remington pretended not to notice her, frowned, and then quickly escaped back outside.

Lori worried that Remington would suspect the same thing that Lori was worried about. That she was pregnant. Without a test, she couldn't be sure, but she recognized the signs. It didn't mean it was Shane's. She tried telling herself that. They had made love that first night Rick arrived back, and it may have been the only time since then, but that could have been enough for her to get pregnant with Rick's baby.

Except she didn't believe that. Deep down she knew who the father of this baby was, and it wasn't her husband. She wasn't sure what to do with that information.

For now, she would ignore the way the meat smelt when it was cooked and focus on breathing through her mouth.

No one else could suspect anything.

She just couldn't allow it to get out. Not until she knew for sure and could then figure out what it was, she was going to do from there.

There was no one she trusted to speak about this with, but she needed to find a way to get a hold of a test.

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The next day came easier for Remington. She was allowed to move around, Jenner encouraged it even, and helped her go through exercises that would loosen up her sore muscles, and hopefully speed up the healing process. Remington found that she recognized most of them from her past experiences.

The day after Remington was demanding that everyone treats her like normal as all she wanted to do was get back on track. They couldn't stay in the cabin forever and would soon need to move on.

Her muscles only ached a little bit, but she had regained full control back over her body and though Merle, Daryl, and Shane were the loudest with their displeasure, and trying to get her to take another day, Jenner was her biggest backup on being allowed to do whatever she wanted. Remington had started to feel like a child who had hurt themselves, and no one trusted her to do the right thing. She knew they cared, but it had started to overwhelm her. Remington didn't need anyone thinking of her in that way. She was here trying to change things, not make people worry about her decisions.

She simply couldn't have that.

"Are you really, okay?" Rick asked her as they walked the perimeter together. There were still plenty of them that two people were always put on watch, but occasionally someone would join the one out walking around. Like right now. Though in Rick's case, Remington had forced her presence onto him when he went out on his round, as everyone back at camp was driving her crazy.

"I'm fine, Rick," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I feel much better. These last two days have driven me crazy so please let me stay."

"Wasn't gonna chase you away," he chuckled. "But taking a fall like that. We all worried."

"You're all sweet but it wasn't my first tumble, and unfortunately probably won't be my last." She bit the inside of her cheek as she side-eyed him. "I'm fine, but what about you?"

"What do you mean?" She watched as he glanced over at her in confusion. Either he really didn't notice the way he was projecting all that was wrong with him, or he truly was in denial about his feelings.

"You seem a little off these last couple of days." She shrugged, trying to play it off as a casual observation. "A bit tense really."

Rick smiled at her, seemingly amused, before glancing back out at the woods. "You doing that therapist thing?"

"What?" It was Remington's turn to feel confused.

"Shane may have warned me during one of those times I was able to get him to look at me. That you've used your therapist powers on him to get him to talk."

"I do not have therapist powers." She would have laughed at the suggestion if it hadn't been a frequent point of conversation between her and Shane. "He's delusional. He just doesn't want to believe that he can be so chatty."

"Sounds like something a therapist would say." He chuckled. Amusement danced in the depths of his blue eyes.

"And you're trying to distract me. So, spill. The first session is always free. Don't owe me any future candy bars you come across."

"Candy bars huh? I thought it was lifesaving."

"It changes per person. Shane was the one that offered that option up." Remington wasn't going to say how she thought Rick was still very firmly pushed into the category of someone she was unsure would have her back in an emergency. Yes, he had backed her up on quite a few things, but those weren't life-or-death situations. She knew what he had done, leaving Merle behind like that, kept her from truly believing he had come to see the group as family.

Remington was almost positive that she was the only one that held that perspective. There were a few who were coming close, but she was aware that it mainly went out to her and her kids.

It was yet another thing on her long list of things to change.

"So?" she pressed on. "Are you going to open up to the possibly last therapist in the world?"

"You'd be in pretty high demand once word got out. Think you could pencil me in when things blow up." He was still trying to deflect but Remington would let him. For now.

"I'll always have time for my first patients." She smiled kindly at him. Pushing for him to open up but not wanting to force him into something he wasn't ready for. They walked in silence. Side by side as they searched the woods and made sure the string was still strung up.

At one point Remington stopped to fix a tangle in the line and Rick stood behind her, watching patiently, as he kept an eye out for Walkers. She cursed silently to herself and wondered how she always seemed to be the one fixing the mess the line turned into when something got caught in it. She could barely make out the tracks of deer, only recognizing them due to Daryl pointing out similar ones a couple of days before. She reminded herself to tell him about them, hoping that maybe they could have deer soon, but knowing he felt too skittish to take her out on another hunting trip.

Lost in thought she hadn't realized Rick had decided to talk until she heard his voice.

"I don't understand why my best friend, my brother, won't have anything to do with me." She glanced over her shoulder from where she was crouched and saw the look of confusion and pain that rested there on his face. If she had been paying attention Remington knew she would realize he was about to break.

"How does that make you feel?"

He frowned, incredulously, as he peered down at her. "In everything that you could have said, that's what you came up with?" She could read his face, she had just blurted out the most stereotypical thing she could have, but she honestly wasn't expecting him to ask about Shane again. Lori, yes, but Shane no, and Remington panicked. Out of everyone, Remington knew a hell of a lot that she shouldn't, but she didn't feel as if it was her place to say anything on the subject. That didn't mean she enjoyed lying or deflecting.

"Sorry. It just came out." She stood, pushing herself from the ground, as she wiped her hands free of dirt. "What I meant to say was why do you think he's doing that?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"That's not how therapy works. I can't get into the headspace of a person who isn't here."

"But, you know, don't you? The two of you spend so much time together. It's like you've become that new person whom he can just open up to. When did it change between us?"

"Does it bother you more that he's found someone new to open up to, in general, or is it because you no longer feel like that person? Would you have felt this same way if it were anyone else?" Remington tilted her head in curiosity as she genuinely wanted to know the answer. He never looked at her with contentment, or anger, only sometimes with fear, or uneasiness. On occasion, she may even get those smiles of amusement.

Rick Grimes was intimidated by her, and Remington couldn't figure out why.

"I feel many things about you but threatened is not one of them." He sighed, before he came to a stop, and leaned up against a tree. Remington figured they were now going to take a break. When she realized how close they were getting to the cabin she realized he wasn't ready to quit talking yet, and once they set foot back among the others, he would lose his nerve.

"It's curious that you brought up the word threatened."

"I just feel like I've lost my best friend, and yes, it bothers me that it's you. Not because I feel as if you're a danger to him, or would lead him wrong, but the fact that he seems to be growing, and I feel as if I've been shut out. The only difference between before, and now, are you."

"I'm the change in your dynamic." She nodded. Understanding that.

"He's always been open to me until I came back from the dead, and he's suddenly following you around. Any time I try to talk to him he's scrambling off with some half-assed excuse before running off to you."

"We've become quite close, but I can assure you that I've got nothing to do with the change in your friendship. Shane has his own dilemmas to deal with right now. Maybe, he's trying to come to an understanding before reaching out to you."

"I wish he could just stop and tell me that himself."

"People sometimes find it hard confronting something that's bothering them."

"He shouldn't have to feel that way." He rubbed at his face, the worry lines etched deeper, causing him to look older at that moment.

"Times are tough right now. Plenty of people are acting differently than they normally would. Eventually, things settle, and even though it can be different, it'll become the new normal, and I think Shane and you will be able to overcome whatever it is coming between the two of you."

"Yah sure it's not just you? I could maybe understand if he were just really infatuated with you. Wouldn't explain everything but fuck if it isn't the first time, he's been too busy chasing tail to bother with me."

"I don't think it's that." At least it wasn't with me. God, she felt terribly thinking that. She really needed to get it through Lori's thick head that this secret was destroying people's relationships, even if it wasn't her own with her husband. Not that she honestly believed in that statement, but until one of them confirmed it with her, she couldn't be sure.

"Your strange you know that. I wasn't here in the beginning, but I've talked to people, yah know. You like to meddle. It seems like you crashed into these people's lives one day and just kind of changed everything."

The entire conversation just shifted so suddenly that Remington felt like she had just experienced whiplash.

"What do you mean?" Someone could have mentioned how it was before she had arrived, and Rick was observant. He could have found something strange. And it seemed he already felt concerned over her, and their talk didn't make her feel confident to place it on good or bad terms.

"Don't take it as a bad thing," he comforted. "Everyone has only good things to say about you." Remington wanted to point out how she hardly thought Lori had anything nice to say about her but reframed for doing so. "It's just you've almost seemed to give them a direction. Hope. Something that's not only relying on someone to come and save them, because someone already has."

"You're the strange one, Grimes," she said. "I thought we were talking about your failing relationship with your brother and how you're afraid I'm going to run away with him."

"You're not going anywhere. I have my concerns but here we are. I grilled you for information and you kept his secrets to yourself. Yah could have given me something, but instead, you deflected it all back on my feelings, and what I thought was going on. Whatever is going on between the two of you I at least now know I can trust you to have his back."

"As yours, and his therapist, that's my job. It's a total violation of conflicting interests but you can't be picky during the apocalypse."

"As my therapist, I'm not afraid to tell you that you're a little blunter than you should be. Shouldn't you have guided me more during that conversation? Apocalypse or not don't you have a reputation to keep."

"I tend to be a little more familiar with those that bring me personally into the session. You most definitely owe me a few candy bars." She hesitated from stepping away as she narrowed her eyes a bit at him. "Were you trying to interrogate me?"

"May have tried to slip it in there but you did a good job at keeping me on track by distracting me about my feelings."

They bickered back and forth as they continued walking back to camp. The atmosphere between them eased a little, but Remington knew it would always be there until Lori and Shane came clean. She only hoped it didn't make it worse. Or destroy the relationship between the two men.

A plan began to form inside her mind. She would not allow the relationship between Shane and Rick to get any worse than it was. She didn't want what happened in the show to still happen and unfortunately, it was a very real possibility if she continued letting things go down the path they were.

Remington Solace began to prepare and hoped it would go according to plan.

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It had taken a few days before Remington had been able to sway people to look for a farm with her. Grueling, and constant bucking against, those she had expected it from, Lori, and the surprising Amy and Andrea.

Most of everyone else was on the fence. They understood the cabin was only short term but weren't excited at the prospect of moving on and leaving into the unsureness of what was waiting for them out there.

Remington in no way planned on throwing them into the deep end and hoped and prayed they would be safe. No, she always had a plan.

All she knew was that the Greene farm wasn't terribly too far away from the quarry. They had made it there the same day they escaped from the CDC. If she was remembering that right. Her memories were a bit blurry, and she knew asking Jackson would get her nowhere. There was no way he would have remembered such a small detail.

Regardless they couldn't stay here for much longer, but if they sent out a small group of people to search it would allow them to keep the cabin safe and for her to search for the farm without everyone being out in danger at once. It would minimize the people she would need to protect and allow them to move much faster.

Hopefully, no one questioned her about her pickiness over where they moved on to if it came to it. If she were really lucky, she would find them on the first look around. Luck was hardly something that came easily to Remington. At least, not without repercussions.

"I wanna come with," Maisie said, staring up with wide eyes at her mother. Remington had chosen Merle and Rick to come with her, leaving Shane in charge at the cabin, as they went off looking for a more secure place to bunker down in. Only Merle seemed to think that Remington had a deeper plan than she was letting everyone know.

"What?" Remington asked, eyes growing wide, as she stared down in shock at her daughter. "Maisie, I don't know."

"I don't want you going without me." Maisie jutted out her lip, it wobbled for a moment, before she seemed to shove back the feelings of hurt and worry and centered herself. It said a lot for a four-year-old to be able to do that. Remington wondered if she was growing up far too fast. "I froze."

Remington frowned not understanding what her daughter was getting at. "Little bug, what are you trying to say?"

"I froze!" she yelled out, looking frustrated as she tried to calm herself back down. "I saw the dead man and froze. I wanna protect you. I wanna protect myself. Take me with you. Teach me how not to be scared."

Remington dropped to her knees, reaching out to grip her daughter's shoulder gently, as she locked eyes with her.

"If you come out there, Maisie, you need to understand that anything can happen. Your safer back here at camp with all the others."

"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "I want to go with you." Pulling her forward she wrapped her arms around Maisie as she took several deep breaths. Remington hated leaving her behind. When Shane had told her what happened before the rescue group had made it back to camp, Remington had felt her heart try to jump out of her chest, she had been so scared to realize how close she had come to losing Maisie. How close she had come to losing Landon. He had attacked the Walker and could have died. She had kept them both close to her that night.

She didn't like thinking about Maisie being out there on the road, but Remington knew one day it would be inevitable. She could change all the events that she wanted but eventually, they would be forced to make their way to Alexandria. It was part of the plan, but Remington wanted to try to keep them at the prison for longer, to let Maisie and Remington age up, and for Judith to not be so young.

Keeping her locked up behind a sense of safety wasn't doing Maisie any favors.

Remington hated that she felt this way and understood where Maisie was coming from.

Slowly, she nodded her consent.

"You will stay by my side, or Merles, or Ricks. You won't leave either of us even for a second, do you understand Maisie? Anything can happen out there. You will need to listen to anything we tell you."

"I understand, momma," she said, smiling big at the acceptance.

Remington tried smiling back as she went about grabbing something for Maisie to use to protect herself. When she found the small hatchet Remington felt it would work well enough. Placing it inside the leather cover she clipped it to Maisie's belt loop and once again went over the rules that must be followed.

Maisie had been practicing with the hatchet for a couple of weeks now and Remington felt confident enough that she wouldn't go around hurting herself with it.

"It doesn't come out unless you see any danger."

"Yes, momma."

"Get in the car."

Maisie scrambled off to do as told as Remington walked toward where Shane was sitting with Landon. Everyone was gazing in curiosity or horror as they watched Maisie take off toward the car those that were leaving were using. Remington could see how Lori's face vocalized the most disapproval, but there were a few like Amy and Dale who didn't look pleased in the least. Glenn seemed worried but he at least kept his face neutral. As she came to stand in front of Shane he nodded his head toward the car.

"You think that's a good idea?"

"I think she's right. She needs to learn how not to be afraid of the world around her. She's safest with me anyhow. We should be fine."

"A little mother-daughter bonding trip," Shane said, smiling softly, as he tried to convey his support on the matter.

"Thanks," she whispered, before turning to Landon. "How about you? Do you want to come?" She felt horrible about letting Maisie go and not at least asking Landon. For all, she knew Landon was having the same problems, but when he shook his head no, Remington couldn't help but feel relieved. One less child she would have to worry about out there. Reaching forward she ruffled his hair fondly before kissing him on the top of the head.

"Shane was going to show me how to tie some more knots. Pa never knew how to do those." Nodding Remington fluffed up his hair one last time before turning back toward the car.

"You two stay safe, all right."

"Should be us telling you that," Shane said. "Get going and come back soon."

"You know the drill. If we're not back by sundown send a search crew out mid-morning tomorrow. If we're just having a tough time getting back that'll give us enough time to do it before you send someone out."

Shane nodded in understanding, but it was obvious he didn't like the sound of it. Remington figured it wouldn't be something they needed to worry about. They would be going out an hour or so away to search some farmland Rick had pointed out. They should be back by late afternoon if everything went according to plan.

Hardly anything ever went to plan since Remington had started messing with the timeline, but she forcefully focused on anything but that.

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The trip so far had been going over well. They had made a few stops, to ransack vehicles, to find gas, and they had come across a few houses, all of which Remington had deemed as unworthy of what they were searching for.

Merle had accepted it easily. He already had an inkling of something more going on, but Rick was completely in the dark, didn't understand that there were just some things Remington seemed to know, and questioned it often. Remington didn't find this to be annoying and calmly explained what she was looking for. She wanted something that could be used to keep them going for a long time. He easily relented afterward and allowed her to take back control of the trip.

It wasn't until she had been glaring down at the map, absentmindedly responding to Maisie, that Merle, who was driving, began to curse.

"What's wrong?" she asked, not glancing up from the map. She was frowning, glaring harshly at the lines, and useless information the map gave her. It didn't have a neon sign saying, 'Greene farm' so it was useless to her. She tried remembering the map that Hershel once showed Rick about where the farm was, but it was pointless. Her memory wasn't that good.

"Got caught up in a pileup," Merle muttered. "Gonna have ta go around."

"Do you think the ground is too soft?" Rick asked, leaning forward. "Could get stuck."

"What are you two talking about?" Remington glanced up in confusion only to halt her movements and stared in amazement at what she saw. It was the graveyard of cars where Sophia had gone missing in the series.

"Maybe, we should just turn back," Rick said.

"No." Remington yanked at the door handle and began to pull herself from the car. "Thank God. They're close by." Pixel followed closely behind.

No one had heard her say the last bit but both men climbed out of the car looking uncertain of what was going on.

"Yah want us ta look through this stuff?" Merle asked, his eyes narrowing a bit, as he watched her.

"There should be plenty of stuff we would need from here," Remington said, waving him off as she glanced around. "Water, maybe an arsenal of pointy things, clothes." She was spouting off things at random, from what she remembered from the show, as she preoccupiedly stared down the road, trying to remember what Maggie had said in the show.

She must have missed the turn-off for the farm. Which made sense because it had never been shown in the show. She had been so preoccupied with the map and hadn't been searching for it.

They were so close.

"You stated that like a fact," Rick said, growing suspicious.

Maisie climbed out of the door left open by Rick and curiously gazed around the area her mom seemed so interested in. Disjoined memories floated to her mind but none of it stuck, she found something familiar about the place, but other than remembering there being crying she didn't really know why her momma was so attached.

Seeing that her mom was walking up and down the road muttering to herself, Pixel following obediently alone, and Merle having moved to start searching cars, Maisie kept her word and latched onto the nearest adult, Rick.

Rick seemed at a loss on what to do, trying to figure out how the search for a farm led them to be parked on the side of a road, going through cars, and why Remington seemed to finally believe they were in the right place.

She was strange to him, and even though their talk from before had eased his mind on what kind of person she was, this had him wondering all over again. Except, she had never led the group astray before, and so he decided to do exactly what Merle was and followed along with Remington unquestionably. He led Maisie over to the nearest car that Merle hadn't looked at and began to search through it. Always keeping an eye on where Maisie was standing beside him.

Remington stared down the road thinking that Maggie had stated something about the turn-off being down the road and that maybe there was some kind of sign. A mailbox maybe? They could search through a couple of cars, bring back a few water jugs to the rest of the group, and start fresh in the morning by going to visit the farm. Remington didn't want anyone getting hurt so trying to talk Hershel into letting them onto the farm was the first thing she needed to do. Getting close to them was all that she could do. Prove that they were good people and would be helpful to have around. In the meantime, she could move everyone else closer, staying in one of the houses they had found, and reinforce it somehow until then.

It was a plan, and she felt pretty confident about it, as she made to turn back around and help the others.

It was starting to get late into the afternoon, it had taken them most of the day to finally find this stretch of road, but they had. She would outline the route they took and take a fresh team of people in the morning. She was thinking of Shane, and Rick, as they were the best at the more political parts of negotiations. She needed people that Hershel would see, respect, and want to trust them. Two cops would spark that emotion in a man like Hershel, who thought all the Walkers were sick, and just needed help.

Brushing past Merle, Remington began to walk toward the truck that she knew would hold water inside, and Rick and Maisie began to go through the cab of the truck.

Maisie climbed in after Rick pulled the dead body out of it, the girl barely gave it a glance, as she searched for anything that would seem useful. Mostly she came across trash which was pushed to the side before she climbed onto the floor of the cab and looked under the seat. There she found something rolled up in leather. Curious she began to pull it free before letting it go with a thud onto the seat.

Rick glanced up, tugging it over to him, as he unrolled it. Inside he found an arsenal of, as Remington had put it, pointy things. "Good find," he said, before rolling it back up. "Find anything else?" She shook her head before Rick motioned for her to try the glovebox.

Behind them, Remi was tugging open the back end of the semi, where she found plastic containers full of water. Merle walked up behind her, wrapping an arm loosely around her shoulders, as he whistled.

"That'll put the group in good spirits," Rick said, he and Maisie coming around the truck. "Found everything exactly like you said we would."

Remington frowned, trying to remember what she had sprouted off, when deep in thought.

"Oh?" she asked. He held up the bundle and Remington's eyes widened. "Oh." She may have slipped a little more than she should have. Instead of pushing the issue, noticing how uncomfortable she looked, and feeling that whatever it is wouldn't put the group in danger, Rick decided to move on. He'd get his answers later, when they weren't out in the open, and could be attacked at any second.

"What do you think we should do next?" he asked. "Keep searching?"

"I think all we're really going to find are clothes, and maybe gas." Hadn't she seen T-Dog siphoning some? It wouldn't hurt to look. "We should try to get what gas we can and then head back. We can come back tomorrow. Do a proper search of the area then."

"Yah think we're close to somethin'?" Merle asked, catching onto the hopeful gleam in her voice.

"I think I recognize the area." How was she supposed to explain it? Maggie, Beth, and Hershel are nearby, sorry you guys don't know them yet, but they become family. They weren't ready for that yet. Merle was well on his way, but Rick was only just now catching onto something more.

"All right," Rick said, nodding in agreement. Firmly he pushed back any confusion and concern. Merle seemed to trust her, and he came off as the type of man who didn't trust easily. Rick was beginning to understand that there was more to the Dixons than met the eye, and he was willing to give them a chance. If Shane had, then maybe he was missing out on something. "Let's spread out."

Remington nodded, grabbing Maisie's hand as she pulled a gas canister from the back of the trunk of the car, and a hose. Merle, and Rick, each took one as well and all three of the adults split up to cover more ground.

"Momma," Maisie asked after watching as her mother failed to find gas after several cars.

"Yes, Maisie?"

"Where are the Walkers?"

Twisting her body, she glanced over her shoulder in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" Remi turned back to attempt at finding gas from a new vehicle.

"Isn't there supposed to be?"

"Walkers aren't everywhere, little bug," Remington stated after almost gagging on the surprise rush of gas that flooded the hose. She had fortunately missed the mouthful heading for her. She made sure the hose was securely in the canister before paying closer attention to Maisie. "Some places are safe for a period of time. They roam randomly."

"Yeah." Maisie nodded. "I know. E'cept Walkers should be here, right?"

"Why do you say that?" Sometimes it was better to let kids lead the conversation, especially when you didn't understand what they were trying to say. Only, Remington was worried that she knew exactly what Maisie was going to say.

"I saw it. Walkers here."

"I know." Remington sighed, biting her lip as she tried to figure out how to explain it. "You see a lot of things that look familiar but aren't right."

"Yeah."

"Mommy used to watch a show before we came here. It wasn't often, and you only really got to see a tiny amount of it, but it reminds you of this place, right?"

"Yes, momma."

"That's because it's the same. But you should keep that between me and you. It's safer that way."

"Why?"

"Cause, sometimes, things that are different scare people, and then they treat you differently."

"Merle didn't." Maisie glanced over to where the man was bent over, looking inside a car. "I told him about his hand. Was that bad?"

"No." Remington shook her head causing Maisie to pay attention to her again. "Merle's different. He seems to accept it, but we still need to keep it to ourselves, but if you ever find the need to want to talk about it, then he would be okay."

"All right." Maisie began to fiddle with the loop around her machete. "So, the Walkers aren't coming?"

"I don't know, Maisie. I don't think so. I changed a lot. It's not so easy to figure things like that out anymore. If it happens, I'll protect you."

"Merle, and Mr. Grimes too?"

"Yeah. They would too."

Remington may still feel wary about Rick but the one thing he had proved early on in the show, children were not something he would sacrifice, for anything. He had been the only one to chase after Sophia after she ran off and had done it without hesitation. She knew, at least, in regard to Maisie, he would do his best to protect her.

The adults of the group, well that was different, and the man had a lot of proving to do.

Mother and daughter moved on in silence as they walked deeper into the pile-up of vehicles until finally, something felt off.

Remington realized she had moved further away from the two men than they had planned. They were supposed to stay close, but in her decision to leave a couple of cars in between for the other two to search, she had gotten quite a bit further than they did.

That itch nagged at her again.

"Mai-," Remington started to call out before falling silent. Next to her Pixel had lowered his head, nose in the air, and tale pointed, as he growled lowly. Remington's eyes widened as she glanced around in a frenzy. There, several hundred yards ahead of them, moving mindlessly around vehicles were two Walkers. They hadn't noticed them yet.

"Momma," Maisie cried, her own eyes widening as she saw them.

"Sh!" Picking her up Remington threw Maisie onto her back as she crouched low and began to head back in the direction they came from.

It wasn't a herd, just two, and could easily be dispatched with Merle and Rick.

She wasn't going to panic.

Maisie wrapped her arms tightly around her neck as Remington took off, keeping close to the ground, as they weaved in and out of the cars, Pixel hot on her heel.

"It's nothing to be scared of," Remington whispered as she felt Maisie shake. "We'll take care of them."

"Okay," Maisie replied just as softly.

She heard a struggle ahead of them. The groan of a Walker and the yell of who sounded far too much like Merle.

"Shit." Spinning around Remington pulled Maisie from her back and over toward a car. "I need you to hide inside, don't lift your head, stay on the floorboard, and don't come out until I tell you it's okay. Do you understand?"

Maisie nodded her head.

"Maisie, I need to hear you say it." Remington quietly and carefully pulled the door of the car open.

"Yes."

"Good, girl." She quickly kissed the girl's forehead. "I need Pixels' help. You just stay quiet and keep your eyes closed. Nothing can get in. I love you."

Without waiting for a response Remington closed the door and pulled her machete from her belt. Behind her, she could hear the two Walkers from before. They were growing closer and upon hearing the struggle, knew there was prey nearby.

Remington would need to take care of them before she could safely leave Maisie behind to go after Merle.

Something foul and sharp curdled her stomach at the thought.

Please, please, be okay. Remington had to be a mother first. Maisie had to be safe. Then she would do everything in her power to protect Merle. Just please hold on.

┈┈┈┈․° °․┈┈┈┈

Merle noticed far too late that the girls had gotten too far ahead. He had been keeping pace fairly easily as most of the cars barely had anything to offer. Only, it seemed, he had far better luck than Remington who had moved on and was now lost in the sea of cars. He cursed silently in his head as he pulled the hose from the tank and looked around for the other part of their group.

Rick was a few cars over, finishing up his own vehicle, and having not noticed the absence of the other two. At least not yet.

Tugging the hose up into his arms Merle twisted the cap back onto the full canister and went to push it up against the car when he caught the look of alarm on Rick's face. Merle heard the first signs of trouble. It was low, full of hunger, and eagerness as it sighted its prey. Twisting around he barely had time to knock the walker back before swinging the butt of the gun against the side of the Walker's head. It went down easily and crumpled under Merle's boot as he stomped it down on his head. Letting out another curse Merle abandoned the gas and spun back around to where Rick had pulled a hammer out of the arsenal and swung it at another Walker.

There weren't many and between the two of them, they decimated the small number.

"The girls," Merle muttered harshly as he wiped at his brow.

"Yeah, there could be more of them."

Later Remington would curse the two of them for not being more cautious.

Merle could feel the panic seize him as he realized that they could be in danger. It drove him to react irrationally as he took the lead weaving through the cars. Ahead of them, he could see the flash of white and black, a clear sign of Pixel, and with relief came the sudden plummet of his stomach. He had spotted the dog, but not Remington, which must have meant she was hiding.

The only reason they were hiding was to avoid Walkers.

Remington was smart. She wouldn't have taken them one on one with the kid nearby, even if the numbers were in her favor.

"Up ahead," Merle pitched his voice low as they darted after the dog. Only, as Merle rounded the corner, crouched low to the ground, a snarl filled his ear, as he caught sight of a propped-up Walker. He was lying in wait, having been sitting against the car, almost as if he knew Merle and Rick would walk right by.

Hands reached out; teeth snapped toward Merle's hand. He tried yanking it back, expecting to feel the sharp pain of a bite, only to be knocked back. His hand was yanked, and he clutched reflexively onto the person who did it, causing them to stumble forward, straight into the chomping undead. Merle felt the cement of the road as it dug into his back and the pain that exploded in the back of his head as it met concrete.

The world around him flashed in an array of colors as sound filtered down to a sole ringing.

He stared up dazedly at the cloudless sky as a shriek of pain pierced the buzzing.

┈┈┈┈․° °․┈┈┈┈

Remington sliced through the last Walker's head and could hear the stampeding feet of Merle and Rick. She frowned at the way she could hear them. They weren't trying to be quiet, and she just knew they weren't thinking straight.

Huffing in annoyance she crouched low and began to make her way silently toward where the noise was coming from. Her eyes danced around the crowded area, watching for signs of the Undead, and signals from Pixel.

He alerted her to being close when Remington rounded the corner to see the Walker nearing Merle. A startled yell built in her throat before it was bit back down. She was still functioning in survival mode, not her normal emotional self. It's how she had taken down the two Walkers without shaking.

Her brothers' lessons were taking over, and she had it drilled into her, even when scared, don't let your enemy see it, or give away your position.

Before she could do anything, not that there was anything she could do, Merle was too far away, but it hadn't mattered. Someone else came to his defense.

Rick yanked Merle back, quicker than the Walker had been, but hadn't accounted for Merle's gut reaction to be to grab at him. Remington watched the way his hand slammed into Rick, throwing him off balance, and straight into the waiting Walker.

Merle fell back and didn't get back up, but the sounds coming from him told Remington he was alive, if not a bit hurt. Rick, however, was in far worse condition. The scream that was ripped from his lips had Remington moving on pure instinct as she swept in, machete cutting through Walker brain, as she pinned it to the car behind it.

She refused to allow her mind to catch up and start to act on anything but pure instinct. Remington saw the way his eyes had dilated as he held up the bleeding hand, cradling it to his chest. A finger was half hanging, while another was completely gone. Horror leaked from his expression as he began to shake and fell to his knees.

Remington's gaze homed in on the crescent moon-shaped bite that now marked the meaty part of his skin in a macabre emblem of death.

"I-," Rick stuttered through words that made no sense, as he continued to look on in horror at what had happened. "Carl. Lori. I- can't-." Remington dropped to her knee, pushing down on him, and as he was in a state of shock, he easily followed her nudging.

"Sh. Nothing's gonna happen." She avoided thinking about what he had just done. How, if he survived, Remi would trust him more with the lives of others. She refused to cloud her thoughts with the idea that his last words, and worries, would have been about his family because Rick Grimes did not die here. She pulled his arm away from his body before standing back up.

Still not thinking over her actions, and just moving through the motion, she grabbed the axe from the bundle of weapons he had dropped during the attack.

She pushed down the bubble of frustration at his stupidity, the gratefulness that it hadn't been Merle, and the queasiness over what she was about to do.

Remington Solace was a planner.

Remington was an adapter.

She was a protector.

Raising the axe Remington pushed past everything that told her she couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry." She breathed through her mouth and exhaled through her nose.

"What?" Rick asked dazedly as he focused in on the woman above him.

"Forgive me."

He cried out just as Remington swung the hand-sized axe down.

A piercing scream caught in the air before suddenly fading away as blood splattered across her face.

All that was left was her heavy breathing and the groan of pain as Merle came too.

And the blood that stained that highway.

Omg sometimes I even surprise myself. This was not supposed to go down this way. I had it planned differently, but here we are.

What do you think is going to happen?!

Did Remi help Rick in time? Or have I gone off the deep end and our favorite cop will be leaving the scene earlier than planned?