"To be honest, this is my new baby," I said, rubbing the dash as I slid back inside the car. I'd been sticking my head out the window for at least ten minutes, letting the wind blow through my hair and pretending I was in the end credits of a movie.

Glenn looked over at me for a quick second with a smile. "Our baby."

"Well, you let me know when you're ready to move out of the driver's seat." I gave him a suppressed smile and put my feet on the dash, leaning back and enjoying the smooth ride he was taking through the mountains to get back to the quarry where we resided.

"Well, I'm not pulling over with this alarm blaring." The alarm for this car hadn't stopped going off since we left Atlanta. The dead were long gone, and I had tuned that shit out miles ago.

"As if those things are going to catch up now." I rolled my eyes playfully and leaned my head on his shoulder. He planted a kiss on my temple and used one hand to rub my thighs. Even five years later, he still made my heart flutter with those little displays of affection.

"We're getting closer," Glenn announced quietly. He almost sounded sad. I knew he was having so much fun driving this sports car—something we couldn't even have afforded to test drive a couple of months ago.

"Well then, let's enjoy the last bit of this ride!" I shouted, hoping to give my boyfriend some happiness. Off my playful energy alone, his smile grew from ear to ear, and the speedometer increased from 90 to 120.

Of course, because our entrance was being announced by a blaring car alarm, half of the group was waiting for us right at the RV that marked the entrance of the quarry camp. There were looks of anger, confusion, and amusement as we pulled up and hopped out, our smiles beaming.

Shane started banging on the car hood and shouting at Glenn, asking him to pop the hood so he could turn off the alarm. Morales' family and Amy bombarded me with questions about where they were, overstimulating the hell out of me.

"Andrea is fine! God, Amy, calm down." I shook her by the shoulders, looking dead into her wide blue eyes, and turned around to stretch the kinks out of my body. Immediately, she turned around and started yelling at Glenn, so I let him handle that and addressed Morales' family. I quickly told them in Spanish that he was also fine and on his way back.

I didn't feel like I had to do any explaining, but I wanted to be the first to tell the story of Rick Grimes and how I was the one who decided to save him. Once the trunk of the car was closed and the alarm was off, I hopped on top of it and cleared my throat. "So let me tell everyone the story of how Glenn and I—because of me—saved this fucking badass dude who actually had us covered in blood and guts, walking through the streets of Atlanta so we could get out because we were trapped."

Dale, one of the older men and the owner of the RV at our camp, raised his brow at me. "What?"

Glenn finished telling the story for me. "Such a badass! We found him hiding in a tank, and he ran through so many and didn't get touched! He even beat the shit out of Merle Dixon. It was crazy."

Shane looked nothing more than perplexed. "Well, I can't wait to meet this guy, then."

Coincidentally, the truck carrying all the other survivors pulled up behind the Porsche. I sighed and walked away to let everyone have their reunions and storytelling. The youngest boy here, Carl, was sitting by himself, playing with the action figures I had got him before on a previous run. He looked up and smiled at my presence.

"Hey, Carl." He was such a cute kid, with the cutest little haircut framing his baby face. Having younger brothers made me have an easy sweet spot for little boys. "Got you something new. I don't know how you feel about Lifesavers, but maybe you'll like them more if you're reading this Spider-Man comic."

I wiggled my brows and held out the treats I had snagged for him. Somehow his smile got even larger, and he immediately jumped up to claim his prize, giving me a big hug as a thank you. I rubbed his head and gave it a small pat, expecting him to let go of me at that point, but he didn't. It was almost like he froze.

"Dad?" His little voice said quietly.

"What? What do you mean? I'm not your—"

"Dad!" He shouted, pushing off of me and sprinting behind me. I turned around. Ain't no fucking way.

Then I saw Carl's mom, Lori, running up behind him as well. Yes, fucking way. The joy I felt seeing Lori and Carl reuniting with Rick was unexplainable. My cheeks stung from the smile on my face. I ran to my boyfriend and hugged him from behind. "Babe! We fucking saved Carl's dad!"

Glenn kissed me in celebration and grabbed my face. We both were like kids in a candy store, overfilled with happiness and disbelief. Glenn and I were literally the shit! It was a beautiful sight to see, and everyone around us was just staring in silence and awe. Who knew I'd have such a good day in a fucking apocalypse?

Of course, everything settled down. Glenn and I went to our respective tent, and I started rolling up the last of the weed we had. Glenn undressed in front of me and changed out of the sweaty, grimy clothes from earlier. We definitely smelled rank, but in a moment's time, we would smell like straight skunk.

"Babe," he called for my attention. "Aren't Shane and Lori a thing?"

I stopped rolling up and locked eyes with him. "Huh. I never thought of that. Wait. Wasn't Shane a cop? Do you think he knew Rick too?"

"Duh."

"That's so fucked." I laughed and shrugged, going back to my drugs. I kept my eye trained on his thin but still toned and sexy body while I did. I really loved this boy. He caught my eye and smirked, coming next to me and giving me a sloppy, wet kiss.

"Okay, relax before we don't make it in time for dinner." I pulled away and licked the blunt I was rolling, digging in my bag for a lighter. Now that that was done, I kicked my shoes off and handed Glenn the weed and lighter. He got to work lighting and smoking it while I took my turn to change into different shorts and a shirt. Today was fun and really nice, but I could never resist a good blunt to wind down at the end of the day.

Only a couple of hours later, it was dark, and we were sitting around the campfire eating the dinner that had been divided for the night. Lori was cuddled up next to Rick as he shared his story about waking up from a coma and finding his way to Atlanta. I listened intently, genuinely interested in him and how strong-willed he was. "Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented. Fear, confusion… all those things but… disoriented comes closest."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while, I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever," he said solemnly.

Carl looked up at him and mumbled, "Mom said you were dead."

Rick's response just showed how good of a family man he was. "She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it."

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta," Lori explained, "and it never happened."

Thunder rumbled softly in the background of the conversation being held, solidifying the somber mood everyone was in as we listened to Rick. "I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell. And from the look of it, that hospital got overrun."

For the first time in a long time since Rick's arrival, Shane spoke up. "Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?"

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it," Rick responded with a stern look. Even though our high was fading, Glenn and I shared a telling look. I wasn't going to say I was excited, but I definitely wanted to see how this would play out.

Before anyone could speak, the nearby fire that belonged to a different family sparked and cracked as another log dropped onto it. Sophia, the oldest girl here, sat quietly with her mom, Carol, and her dad, Ed. The girls were always quiet, mostly because they had an overbearing and abusive man in their lives. It was obvious Ed was a piece of shit—an abusive bully who loved stirring up trouble with the other women in the group too. Even though I made it a point to take care of Sophia in whatever ways I could, I stayed clear of his mean, big, burly ass.

"Hey, Ed," Shane called out to him, "wanna rethink that log?"

"It's cold, man." I instantly saw how pissed Shane got when Ed shrugged him off.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it? Keep our fires low, just embers so we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold. You should mind your own business for once." Shane got up immediately at his response, storming over to Ed as the rest of us sat quietly. The solemn mood turned tense quickly when Shane approached him, placing his hand on his hips and giving him an authoritative stare.

Ed was a pussy, of course, and didn't want to challenge Shane anymore. He ordered his wife to pull the flaming log out of the fire. She obeyed quickly, and Shane continued asserting his dominance, talking to Carol and Sophia.

While that was happening, Dale asked, "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

I had completely forgotten about Merle. I didn't even know what happened to him. I would've asked, but my high was fading, and I wanted to enjoy the peace I was feeling from not speaking this whole time.

"I dropped the key," T-Dog explained. "It's on me."

"Wait." There went my peace. I just couldn't believe that they still had him chained up there. I asked, "I thought maybe he just got caught up or something. You just left him there?"

"I cuffed him. It's on me." Rick was quick to own up to it.

As if my voice had brought Glenn back from his high too, he said, "Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did. I ain't gonna hide from him."

I couldn't help but scoff at him, "Look, I know you wouldn't do that shit on purpose, but who's to say Daryl would think that. I mean, it's probably better off if I tell him. I'm the only one who's ever had a real conversation with either of them here."

Glenn was quick to interject, "No, I do not want to get involved with that shit." Well, the boyfriend has spoken.

"We could lie," Amy suggested meekly.

"No, Amy," I said. "That's so fucked up. We just have to tell the truth. Honestly, he was out of control, and it's kind of good that Rick showed up and did that shit."

"Either way, we're gonna have our hands full when that boy gets back," Dale stated, getting up from his seat to retire his old behind to bed. He was always the voice of reason.

"Look," T said firmly, "I was scared, and I ran. I'm not ashamed of that. But I stopped long enough to chain that door. The staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that… Not that chain, not that padlock. My point… Dixon's alive, and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us."

Everyone shared a look at his statement, and it seemed the conversation was over after that. T left and walked to his own tent. Next was Rick and his family, so I took that as a time to get up and hit the hay. I stretched and pulled Glenn up by his hand. Amy got up after and followed slowly behind us. "Did you guys smoke without me?" she asked, almost appalled.

"Girl…" I rolled my eyes. "It was the last little bit. I don't know when I'm going to be able to find more, either. Especially with Merle gone."

We walked ahead of her so she would leave. I didn't even mean to blow her off, but I didn't need to explain to her why we didn't smoke with her, even if she was my closest friend. I literally wanted to go cuddle and pass out with Glenn.

In our tent, Glenn threw himself down on the sleeping bags and pillows we had stacked on the floor. He looked ready to pass out too. I dropped myself right on top of him. It almost felt normal.

The next morning, I woke up alone, as usual. I had always been a late riser, partly due to working the night shift for two years delivering pizza. I don't know how Glenn was able to get up at the times he did. Of course, I had to hit a good stretch and a little bit of yoga that I was learning from this book I had found on a run.

I was in the middle of a downward dog pose when a high-pitched scream broke me out of my focus and made me lose my balance. In my shorts and sports bra, I bolted out of my tent with a hunting knife in hand. That was definitely a child's scream. Slightly behind the tents, there was a string of cans hung to alert people when they were sleeping, and that was where I found them.

I quickly snagged Carl and Sophia, pulling them away from the edge of the woods. Others weren't far behind, and their respective parents rushed over, grabbing their terrified kids from me and holding them close.

"It's in the woods," I half-shouted to all the guys in the camp as I tried to catch my breath. God, this is not how I wanted to start my morning.

The men went running past the barrier, and I wouldn't have followed if I hadn't seen Glenn sprinting as well. Of course, I took off behind them. When we reached the clearing, there was a dead walker lying in the middle, another one hunched over, feasting on its neck. I hadn't realized those things were so close to us. But that wasn't even the worst part—there were two arrows sticking out of its backside. That was definitely the work of Daryl Dixon.

No one wanted any part of the Dixon brothers. But I'm a kind-hearted person, at least. I was used to being poor, used to being outcasted. I knew what it was like to have a rough upbringing, and it was obvious the Dixon brothers had it tough too. It was ridiculous how they got treated, especially considering Daryl hunted all the time and brought back meat for the group. Even before Merle found and gave us some weed, I'd asked Glenn if I could help them out around camp—bringing them food, washing their clothes, or just talking to them without acting like I was scared they'd murder me. Merle was forever an asshole, but Daryl could be pretty cool and polite when he wanted to be.

The men killed the walker easily, and shortly after, the leaves started to rustle. We all tensed up, thinking it was going to be another walker. But it just so happened to be the man himself, Daryl Dixon.

He was already pissed off because of the walker that ate his deer. He kicked the carcass while muttering out insults, "Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this… filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son, that's not helping," Dale tried to calm him, which was maybe the dumbest thing he could've done at that moment.

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl snapped. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to *On Golden Pond*? I've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed-up part right here?"

"I'm good on that," I gagged and shook my head. Glenn finally looked over at me and noticed my attire. His eyes damn near popped out of his head as he rushed to cover me up.

It made me uncomfortable just thinking about how everyone was staring Daryl down while he unknowingly boasted about the squirrels he had brought us back to eat for dinner. He was completely clueless, and it was sad.

"Can you get some clothes on?" Glenn pleaded in a whisper. Honestly, I would've done anything to avoid being there when they broke the news about Merle. I nodded quickly and made my way back to the tent. All hell was about to break loose.

I didn't even want to be anywhere near them when that shit went down. I filled a bucket with water and headed down to the quarry to take a fake bath. We're running low on soap; I really need to grab some the next time we're out.

I could literally hear the commotion while I was splashing in the water and washing myself up. Daryl's voice definitely carried. I didn't come out until I was sure the arguing had died down. I sauntered back, my flip-flops smacking in the mud and my long hair dripping. Nobody paid me any mind as the men sat by the cars. Rick was fully dressed and arguing with Shane. I just knew I didn't miss this drama.

I noticed pretty quickly that the parts had been taken off the Porsche, and my jaw dropped. "What the fuck?" I said, arms out, wide-eyed, and shooting daggers.

"They stripped her," Glenn confirmed sadly. He pouted and tapped the hood. My poor babies. And Rick wants me to go with him and Daryl. We're going back to Atlanta, to get Merle."

"Okay, hold on, just let me get ready."

"No." He said firmly. "I don't want you going back to that death trap."

Rick or Daryl didn't intervene; they just watched us as we discussed. I liked making my boyfriend feel like the boss, like any girl whose man took care of her would, but I just didn't agree. It would be one of the first times we were not in each other's vicinity during all this.

"Babe, you're not going alone," I said immediately. "Anything could happen."

"I promise I'll make sure he gets back to you," Rick tried. "You have my word."

"Promises don't mean much nowadays," I said matter-of-factly.

"Majesty, I'm going too. You know I will make sure nothing happens to him," T stepped up and stood next to my boyfriend. Now there were two men trying to give me this bullshit reassuring look. I didn't like this at all.

"No," Shane said quickly, "we're not risking four men for Merle Dixon. You do that and you're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns," Rick suggested. That caught Shane's attention quick.

"What guns?"

Rick explaining reminded me of the bag he wanted to go back for, that he literally dropped in the middle of the street. "Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up."

"You got ammo?"

"700 rounds, assorted."

And just like that, Shane was quiet with his protesting. It was silent until Lori shot up, "You went through hell to find us. You just got here, and you're gonna turn around and leave? To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in. Tell me. Make me understand."

"It's fucked up that you're talking about his brother as if he's not right here!" That shit was rubbing me the wrong way. "It's fine, Rick doesn't have to go. I'll go. I can help."

"No!" Glenn grabbed my hand and forced me to look him dead in his soft chocolate brown eyes. It was hard to keep eye contact with him when he was being so serious. We had a staring contest until I finally gave up, throwing my hands up in defeat.

"Fine, whatever." I shouted before stomping away. Guess I'll just stay here and be useless.

Before he left, Glenn came and gave me a long kiss goodbye. We always made sure to share I love you's no matter what, especially with this new shit going on. Even after his reassurance, there was no way that my anxiety wasn't going to spike all to hell as soon as that truck pulled off. Right now, I could use anything to calm me down. Literally anything. Now more than ever, it felt like Glenn was my entire life, and I just didn't think I would be able to cope without him here. To say I loved that boy to death was an understatement.

When you find someone that loves you for who you are, quirks and all, and who chooses to understand you, even in your hardest times, you don't let them go. And I was so scared of him not making it back. I really had to put all my trust and faith in Rick Grimes.

A bit later, Amy came and saw me in my tent laying around like a useless piece of shit. I couldn't help it. I just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Honey," she frowned. "You can't sulk around all day because Glenn is gone."

"Do not say he's gone," I said sternly.

"Aww, you know what I mean." She grabbed at my arm. "Come wash with us."

"Sorry I don't have the drive to hang out with people ten to twenty years older than me like you."

Amy laughed. "It's not that bad. Plus, I have an older sister. I have practice. Hurry before they drive down there and make us walk."

I groaned, rolling my eyes but accepting defeat again. I gathered some clothes in a trash bag and sauntered outside to Carol's truck, where Ed was going to drive all the women down to the river for what felt like borderline slave labor, washing everyone's clothing. I didn't mind it most of the time, but now was not one of those times. The truck was packed to the brim with Carol, Andrea, Jacqui, and Ed. I wasn't about to add Amy and myself to that mix.

"I'd rather walk than take that drive," I announced. I looked over the edge of the rocks—definitely a fifteen-minute walk, at least. Whatever—it's not like I couldn't use the exercise and stamina boost.

I stumbled down the path, humming to myself and trying not to think about how sweaty and uncomfortable I was getting. Maybe I should've packed myself into the dumb-ass car. Whatever, no point in thinking about that now.

When I finally got to the quarry, I walked right into an argument between what seemed like all the women in the group and Ed. Of course, it would be his big, bald ass trying to fight a bunch of women. It didn't help that most of us were literally skin and bones. I was probably the only one here with any meat on my bones.

Andrea was going at it with Ed viciously, and the minute I got there, before I could even make out what was being said, he snatched Carol up by her arm and twisted it, trying to pull her away from everyone else. My stupid ass took off running like I was Captain Save-a-Hoe and pushed Ed from behind, smacking the back of his blockhead over and over until he finally let go of Carol.

I got knocked back, my vision blacking out for a second as a sharp pain shot through my lip. Did this man just hit me? Another loud smack rang out—Carol was next. From that point on, it was complete chaos, clamoring and screaming as the women attacked him. I got myself up because I'll be damned if I didn't get another hit in after this man just knocked me on my ass.

Shane seemed to run up out of nowhere, dragging Ed off like a disappointed mom and throwing him to the ground. He started repeatedly punching him over and over again until Ed's nose and lip began leaking blood. I wanted to literally yell at Shane to finish him off right then and there, but Carol was next to me, crying and screaming, begging for Shane to stop. The fact that she was even crying at this pure moment of justice was making me want to rage. It was so hard to get me mad, but the way I was feeling at that moment—I was furious.

Everyone looked at Shane like he was absolutely insane for that, and it made him saunter off in shame. Hell, I wanted to give him a damn pat on the back. I took my busted lip and followed him back up that hill I had just come down for no good reason. Glenn was going to be so annoyed.

Back at the top, I slumped into a chair next to Lori. I was sweaty, out of breath, and pissed off. I probably looked frazzled as hell too. Definitely not my best.

"You ok?" She asked, giving me a once-over.

I scoffed. "Fucking Ed. I can't wait to see the day when he gets torn apart."

"Wouldn't we all?"

"Except Carol. I tell you, a woman is abused her whole life but never stands up for herself? Get a restraining order, go in the protection program, but instead, you have a baby. And you would think she'd be happy he's getting his ass beat, but she's sobbing."

"I think it's deeper than any of us could understand." Lori was seriously not helping my case at all. She was gonna piss me off more, if anything. That's why you don't smoke all your weed, people.

We sat in silence as she broke down some twigs for the fire later. Carl came up to us and sat in a chair next to me. In his little pipsqueak voice, he asked me gently, "Majesty, what happened to your lip?"

I tucked my bottom lip into my mouth and tasted the metallic taste of blood. This motherfucker.

"Mind your business, Carl," Lori ordered, making him hush up and look away.

"I'm fine, honey. Thank you for asking, really." I used my shirt to wipe at my lip and leaned my head back. I just want to take a nap at this point now.

Amy, Andrea, and Jacqui came up to the place where we sat. Amy squatted next to me and repeated Carl's question. I was not going to get asked this all day.

"I feel so sorry for you," Amy said, giving me a slight squeeze around the shoulders. I leaned into her embrace easily and gave her a half hug back. She was so sweet, and I loved it.

"Amy, are you coming fishing?" Andrea's yell from the RV made my eyes shoot open. She was standing there with a whole bunch of gear wrapped around her shoulders. Amy got up pretty quickly. "Gotta go, we'll hang out later."

I nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek for approval. I forgot all about my lip, and the sting made me recoil and pulled it back into my mouth to suck on. Jacqui sat next to me after and touched my face softly. She sucked her teeth and shook her head. I had to smile at how much she reminded me of my mama.

"Can I do anything to get rid of it?" I knew there wasn't a way to do that, but I just wanted her to show me some motherly love.

"Aww baby, unless you got a freezer to make some ice, that ain't gonna do nothing but swell in this heat." Her response made me feel super warm inside, and I almost forgot about how pissed I was. "It's only a small cut. Go look at it and see."

I got up and went inside the RV while it was empty, stepping into the bathroom. The cut was tiny, and my lip was barely swollen. Everyone else was making me feel crazy about it. I just hoped Glenn wouldn't get too upset and start asking questions. He was definitely a shy boy, but I'd seen him get angry over me and his sisters plenty of times. It was rare but never fun.

When I left the RV, everyone seemed happy, including Carol, who was sitting outside now. I rolled my eyes and avoided looking at her as I walked back to sit down next to Lori. Carol lost her smile when I sat down and went quiet. I knew she wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear it, so I kept a mean face and didn't look her way.

"I never have anything to do around here, I swear. I should've gone with the guys," I said aloud to myself. It was true. I was bored, and I just kept thinking of Glenn anyway.

Lori looked over to me, "You actually like going out there and risking your life?"

"I'm smart. Glenn's smart. We always think things through, and we always have a plan B. Or C."

She paused and stared off into space. "Thank you, again, for helping Rick."

"I feel like that was the best thing I've done since the start of this thing. It was seriously my pleasure. He helped save us all." I looked down at Carl, who was reading his comic book. I leaned down and grabbed at his chunky cheeks. "Plus, I got to see this cutie so happy, and it made my heart melt."

Carl started giggling but moved out of my way, exclaiming a silly "ouch!" Lori smiled softly as well and grabbed my hand gently, giving me a stern, grateful look. I returned the soft eyes she was giving me and got up. As mad as I was at Carol, I remembered I did get Sophia a doll, and it was still in the red car.

Without a word, I got up and retrieved it, handing it to the silent Carol, who wouldn't even look at me. She took the doll and kept her eyes trained on her lap. It was hard to stay mad at the way she acted. Maybe Lori was right. I didn't understand that shit.

"It's fine. I'm not even mad. Give it to Sophia." Carol looked up quickly, giving me a weak smile. She nodded and tucked the doll into her chest like she was hugging it. That was enough for me, honestly. I slumped back into the chair I was in before and closed my eyes, listening to the background chatter of the other survivors without really focusing on anything.

About twenty minutes later, I found out I had fallen asleep in the chair when I was awakened by cheers. Amy and Andrea had caught fish—a lot of fish. I don't even really like fish, but I had to put up with it. I don't like squirrels or rabbits either, but I'm grateful for everyone pitching in with the food, besides the snacks and sides Glenn and I come across every once in a while.

"Because of you, my children will eat tonight!" Morales shouted. Everyone cheered along with him. It was just all smiles tonight.

"Thank Dale. It's his canoe and gear," Andrea pointed out.

"I would've never thought Amy was the type of girl to get in a boat and catch dozens of fish," I said, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, where did you learn how to do that?"

Amy was doing a small happy dance as she answered, "Our dad."

That's cute. All my dad ever did was abandon me until I was a teenager.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked.

"Sure, we'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff," Amy said before sharing a laugh with Andrea. She turned to Lori and double-checked, "Is that ok?"

I got up and leaned on Amy, and she embraced me. Now that I was rested and feeling like a nice person again, I said to her, "You know I got you a gift for your birthday, right?"

"Oh my god, you really got me things for my birthday? I can't believe you." Amy rolled her eyes and shook her head at me.

"I mean, everything is free and at my disposal."

"Just give it to me now," she pleaded, smirking at me while wiggling her brows.

"Seriously?"

"Okay, fine, let's play mermaids?" My comment made Amy snort. "Come with me to my tent, and we'll get it."

Amy and I separated from everyone and headed back to the side where people slept. I wanted to shower so badly, feeling gross and sticky all day, especially after falling asleep and no doubt getting bit to hell by mosquitoes. Being out here in the woods was tough for a city girl like me. ATL was hot, but these Georgia woods were on another level.

After gathering our stuff, we raced back down the hill, giggling the whole way. We were going way too fast for our own good, and when we reached the bottom, I couldn't stop in time and ended up falling flat on my face. Amy burst out laughing as she kept running, leaving me behind.

"LAST ONE THERE IS WALKER BAIT!" she yelled, and I quickly got up.

"WHAT!?"

I caught up to her quickly, and we were laughing our asses off, trying to get to the lake. I jumped into the water and started swimming. The saltwater stung my lip, but I ignored the pain and splashed around underwater before surfacing.

"Guess you're the walker bait today," Amy laughed out, splashing some water at me.

"Oh no! I'm gonna die!" I cried out dramatically, still sprawled on the ground. Then I remembered the present I had slipped into my back pocket. It wasn't anything fancy, just a mood ring with pretty little mermaids on it. Amy had once mentioned she'd always wanted one, but her mom had told her they weren't real. Ever since Andrea explained why she was marking days on the calendar, I'd been trying to find something that matched Amy's lighthearted and magical personality.

"Okay, look," I said, pulling the plastic out and carefully opening it. The card explaining the moods was wet, but the ring itself was still gold and green, adorned with tiny mermaids. It was perfect for her.

"Oh my god! Thank you! This is totally stupid, but I've always wanted one of these," she said. "Look, I'm happy, and the ring matches the color of my emotion."

"I thought those things never worked," I said, having a look for myself.

"Don't be a party pooper. Thank you, seriously. It feels good having a close friend now." Amy hugged me after she finished, and I hugged her right back. I liked having a friend who wasn't afraid to show affection. I made it a big deal with Glenn to constantly show me affection because I barely got it growing up, especially being the oldest daughter. City girls were really mean, and Amy was surely a down-to-earth country girl. That change of pace made me feel really good.

We headed back when we noticed the sun setting. The wafting smell of cooked fish filled the air, accompanied by the chatter of people laughing and eating.

Amy went to gush about her birthday gifts to Andrea, and I settled by the fire once again, trying to dry off a little more than that walk had managed. I think I did enough walking up those hills today that I'll have a fat ass by tomorrow. Somehow, I ended up right between Sophia and Carl, and without Amy, I was back to being the babysitter. I liked playing with them, though. They were young, innocent, and, best of all, easy to make laugh. I started cracking corny jokes until I got the tray of fish, took my pieces, and started eating. When everyone got some fish, all you could hear were utensils scraping and chewing. I'd rather have Glenn here with me, but I'm sure they're fine, and hopefully, they got Merle with them too.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I told Amy from across the fire, which made her hop up and follow along. We really were the it girls.

"Where are you two going?" Andrea asked in an instant.

Amy rolled her eyes, "To use the bathroom, if that's ok."

Even though I was the one who called for the bathroom, Amy decided to rush in there and go piss first. I don't know what is with all this racing she wants to do now.

"Hey, Majie, there is no toilet paper. Can you go get some?"

"Yeah, I'll look!" I shouted back and then started rummaging through the drawers. "There isn't any, Amy!"

"Ugh!" I heard rustling, and I walked outside of the RV, yelling, "Are you serious? There's no tissue!"

"Majesty!" I whipped my head around as Amy yelled my name. With the force of a grown man, she shoved me to the ground just seconds before a walker snapped its teeth where my arm had been. It lunged for me on the ground, and I rolled over, scrambling to get up and move away. Amy rushed in from behind and swung a pan at its head, knocking it just enough for me to fully get up and grab a bat I found leaning against the RV. I bashed the thing's head in, screaming the entire time.

That single encounter seemed to trigger an entire swarm of walkers coming out of nowhere. People around the campfire scattered, panic taking over as random attacks erupted.

"Amy, get inside the RV!" I shouted, shoving her toward the door. Over the sound of Shane and Dale's gunshots, I yelled, "Get the fucking kids to me right now!"

My brain is in a scatter as I search for the people with nothing to defend themselves. I sprint for Morales' kids and wife as he swings his weapon, taking out Geeks as fast as he can. I snatch up his daughter and carry her to the RV—damn near throwing her up the hill.

A walker falls close to her, and I swing the bat over and over with as much force as I can. We both get covered in brain matter and blood spatter, her cries filling my ears above everyone else's. "Go! Go!" I scream with as much urgency as possible.

"Oh my god!" There is just complete chaos. I look around frantically, searching for anyone I can help. Jacqui begins running up the hill, and I move to grab her hand and pull her up.

Right in front of me, she trips, a walker grabbing at her ankle and taking a big bite. She screams, her voice piercing the air, and the sight makes my blood run cold. "Jacqui, please! Get up!" I shout, reaching down to grab her hand and pull her away from the walker. She kicks at it with her free leg, but two more walkers close in on her, one sinking its teeth into her shoulder. We both scream in terror as she goes down, blood splattering everywhere.

"MAJESTY! MAJESTY!" I hear Glenn's voice, but I can't move, paralyzed as I watch Jacqui struggle for breath, gasping in agony. The gunshots are deafening, and just as I'm about to be overwhelmed by the horror, something slams into me, dragging me away from her dying form.

"Baby, you have to move, c'mon," Glenn cries out, pulling me back toward the others. The men are back, putting down the rest of the dead. Someone else grabs me from him and pulls me closer to the RV, but I can't stop looking at Jacqui, who is dying alone.

A wail escapes my lips as the image of her getting bitten is replaced by memories of my mom. The thought alone makes my stomach turn, and I vomit in the corner. I can't let her die alone like that.

My feet move before my mind catches up, and I stumble back toward her corpse—her soft eyes now shut forever. Before I reach her, Glenn grabs me again, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and holding me still. His warmth breaks the dam inside me, and I sob violently into his chest while he tries to soothe me.