Pulling up to the farm filled me with an immediate sense of regret and dismay that settled into every corner of my being. The thought kept looping in my head: Was this me giving up? But who else was going to escort T-Dog? He was my friend. I guess Majesty would've done the same.

I helped the shivering T-Dog onto the large porch of the farmhouse, spotting the woman who had come to take Lori earlier, sitting in a rocking chair. She locked eyes with me and gave a small smile. "Did you close the gate up the road when you drove in?"

I wasn't used to this new-world way of meeting people, so I stuttered as I responded, "Uh, hi—yeah, we closed it. Did the latch and everything. Nice to see you again."

T-Dog gave me a side-eye before sighing and looking at the girl. "Look, we came to help. Anything we can do?"

She quickly noticed the large, poorly bandaged cut on his forearm, a look of concern crossing her face. He was quick to clarify that it wasn't a bite, and she relaxed. "We'll have it looked at. I'll tell them you're here."

Remembering the reason we came to 'help,' I dug into my bag, pulling out the stash of painkillers and antibiotics Daryl had given me. "We have some painkillers and antibiotics. I already gave him some. If Carl needs any…"

She smiled brightly, and I shifted uncomfortably. If Majesty were here, she'd definitely have something to say about the looks I was getting. The idea of my girl tearing into this one made me smirk, but I quickly shook my head. I shouldn't be thinking like that. The girl stood and guided us inside the big, old farmhouse. It was nice seeing lights and furniture, some remnant of the old world. We followed her to a back room where her family was gathered around a sweaty, bandaged Carl. The sight of him sent a lump to my throat.

I shakily reached up, removing my hat. "Hey. We're here, okay?"

Rick swallowed hard, giving me a weak smile. "Thank you."

"Whatever you need."

Nothing else was said as we were escorted out. As I walked out, I felt a hand on the small of my back, making me jump. The girl, Maggie, had touched me to guide me out of the room. She pulled away, not giving me a second glance. I couldn't tell if I was exaggerating or if she was purposely being touchy. It still felt wrong, almost like cheating, so I allowed more space between us as I followed her around the house.

Her voice was soft and kind as she spoke, "I'll take a look at your arm. C'mon." She sat us at a table, turning to rummage through some medical supplies. "I'm Maggie, by the way."

"T-Dog. That's Glenn," T introduced. Without much else said, Maggie started working on T's cut, his small grunts of pain filling the dining room. I zoned out, fixating on the way she gently handled his wound, the soft ticking of a grandfather clock drawing me deeper into my thoughts.

My mind drifted, as it had for the past two days, to wondering where Majesty was. Was she alive? Did she have food or water? Was she looking for us? The helplessness made me angry, envisioning all the worst scenarios. I had just told her to stop putting herself at risk like that, and now this. If I could, I'd be out in the dark right now. Hell, if I could, I'd trade places with her any day.

"Patricia!" Maggie's shout brought me back to reality, and I looked up to see T's gruesome wound, my stomach twisting immediately. "Patricia, I need your help stitching this up."

An older blonde lady shuffled into the room, assessing the situation before springing into action. Was this whole family just full of Deep South doctors or something? I kept my thoughts to myself as I watched her take over with the sutures.

"God! You got here right in time. This couldn't go untreated much longer," she said, glancing at the medication on the table. "Merle Dixon. Is that your friend—with the antibiotics?"

"No, ma'am," I answered. "Merle's no longer with us. Daryl, his brother, gave us those."

T-Dog groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he added, "Wouldn't call him a friend."

"He is today. This doxycycline might have saved your life. You know what Merle was taking it for?" Patricia asked, looking at me for the answer.

"The clap." My face flushed as both she and Maggie gave me a judgmental stare. "Uh, venereal disease."

I could've sworn Maggie's eyes lingered on me longer than necessary, making me even more uncomfortable. I swallowed the knot in my throat and shuffled my feet. I just knew Majesty would've had something to say if she were here. Even as I walked away, it felt like Maggie's eyes were still on me, and I couldn't understand why.

Sitting on the porch, I dropped my head and forced myself to think of better, more optimistic thoughts. If there was a God out there, I just wanted him to bring Majesty and Sophia back—and to heal Carl. I just prayed to be reunited with her and to be somewhere safe where I didn't have to worry about losing her ever again. It felt odd and uncomfortable to request something from God, especially since I'd never really prayed before.

The sound of the porch door slamming shut interrupted my thoughts. Expecting T-Dog, I looked back, but it was Maggie standing there with her hands in her pockets. She asked, "Are you praying?"

I sighed, still feeling uneasy about responding to her. But I answered anyway. "I was trying to."

"You religious? You pray a lot?" Her southern drawl was soothing, despite the nerves gnawing at me.

"Actually, this was my first try."

"Ever?" she asked, shocked. I nodded, giving up on the idea of praying. Maggie got comfortable, sitting on the railing of the porch. "What're you praying for?"

I hesitated, unsure if prayers were like birthday wishes—if they didn't come true if you said them out loud. Whatever. I took the bait. "My friends. They could all use a little help right now."

I had to say it. "And my girlfriend."

Maggie didn't react, just asked, "Where is she?"

"I don't know." Suddenly, I wanted to vent everything I'd been holding inside. "She ran into the woods while a big horde of biters was coming down the highway. She was chasing after a little girl. Somehow, they both disappeared. It doesn't make any sense. I keep wondering why, with everything. I'm not even sure if God exists."

She was silent for a moment, then simply said, "I always took it on faith myself. How long's she been missing?"

"Going on three days now."

Maggie gave a slight nod. "Well, I'll let you get back to it then."

I bowed my head, ready to try praying again. But when I glanced back up, she was still staring at me expectantly. "You gonna watch?"

"Sorry. I'll leave." She finally got up, stopping at the door. "It's not my business, but the thing is, you've got to make it okay somehow. No matter what happens."

The next morning, the rest of the group pulled up to the farm, abandoning the highway. Even though I got better sleep inside the farmhouse, my attitude was still drab and guilt-ridden. How could Carol be okay with this? It seemed like everyone was losing hope.

Rick had us gather around a map Hershel provided. It was hard to look at how big the woods were, realizing how much ground we'd have to cover four days later. I tried to put on a smile for the group, but it was forced.

Just as things were looking up for the search, Hershel explained why neither Rick nor Shane could help. Daryl quickly stepped up. "Guess it's just me. I'm gonna head back to the creek, work my way from there."

"Wait, can't I do something? I don't know how to track, but I'm not going to sit around while they're out there."

The men shared looks, and Shane offered, "We can drive up to the interstate. See if any of them wandered back. But we can't have people out there with just knives. They need the gun training we've been promising them."

Hershel quickly protested. "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this into an armed camp."

"With all due respect, if a crowd of those things wanders in here…"

Rick stepped in to avoid more arguing. "We're guests here. This is your property, and we'll respect that. First things first: set camp, start looking for these girls tomorrow."

Knowing another day would pass before I could help find my family drove me away from the conversation. I returned to the camp to set up my tent, moving quickly and trying not to think about the memories of setting it up with Majesty. I hadn't slept alone in this tent or even in the makeshift bed we'd created. I didn't even know how to make it as comfortable as she did. God, I missed her.

"Glenn?" I turned at the familiar voice. It was Maggie, now looking like a real farm girl with her cowboy hat on.

"Uh, hey—what's up?" I asked, taking off my hat to wipe the sweat from my forehead. She held my gaze, her piercing green eyes giving me an endearing look. Maggie was pretty, and it didn't take much to notice that, but the way she commanded my attention got me choked up. I just knew she and Majesty wouldn't get along.

"I heard you were quick on your feet and knew how to get in and out," she said with a smirk. "Got a pharmacy run—are you in?"

The idea of going into town to look around for Majesty and Sophia was appealing, but I wasn't sure why she was asking me. I hesitated, "Uh…"

We stared at each other for a moment, and I couldn't help but give her a once-over. She stood there, pushing her hands into her back pockets, slightly swaying. Thankfully, Dale walked up, breaking the silence. "Uh, miss—what's the water situation here?"

"Got five wells on our land. House draws directly from number one. Number two well is right over there," she pointed. "We use it for the cattle, but it's just as pure. Take what you need. There's a cart and containers in the generator shed behind the house." Then she turned back to me. "I'll go saddle your horse."

I didn't have a chance to respond before she walked away, leaving me with Dale, who raised his brows at me. "You ever ride a horse?"

I shook my head, sighing. I was annoyed by the interaction, but whatever—going into town would be good. I leaned down and checked my bag, making sure I had everything I needed. As I packed, Amy approached, her voice dripping with disdain.

"I don't like that girl," she said without greeting. "Did you see how she was standing? Practically putting her boobs in your face."

I sighed. "Relax, Amy. She's a nice girl."

"I'm telling Majesty when we find her. She's gonna beat your ass!"

"Tell her what?" I asked, almost enjoying the idea of Amy telling Majesty anything. I'd take that over the current situation.

"How you were ogling and slobbering all over her! It's so obvious."

I kissed my teeth, zipping my bag and setting it against the tree. I really hoped Amy was overreacting. I wasn't interested in Maggie, even if I felt out of place with how she talked to me. I just wasn't used to pretty girls acting like that with me—but that didn't matter. I tried to reassure Amy, "I'm not even looking at her. She's taking me into town so I can look around for Majesty and Sophia."

"Mhm." Amy rolled her eyes and walked away. I went the other direction, grabbing a water canister to fill with water in the hot Georgia sun. The farmland heat reminded me of the time Majesty dragged me to Puerto Rico for her family reunion. I nearly died from the heat down there, especially being away from all the tourist areas where her family forced me to fish. At least the island was beautiful—and safer. I'd rather be there with her than stuck in Atlanta.

Lori was the next to approach, handing me a slip of paper. "Here's your list."

I nodded, putting it in my pocket. But she wasn't done. "There's one other item. I wrote it down separately. It's personal. If we could be real discreet about that, okay?"

"Sure." I glanced at the paper, immediately confused. "Is this a pregnancy test?"

Lori looked around frantically, hushing me. "What happened to being discreet?!"

"Oh—sorry! I just wanted to be sure. It's fine, We had plenty of pregnancy scares." I chuckled at the memories, getting a forced smile from Lori before she walked away. Alright…

I had no idea where Maggie was, so I went back to putting up my tent. I put Majesty's bags to the side inside, unable to resist digging through her clothes and inhaling her scent. I nearly forgot we were in the apocalypse and didn't all smell the best… Whatever—at least the tent was up.

Climbing out, I saw a group gathered, arguing about something. Dale and Maggie led them, walking toward the well. Curiosity got the best of me, and I reluctantly followed them.

They peered down into the dark well, where a bloated, rotting walker was trapped at the bottom. My stomach churned. The walker hissed and growled, and we stepped away to discuss.

"How the hell did that thing even get in there?" I asked, nearly gagging.

"Who knows," Lori answered, covering her nose. "It's been down there long enough to grow gills. We've got to get it out—we don't know what it's doing to the water."

"Easy—put a bullet in its head," T-Dog suggested, shrugging. "I'll get a rope."

"Whoa, whoa, guys. No." Of course, Maggie had to protest. Did they just not kill walkers on this farm?

"Why not? It's a good plan!" Amy snapped, surprisingly with attitude.

Andrea tapped her younger sister, giving her a stern look. "It's a stupid plan. If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job."

"She's right," Shane said. "Can't risk it. It has to come out alive."

I snorted. That thing was a big blob, and I couldn't see how that was even possible. "How do we do that?"

Everyone's eyes locked on me. The smirk that had crept onto my lips faded. There was no way they were thinking of using me as bait. But they were. I tried to protest, "What? Why me?"

"You're the skinniest man here, brother. We can't send one of the women down, right?" Shane reasoned, already wrapping the rope around me. I sighed, letting him make the makeshift harness. "The plan is simple; as soon as it starts biting and grabbing at you, just drop this around its belly, and we'll pull you up—then our swimmer."

Shane's words didn't comfort me. My heart pounded as I sat on the edge of the dark well, legs dangling. Majesty would kill me if she saw this. With a deep breath and a mental image of her to calm my nerves, I lowered myself into the well, flashlight in one hand, rope in the other.

A face peered over the top—it was Maggie. "You alright down there?" she called out.

"I'm okay!" I feigned confidence, then muttered to myself, "Living the dream."

I worked the rope down, Maggie guiding the group from up top. Despite my nerves, the drop felt smooth—maybe this plan would work.

Then the rope suddenly loosened, and I dropped too low. I screamed as the walker grabbed my legs, struggling as I waited for them to pull me up. I was sure it would bite me before they got me out. In that moment, I found a strange calm. Maybe Majesty had been bitten and was dead. Maybe this was how I'd be reunited with her. The thought of finding her in the afterlife gave me peace, and I focused, working the second rope around the walker's bloated midsection.

As they lifted me out, I was too far for the walker to bite or grab. They checked me for bites and scratches, but I assured them I was fine.

"Back to square one," Dale sighed.

"Says who?" I joked, catching my breath. I didn't care if they thought I was crazy. For some reason, I felt okay. I was alive and ready to get back to pulling this walker out of the water.