HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope you all had a great 2023, and thank you so much for the support. Here's to 2024! If you guys want me to do a Fear The Walking Dead story, I'll do it and can tie the two stories together in some way but it won't be for a long time yet. But for now, I want to get through this story. Maybe in future I can do that?

Disclaimer I don't own The Walking Dead just my ocs and plotlines.

Callie's POV

The kid was screaming out, his leg looked like a kebab skewered on a stick. It was disgusting to look at and it almost made her gag.

"We have to go now." Hershel tells Rick who looks pained at the idea.

The boy was wailing, he was probably the same age as her, maybe younger. "No!"

Rick hushes him.

"I'm sorry, son. We have to go."

The kid was crying hysterically. "No, no, don't leave me please." He begs them.

She contemplated it for a second, they were just shooting at them. She killed multiple people. She's a murderer. A monster. May as well be one.

"We have to go." She murmurs and Rick took notice of her appearance.

"What happened?" He asks her. She shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. But why did he look at her like that? Oh god, there must be blood all over her.

"We need to go, Rick." Glenn says, urging the man to leave him.

"We can't." Rick hisses.

Glenn looks at Rick like he was insane. "He was just shooting at us!"

Rick stares at him. "He's a kid!"

The kid cries again. "Please help me." He sobs.

"This place is crawling with walkers!" Glenn roars out.

Callie could see both views on the matter. Glenn was upset that these people shot at them and now we could be surrounded by walkers and potentially die. However, Rick still wants to keep his humanity and save the kid even though what he did was wrong.

"We can't leave him!" Rick shouts back at Glenn.

She gets her gun out when she sees walkers in the distance. Glenn has a shotgun out ready for the walkers that are about to come.

Rick looks at Hershel who sighs. "The fence went clean through. There's no way we can get the leg off in one peace."

Hershel touches the leg impaled with the fence, blood oozing from the wound and the kid cries out again.

Rick snarls at the kid. "Shut up or I will shoot you." He threatens, his colt python in his hand, pointing it at the kid.

"That may be the answer." Hershel tells them honestly. "We're not gonna get that leg off without tearing the muscle to shreds. He certainly can't run. He may bleed out."

The kid screams out.

"Shut up." Glenn yells and the kid continues to cry out, trying to muffle his screams. "I'm sorry. Sh-shut up. Shut up."

"We need to do something, now." Callie urges. The dead were getting closer, getting drawn by the previous gunfire and now the kids screaming.

Hershel nods at her. "Maybe we should put him. I don't wanna see any more killing, but this is cruel."

The four of them go quiet so quickly trying to think of a quick solution.

"Can't we just cut off the leg?" Glenn suggests and the screaming stopped and they all looked at Glenn. It's the only option they have.

"That hatchet still in the car?" Rick asks and Callie shrugs.

"I think Shane took it out."

"No, no... don't... don't... Don't cut my leg off please. Please not my leg." The pleading fell on deaf ears.

Rick takes out his knife, flipping it open. "Will this cut through the bone?"

Hershel nods his head. "I'll have to sever the ligaments below the kneecap, cut above the tibia. He's going to lose his lower leg."

Callie looks nervously at Glenn who looks sick. They were all sweating nervously, their first time amputating someone's leg. Even Hershel would have experience with cattle or any other animal, but now, a human was entirely different.

"No, don't, no." He still begs, his top half thumping against the dumpster.

"When we get clear of here, we're gonna have to find some tinder, cauterise the wound so he doesn't bleed out." Hershel says, looking between Callie and Rick.

"Do it." Callie says finally.

"Hurry up." Rick adds and the kid starts crying out again.

"Oh god. Oh god. No, no, no." He mumbles incoherently.

"Hand me that stick!" Hershel demands.

Glenn hands one over to him. "Here."

"No! Ahhhh!" The kid screams out.

She heard growling and looks behind her to see walkers approaching them.

"Guys, walkers!" She tells them.

The kid screams out again.

"Hurry up!" Glenn urges them.

She aims her gun and fires, hitting the closest walker in the head.

"Shut up!" She hears Rick yell.

Glenn aims his gun and fired, taking off the top part of the walker's skull.

She aims at the one to the left and fires. Another dead.

"Oh, god. They're everywhere." She hears Rick comment. "Hershel, how we doing over there?"

"I need more hands! Easy easy." Hershel urges the kid.

She looks back quickly at the kid struggling, he was in agony and some strangers were taking off his leg. This kid was not having a good day. She looks back and fires another shot, seeing the walker drop after its head was blown open.

"No, don't don't don't don't cut my leg off please."

"We gotta go!" She shouts and hears her gun click.

Oh for fuck sake. She switches to the rifle and reloads quickly, aiming it and firing at a walker. The gunfire echoing and making her ears ring.

"Come on, we gotta go! I'm almost out of ammo!" Glenn yells back at the pair.

She hears Rick firing off shots so they were almost surrounded.

"We don't have much time!" She yells, stressed out. She was almost out of ammo, and there were too many walkers to go hand to hand.

"Can't hold 'em off! Hershel, do it now!" Rick yells, firing off a couple more shots.

"Come on, Hershel!" Glenn urges, firing off another shot.

Hershel looks at them, his hands were bloody. "There is no time!"

They had to leave him behind. Everyone sees that now.

Rick climbs back over the fence and they all look at each other.

"Hershel, come on."

Hershel looks saddened at the fact that they couldn't save him. They all did and the kid realised what they were about to do. It was hard to focus but between the walkers growling, the kid crying and everyone shouting. It was a hard choice but they had to do it.

"Please don't leave me! Please! No!"

They were starting to walk away when Rick went back to the kid.

"Rick!" Callie yells at her brother before she saw him grasp his impaled leg and pushed it up with so much force and the kid wailed out.

Jeremy's POV

He was pacing back and forth, looking at the entrance to the farm and still no lights, no signs of life. It was quiet.

"Anything?" He looks back to see Damien, who hands him a coffee. He looks at him curiously. "Thought you'd need it."

He smiles. "Thanks." Before taking the coffee. It was hot and knew he couldn't drink it for a second otherwise he would be gasping and burning his tongue, and have no taste for a day.

"I'm sure they're fine. Probably holdin' up for the night." Damien reassures him and he nods his head.

"Yeah, usually we're not apart this long. So it feels weird." He tells him honestly.

"It's the same with my siblings. I think I'll be going insane if I were you." Damien knew what he was going through. Not just some random person who hasn't got a sibling separate. His mind wandered to Daryl, he must be going out of his mind wandering where Merle is. The not knowing is already making him antsy, no matter only finding a severed hand and no signs of him since.

He had a brief moment where he felt sorry for Merle. He was locked up on that roof in sweltering heat, probably dehydrated. The only choice is either waiting for help that would never come or take matters into his own hands. Imagine the only way out was to cut off a limb and then having to navigate yourself out of the city while you're bleeding out. He'd rather risk and wait it out. He felt terrible for it.

Something catches his eye and he sees headlights entering the farm and looks at Damien.

"Get the others." He orders and Damien runs into the house.

"They're back!" He hears Damien shout.

By the time the others came out of the house, the car pulled up. Shane's car. He was glad that they're back, but his eyes drifted back towards the entrance to the woods, the darkness swallowing up the forest, it looked like something out of a horror movie, especially knowing what's out there. Where the hell is Callie?

"Oh my god! Are you alright? What happened?"

He takes in Lori who had a gash on her forehead.

"I was in an accident. I'm fine, I'm fine." She tries to get away from the worriers.

"She was attacked." Shane explains after a few members of the group were looking at him for an explanation.

They all look at Lori concerned and she brushes is off.

"I really am. Where's Rick?" She asks and Jeremy looks between Lori and a sheepish looking Shane, confused. What is she on about?

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asks her, confusion in his face.

Lori looks at him and she realises something. "They're not back?" He shakes his head at her. She turns to Shane, anger in her eyes and her jaw set. "Where are they?"

Shane swallows. "Look, I had to get you back here."

Lori storms and pushes him. "You asshole."

Jeremy stood ready to intervene knowing what Shane was capable of.

"Lori-"

"He's my husband." She hisses at him.

The newcomers in the group, Damien, Harriett, Richie, and Daisy and Summer all look confused at the tension between them. But the rest of them, the ones from the Quarry, they all knew they were hooking up. They pretended to not notice for Carl's sake. The only ones that didn't notice were the kids. So it would hurt Carl tremendously if he found out that someone he considered family was hooking up with his mom, and that his relationship with Lori would be strained if he ever found out.

"Lori, I will go after him. I will find him." He begins and Lori looked ready to swing at him, so Jeremy just put a hand on her shoulder and she relaxes. "Hey! Now look, first things first... I gotta... I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's alright, okay?"

You could honestly hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked at Lori who looked sick to her stomach that Shane just revealed that to everyone. Maybe her and Rick were waiting to reveal to everyone after things calmed down after the barn incident? But he knew that would be a lie. It's a possibility that it could be Shane's.

"You're having a baby?" Carl asks and everyone looks at him. Lori looks shocked and couldn't utter anything. "Why didn't you tell me?" Lori stayed silent, but she was clearly upset and didn't know what to do. Carl sighed and Jeremy looked at Andrea.

Andrea got the memo and grabbed Lori. "Come on, let's make sure you're alright." Dale walked with them, followed by Carl.

The group disbands, but some members look towards the entrance of the forest and still nothing, they went on, some were heading to sleep. But he noticed Connor and Maya, well more so bruises on Connor's arms and he frowned. He never had those before. Then Josie ushered them towards her tent and he saw Connor flinch for a split second. It can't be. She can't be abusing her kids.

Daisy and Richie looked at their siblings.

"Go to bed. It's late." Damien tells his siblings who pout but listen to him. After they left, the only ones remaining outside were himself, Amy, Tabby, Damien and Harriett.

It was silent between them for a moment before Amy speaks.

"Poor Lori." Amy comments and Tabby hums.

"Can I ask a question?" Harriett asks him and he nods. "What was the tension between Lori and Shane? That seemed more than friends."

Jeremy stays silent and Tabby sighs. The two siblings understood immediately.

"You think it's Shane's?" Tabby asks him and he nods his head.

Damien looks between them. They finally knew the gossip of the group. Shane and Lori were a thing. But only he knew about Rick and Callie being brother and sister. It makes sense to him now, they have the same colour eyes if you look at them, similar facial structure, just different noses. But no one really thought about it.

"Does Rick know?" Damien asks and Jeremy shakes his head.

"I don't think so. But he could now considering the circumstances." He explains and they all understood what he meant.

Rick could very well be hiding his knowledge of the situation. Or he doesn't want to acknowledge his best friend was hooking up with his wife. He hoped he wasn't in denial.

"Well, Rick's not so innocent is he?" Harriett asks and he looked at her weirdly.

"What do you mean?" He was beyond confused.

She raised her eyebrows. "I mean with him and Callie. Lori has her suspicions that they're a thing." Jeremy almost gagged at the thought. "Josie is on her side." What? "They've been acting weirdly recently. They've been talking to Shane about it."

Oh my fucking hell. A cheater always has suspicions of another cheater because they're guilty. They project all these feelings onto the other partner.

He couldn't even tell them that they were siblings because it wasn't his secret to tell.

Noa's POV

It was the next morning and there was still no sign of her father, Rick, Callie, or Glenn.

Tabby has been checking up on Beth but there's still no signs of her waking up. But she said not to worry, that we have to keep her hydrated and that should be enough.

Herself and Maggie have been sitting there all night with her. Talking to her, trying to get her to wake up to the funny stories they had together. Maggie was talking but she was spaced out. She hoped her sister will be okay, she needs her family.

She hears a knock on her door and looks up to see Andrea. "How is she?"

"Alright. Dehydrated so the IV is still in until she wakes up." Noa explains to her, relaying the information that Tabby just gave them. Tabby is sleeping right now, getting some rest since she's been up all night monitoring.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Andrea asks them.

"Nah, I just wish our dad were here." Maggie tells her and Andrea sits on the chair while herself and Maggie were situated on the bed, besides their younger sister.

"She'll be okay. You both just need to be strong for her." Andrea says, smiling at the pair.

Noa was grateful for Andrea right now. She's being really supportive of the situation. Everyone else is just avoiding the house while they can, because they don't want to give pity since our dad is off getting drunk, instead of being with his family.

"I was just reminding her about..." Maggie starts before shaking her head. "Never mind."

"No, no. I'd love to hear." Andrea says, clearly interested.

"Our dad would die if he heard this." Maggie chuckles to herself before continuing. "My first summer back from college, I drove home, dumped my stuff off, went straight to the stable for a ride."

"The family comes back from church and Beth grabs my things and starts unpacking my stuff upstairs."

Andrea smiles. "That's sweet."

"Yeah, until this one here starts rifling through my backpack. She finds this little plastic container with these pink and green candies inside. She didn't even know I was on the pill. She was so freaked out by the idea of me, and boys, and sex, she runs outside and chucks them in the duck pond. And I ride up, I see this, I'm screaming. She's crying and Shawn and Noa ran outside, thinking one of us is drowning. Soon Noa figured out what it was straight away and is crying, Shawn figures out what's going on, the jerk busts out laughing, so loud that my horse rears up and gets mud all over the four of us." At this point Maggie and herself had tears in their eyes. She remembered that day perfectly. "Dad comes out, 'what the heck's going on out here?!' And she turns around, bats her eyelids and says, 'we're just swimming, daddy.' In her Sunday dress, all covered in snot and mud."

"I remember that day. She had dad wrapped around her little finger as soon as she was born." Noa adds and Andrea laughs.

"Rick, Callie and Glenn will get your dad back." Andrea reassures the pair of them.

"Glenn's a good guy." Maggie sniffs.

Andrea nods her head. "Yeah. He is."

Jeremy's POV

Himself, Shane, Daryl and Andrea were packing up the truck. T-Dog and Damien were standing by, they were gonna remain behind to protect the group while they go and find the others.

He was on edge. He thinks that Josie is bashing her children, who can he tell? Rick? Callie? Both of them? Callie likes Josie, he can see the way she looks at her when she thinks no one is looking. But will anyone believe him? But right now he needs to get his sister back. He needs Callie beside him.

Richie walks up and looks at Damien. "I wanna come."

Shane snorts and Damien gives him a look before looking at his brother.

"No, you're too young." He reminds him. He clearly didn't want his little brother out there.

"I was out there before." Richie recalls back and Jeremy looks at Andrea. They knew what he meant.

Damien sighs. "That was different-"

Richie doesn't look happy and interrupts him. "How?"

"We were on our own. When it was just the four of us. Now, we're safe." He tells him and grabs his little brother's shoulders. "So stay here and look after your sisters. That's what I need you to do."

Jeremy knew that was the best way to go about it. They must have always had jobs to do when they were out there alone, just the four of them. Now, Richie wants to feel useful. So having him look out for his sisters, gave him an important role.

Richie sighs, relenting. "Okay."

Damien smiles at him before Richie walks off. Damien puffs out a breath.

"Guys." T-Dog calls and they look at him. He points outwards and they follow to the road and see the red car driving towards them.

He felt relief but he went on edge. Will all of them return? Did they lose anyone? Did they find Hershel? A million questions pop in his head.

The engine stops and Rick gets out of the car first.

"Dad!" Carl exclaims and runs to his dad, engulfing him to a hug. "You're okay." He cries.

Hershel exits the vehicle, followed by Glenn.

Maggie immediately runs out, past her dad. Ouch. And into Glenn, who looks out of it.

Callie steps out of the car, covered in blood.

"Shit. Callie." Jeremy runs and hugs her, she returns the hug after a second.

"I'm okay." She whispers.

"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery." Hershel orders before going into the house, and Patricia runs off.

Lori looks at Rick and Callie. "Are you hurt?"

Rick shakes his head. "No, but what happened to you?" He took notice of the cut on Lori's head, frowning in concern.

"I was in a car accident." Lori answers him.

"Accident? How?" He was on alert then, clearly silently worrying about the baby.

"I went looking for you." Lori states, giving him a look that Rick didn't like.

What was going on between them? Did he know?

"Snuck out on her own. Brought her back." Shane informs him.

Rick looks at Lori, his eyes were full of concern and a bit of anger. "Are you crazy? You could've-

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog interrupts the bickering by pointing at the car.

Himself and the rest of the group look in, a bit curious but suspicious.

"That's Randall." Glenn answers and everyone looks at Rick and Callie expectantly for answers.

Jeremy looks at Callie. "Let's get you cleaned up." She nods and he notes everyone looking at her concerned with the amount of blood on her.

He needs to protect his sister.

We all know where we're at. When it really kicks off between the group. The decision on Randall.