NICOLETTE

Living on the road for three months had been difficult. Nicolette was always sleeping with her bow in her hands, clenching it, ready to shoot an arrow if a walker appeared. The days seemed always the same. They'd travel, stop near cities or houses to scavenge a little for food or clothes, and then they were back on the road. The only way Nicki was sure the days were moving forward was Lori's bump. It was growing bigger by the day, and Nicolette wondered how she managed to hide how tired she was.

"Here," Nicki said to Lori one day, describing how she had found three protein bars in a shop. The woman looked at the bar before shaking her head. "No, sweetie," she said, "You take it."

"I've found four," she lied, "I've got mine."

Lori seemed to give up her protests, "Thank you."

Nicki nodded her head before moving to sit down. She found herself doing that more often than not. But she was not the only one. Everyone was worrying about Lori and the baby.

The weather was cold now, and they all tried to cover as much as possible. Nicki got used to not feeling her toes. The first time, she hated the feeling, but now it kept her company in some way.

Like everyone else, her sister was stressed. But she had noticed that Sarah and Daryl had started to spend more time together. The man had really become part of the group now, and he was very dependable. He hunted and brought some meat back. Glenn was very good at scavenging, and he frequently went ahead with Maggie. Rick was doing his best, but as the weather had become cold, it became quieter.

"We should find some wood for this evening," Beth said to her, walking closer to where Nicki was seated.

"Daryl is out hunting," she answered.

"I know," the girl said with a slight nod. "That's why I want to go, so he doesn't have to go back into the woods."

Nicki took a breath. It was not like there was something better to do. So she stood up, cleaning the dirt from her jeans. Then she took her bow.

"Let's go then," Beth smiled.

Nicki and Beth had started to spend more time together than when they were back at the farm. Beth was the complete opposite of Nicolette. She tried to keep herself positive and smiled as much as she could. Nicki had even noticed her writing down in a diary that Maggie had found for her. Nicki, on the other hand, found it very difficult to believe in something better. They have been travelling for three months and had found absolutely nothing, what could make them think that there was a place for them?

"You told me you liked to sing, right?" Beth asked her as they walked near the camp.

"To sing?" Asked Nicki. With her bow in hand, she looked around to see if there was a walker nearby.

"I used to sing all the time," Beth said with a hint of sadness in her voice, "With my mum."

Nicki did not respond.

"Did you have many things in common with your mum?" Beth asked as she knelt down to take some firewood. Nicki found herself biting her lips, averting her eyes to keep them on the woods.

"I'm sorry," she heard Beth say, but she didn't turn. It was painful to think about her mother. Not knowing what was of them. Knowing that she'll never see her parents again. "It's just hard to make conversation without getting sad."

"I suppose it is," Nicki answered in a whisper.

Suddenly, a noise made Nicki turn. The girl was quick to take an arrow and knock it in the bow, pulling it back, ready to aim. Beth moved behind her, her knife in hand.

Nicki felt strange, less frightened of walkers. They were scary, of course, but they felt different—less threatening. But it was no walker. And who it was that made Nicki's eyes grow larger.

"You're really something, sneaking up like that," she said, putting her arrow back in the quiver hanging behind her back. "I could have shot you, Shortie."

"I knew you would not," Carl answered, walking closer to them. "What are you doing out here?"

Nicki crossed her arms, "Are you the sheriff now?" Carl glared at her.

"Just looking for some firewood, Carl," Beth took a step forward, and Nicki didn't miss the blush on Shortie's face. That made her look between him and the girl next to her. Had he developed a crush on Beth.

Nicki found herself letting out a chuckle as she turned to keep looking for wood.

"Why are you laughing?" Carl asked inquisitively as he moved closer to Nicolette.

"Does your mother know you're here?" she asked with a smirk, knowing how he hated it when she didn't answer his questions. So she wasn't surprised when he rolled his blue eyes with irritation.

"Everyone has to do their part," he answered, "I'm not different."

"So you're here to play the hero?" she taunted him, giving a glance to Beth, who was a few feet away from them. "She is too old for you, dude."

"Shut up!" his flushed reaction made her laugh as she turned towards him, crossing her arms.

"Oh please," she answered, amused.

"You're such a pain," Carl scoffed, turning his eyes to look at the vegetation. Nicki looked at him and giggled, then she nudged him lightly on the shoulder.

"Sorry, it's not like I have something better to do," she said.

She saw him shake his head. "You suck at apologizing." He commented, still stubbornly looking ahead of him. Nicolette liked to mess with Carl, but since they had hit the road, the two of them started to scavenge with the others, and they usually went together. The others didn't want too many kids on the loose, so Nicki and Carl had become something like partners during runs.

"It's so quiet," Nicki said after a moment of silence. She once loved silence. She always searched for a quiet place to lock herself in. But now it was becoming unbearable. The days were quiet, pushing all of them to keep listening if something was getting closer. And the nights were so loud. Every little noise was amplified, making it very difficult for her to sleep.

"Have you slept?" Carl asked, still not looking at her. Nicki eyed him with a frown.

"What? Are you spying on me or something?" she asked, and this time, her words made him smirk.

"That's the closest thing to an answer that you've ever given," he said. Nicolette rolled her eyes at that. "I was on watch with Dad last night, he noticed," he explained. "It's not like I'm watching you."

"Good," she answered him, avoiding commenting on her lack of sleep, "I've got many adjectives for you; I don't want to add creepy to the list." Carl looked at her with a frown.

"I've got many for you, too," he argued back, "But I never get tired of finding others." She glared at him.

"Little shit..." she muttered.

After Beth had found some wood for the fire, the three of them returned to camp. It was strange not to get questioned all the time about where they had been, as it happened at the farm. It was so strange to think how many things had changed in that short period. There was no more Sophia, or Dale and his RV. There was no more Andrea, or Shane. But she could not deny that those losses were not the only reason why the group was different. Rick was now their leader, and he made all the calls. Where they'd sleep, when they had to wake up, how far they had to go daily. All those responsibilities were many to lay on only one person's shoulders, but Rick had decided that he knew what they had to do best. Hershel seemed to trust him, as Daryl and Sarah did. Nicki felt jumpy, though, not because she didn't trust Rick but because she had seen Shane change fast and become aggressive and dangerous. Could a person change so much? It was something that Nicki had found herself thinking about a lot. Even because she could see Rick pulling away from them and Lori as well.

"I found some squirrels," Daryl said as he got back from his hunt.

"I think with the winter closer, it will be more difficult to find animals," Maggie said, eyeing the squirrels.

"There's a town just a few miles from here," Glenn said. Maybe tomorrow we could see if there's something to take from there."

"Lori needs more than protein bars," Sarah said to her best friend in a hushed tone, probably hoping Lori would not hear those words. It was difficult not to make the woman feel uneasy. She thought she was some kind of burden. She needed to eat as much as possible to keep her strength, and the more the pregnancy moved forward, the more she needed rest and sheltered places.

"I know, but what else can we do?" Glenn asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"There's no much ta do," Daryl answered from next to Sarah, "We'll try our best to make it easier for her." Nicki noticed her sister nod her head in agreement, but it was evident that their concerns for Lori put a lot of more pressure on everyone.

"How about a place?" Sarah asked, looking from Daryl to Glenn. "Is there no place at all?"

"Where we can live?" Glenn asked, earning a nod from Sarah.

He shrugged his shoulders, "The maps don't say much."

"Just old houses," Daryl said, "No strong enough ta be safe." Nicki saw her sister cross her arms, unable to stay still. It was understandable; they all wanted to find a safe place, but now it felt like time was running fast and out of their control. They needed to find a place where Lori could give birth safely. And now they only had five months left.

"We'll find a place," Daryl said softly, making the others nod at his words. Then his eyes lingered a little more on Sarah. Nicki's sister forced a little smile, probably trying to believe the archer but feeling all the worries.

"Come on," Daryl said to her, "Let's go skin these." Then he and Sarah went to sit down on the side of the camp.

Nicki wondered if a safe place would ever exist for them. It was already difficult to believe before, but now, after the farm, the approaching winter, and Lori's pregnancy, it felt like they really needed a miracle. If even a house was not safe, where could they end up to start and live a normal life?