They kept talking all night. Rick and Maxinne sat across from each other on a small round table for two, once again inside the only bar club in King County. A few if not all of the people inside with them already had drinks in their stomachs; Rick and Maxinne counted along with them. When they found out about the special promo for newly wed couples that gives them half the price of the end of their whole meal— the two played their part and stuck longer in the club.
"Boo!" Maxinne yells out along with the others when a drunk male singer slurred all his words and vomited in the middle of his performance. His friends took him out of the stage while laughter ensued the bar. So far, throughout their date— at least Rick thought it was, since apparently they were on their honeymoon per Maxinne's claims at the desk— he and Maxinne watched and both cheered as well as even booed (the only one complaining is Maxinne) at volunteers and entertainers with the view of the stage perfectly clear for them, having situating their table right in front of the stage that stood on a height not higher than his knees.
"Okay, what are you doing?" Rick chuckles as he watched Maxinne stand up from her seat, her coffee eyes brewing in determination and even arrogance. Along with them in the front tables facing the stage were other newly weds, highly energized through their celebration. A wedding, Rick thought. He didn't know if he was ready after having experienced a short one with Lori—
"You call that a performance?!" Maxinne yells out, cutting off Rick's thoughts and getting cheers from the crowd as though hyping her cause of rebellion.
"Maxie, I don't think you should-" Rick watched in intricate amusement when Maxinne stepped on their table, he tried gently pulling her down but she leans down to him with a shushed voice. "Honey, can't you see I'm starting an advocacy?— I THINK IT'S TIME FOR SOME REAL ENTERTAINMENT!"
Rick tried to calm down an energized drunk Maxinne with a chagrined expression— amused at the same time flustered, and the people clapping for her and cheering louder only let his mind go blank on what to do, even now when Maxinne jumps to the stage and picking up the microphone from the stand.
Rick seeing the woman cannot be deterred, remained in his seat unaware of the small smile in his lips. This is an interesting turn of events.
A hand pressed itself on his shoulder, Rick flinching at the touch and turn to seeing a man, who too looked to have gotten a few short drinks, just buzzed though not wild tantrumslike his girl. "You are one lucky man," a man whispers, gesturing to Maxinne who was energizing the crowd further opted to smile along the audience, while Rick glances back to the man's table to see another hyped up woman cheering along Maxinne with no care on whoeveris around. Seeing their similar situations, Rick couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"You too." He nods to the man, the two exchanging smiles, Rick looking back to the stage as the music started to back Maxinne. His small smile growing wider every second as he watched her with glee.
Yeah, he is lucky.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
"-What you're doing to me," Maxinne hums to her daughter, the two standing out a view where the sunrise in Atlanta is clearly displayed. The little baby demon looked entranced of the view, letting out smiles and giggles as she gets her daily vitamin D. Her mother having swayed her body side to side to let the baby dance even just a little, "-I have spent all my years in believing you but I just can't get no relief, Lord— somebody..."
Maxinne lifts her eyes away from her grinning baby demon and watched as the sun continues to rise over Atlanta City, basking it like it was still in its innocent form— and not filled with the flesh-eating dead. Looking around, Maxinne tried to find where her husband went after telling them, this held the best spot of of getting Vitamin-D for the baby. Staring back down to Charm, Maxinne gave out an imploring look. "Do you want to see, Daddy? Please tell me you want to see daddy because I also want to see daddy."
Charm blinked at her mother, but at the mention of her father and gave out a squeal. Maxinne smiled adoringly towards the reaction and trudged the short mini forest that separated her and her husband. I'm coming, sweetie!
Rick stares at a sunrise over Atlanta as he tries to reach Morgan on the walkie-talkie. Having tried for minutes now to get a response, he didn't know what to do and gave out a sign. "Morgan, I don't know if you're out there. I don't know if you can hear me. Maybe you're listening right now. I hope so." Rick found a small smile making its way to his lips as he remembered the events yesterday. The good ones at least. "-I found others… my family, if you can believe it. My wife, son, and my little baby—they're alive. I wanted you to know that." Rick nods, his eyes focused on the ground before glancing towards the view of Atlanta and the small smile that was in his lips, disappeared and turned solemn.
Which was the same moment, Maxinne and Charm found their loved one. "There's something else you need to know. Atlanta isn't what we thought. It's not what they promised. The city is… Do not enter the city. It belongs to the dead now. We're camped a few miles northwest, up by a big abandoned rock quarry. You can see it on a map. I hope you come find us. But be careful. Last night walkers came out of the woods. We lost people. Watch yourself, Morgan. Take care of your boy. I'll try you again tomorrow at dawn." His thumb loosened from pressing the call button on his walkie-talkie, eyes staring at the ruins of Atlanta City with an unreadable expression. He wondered if his voice got through, or if Morgan even heard his words.
Just imagining Morgan and Duanne crossing Atlanta City with no idea of what they are getting into, fills his chest with worry—
Maxinne places a hand on Rick's shoulder, feeling how tensed it was— gave it a firm hold to massage it. "Hey, they'll be fine." Hearing Maxinne's voice along with her touch, Rick sagged and let go of his worries. They'll be fine. They have to.
Lifting his chin, Rick stared at Maxinne's beautiful features but the baby demon grew jealous and wanted his attention. This made Rick gave out a chuckle and stood to carry his daughter, who immediately smiled in his arms.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a tickin' time bomb." Daryl looked at each and everyone of the people circled around together in hopes on talking about the situation with Andrea.
Hearing his voice, Maxinne looked up from the ground, her arms already crossed in front of her chest and turned to Daryl.
After the trek down on the nearby cliff, Maxinne had opted to help along with the others to gather whatever remains she could find, hoping to get along with the others too by then. Opening up with a dead joke seemed very inappropriate at the moment so all Maxinne could do was give an awkward smile of hello and saying, "I'm Maxinne, want me to help with the dead body?" Like a freaking NPC of a game.
"What do you suggest then?
Daryl looks at her, with debate in his eyes and said: "Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here— Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance." Maxinne cocks her head to the side, so can she.
Was that a challenge?
Rick glances towards his wife, eyes understanding what is going through her head and lightly nudge her on the side. Stop.
Lori frowned at the suggestion, taking note of how quiet they all became and so stared at them in disappointment. "No. For God's sakes, let her be." Seeing the firm decision, the men backed off albeit unwillingly. Mavis that stood with them, heard everything— when the people in camp backed-off Andrea's case, she and Maxinne connected stares. One frowning, the other simply shrugging, it wasn't Maxinne's place nor Mavis to tell what the people should do. They had just joined the group last night, and with everything that's been going on, they weren't even able to exchange proper greetings. Well, Maxinne did try to but the realization of greeting the others just after a massacre seemed too much, wasn't it? So now it only left her being awlward and hesitant.
"We don't burn them!" Mavis and Maxinne's stare was broken the moment they had heard Glenn's shout; gaining the attention of others, they turned to see Glenn frowning at Daryl and a (big) tan skinned man, all equally sweaty from the whole cleaning up. If she remembers, Rick pointed him out to be Morales, him and daryl were holding one of the dead corpse, seeing how fresh it was— it was from their group. "We bury them. Understand? Our people go in that row over there."
Daryl and Morales started dragging the body toward the digging hole. However, Daryl scoffed and Morales heard him. "You reap what you sow."
"You know what? Shut up, man."
"Y'all left my brother for dead. You had this coming." Maxinne and Mavis watched the two, the former letting out a sigh and was planning on just going back to the tents she had set up, where her whole family had slept in but when she had already taken two steps in, with Mavis in tow— one of the women in the camp started yelling.
"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim!" Jacqui looked for help as the man in statement was looking at her in betrayal and fear.
And here they were again, circled together to talk about the man's case which Mavis and Maxinne learned his name was Jim. "I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it." Daryl was the first to speak,
Shane hearing such a brutal suggestion, glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "Is that what you'd want if it were you?"
Daryl scoffs, "Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it."
One of the men, an old one where Maxinne remembered to be Dale. "I hate to say it… I never thought I would… but maybe Daryl's right."
Hearing their opinions of actually killing a living person, Rick couldn't help but be aggravated. "Jim's not a monster, Dale— or some rabid dog."
"I'm not suggesting…" Dale tried to reason but Rick kept hissing.
"-He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Maxinne frowned in concern as she watched Rick, in a time such as this, she knew this wouldn't be the last one they have to encounter such dilemma.
"The line's pretty clear." Daryl nods, his eyes fueled with a firm decision. "Zero tolerance for walkers— or them to be."
"What if we can get him help? I heard the C.D.C. was working on a cure."
Shane shook his head at Rick's words. "I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."
Maxinne also heard of it, it was one of the places G and the others were planning on going first if they ever left Atlanta City. The amount of possible medicines it would have, it's a hidden jackpot. "What if the C.D.C. is still up and running?"
Shane heard her voice and immediately scoffed. "Man, that is a stretch right there." Maxinne frowned at the hidden hostility in his voice, it should be her that's angry.
At her glare, Shane lifted his eyes to look at her only to quickly look away. Maxinne smirked at his cowardice. Yeah, be filled with guilt and shame you sick prick.
Rick though didn't see the exchange. "Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the C.D.C. at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot as well. Shelter, protection…"
"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay?" Mavis crossed her arms as the man spoke, seeing how Maxinne reacted to him. "-Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."
Maxinne frowned at his suggestion, albeit a good reason but the location was what made it impossible. She may not know the ins and outs of Georgia that well, but she knows location of army bases in her 'mind palace of people rarely know or shouldn't know', Fort Benning is in one of them and it seemed Lori thought the same thing as she said. "That's 100 miles in the opposite direction."
Shane nods, his eyes going to Lori's. Glistening like he was trying to persuade her. Only her. "That is right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."
Rick shakes his head in disagreement, gaining the lost attention. "The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that. The C.D.C. is our best choice and Jim's only chance."
Maxinne twitched in her stance, as the conversation only went to where they would go after this, and not giving the 'sick man' and 'bitten girl' an action today.
Daryl scoffs "You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"
Maxinne noticed Daryl's steps, and so did the officers and immediately tried to intervene. "Hey hey hey!"
Maxinne was quick in her steps to place herself in front of Jim as Daryl heads toward her direction with his pickaxe and tries to take a swing but Rick points his gun behind Daryl's head, making the redneck stop in place.
"We don't kill the living." Rick states, his words coming out harsher than intended with Maxinne standing infront the line of fire.
"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."
Shane stood beside Maxinne, though closer to Daryl's front, concering his line of vision over Jim and Maxinne. "We may disagree on some things, not on this. You put it down. Go on."
"Havo dad, Legolas. This isn't the way." Daryl tensed his shoulders, eyes narrowed in simmering irritation. He kept his gaze towards Shane's but after a while of assessment, his gaze went to Maxinne.
Daryl puts the pickaxe down, and in all Dixon passion, voiced out his distaste as he went away. Maxinne remained in place as Rick advanced towards Jim with quick haste steps, picking him up by the arm and dragging him to a place no one could see him— Dale's RV.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
Maxinne lets out a breath as her shoulders loosened and glanced around the fear-stricken faces of the group with quiet observation. Mavis sending a shrug response of 'Oh well' before the woman with a mute condition left to go back to dragging bodies, walking towards Glenn to help.
Maxinne too was about to help Mavis and Glenn, maybe provide emotional support seeing the asian distraight but the sound of a familiar shriek of a baby coming near her had quickly grabbed her attention.
"Mom?" A wincing Carl called out for help, holding a wild baby devil throwing a tantrum. Seeing the two siblings with a few more children followong behind him. He was already becoming a charming leader like his dad.
Maxinne gave out a comforting smile, jogging fast to their side and covering the sight of Carl, Charmaine and the other children of the gore. "Now I told you, not to go out of your tents didn't I?"
"Charm was crying for you." Carl rolled his eyes, handing the baby to his mom and Maxinne instinctually let her arms wrap itself around Charmaine.
Seeing that the baby didn't let up, Maxinne gave a knowing frown. "Or your father." The two Grimes along with the other children of the group watched as Charmaine kept her cries. Yup. Definitely looking for Rick.
"Think we can ask Dad to hold her for a while?" Carl asked, knowing how busy Rick was but open to getting his father if Maxinne agreed and Maxinne was glad to see the respect Carl had for his father doing his work yet his eyes sparked in a way that he knew Rick would be by their side when they call him.
And Maxinne wanted to keep it that way, to let him know his family would be there no matter how busy they are. That was a lesson she in placed in Carl the moment they got together, letting him be confident in his family the way she wasn't.
"No need Carl, I know just the trick to silencing this apocalypse baby." Maxinne guided them back to the tents, teaching Carl her ways of taking care of Charmaine and the trick of silencing the chubby cheeks baby when she looked for Rick: a simple shirt that he wore placed over her shoulders where Charmaine would lay would suffice.
Seeing that Charmaine calmed, Maxinne even taught some of the kids how to handle a baby to keep them occupied, especially when a gun shot rang close them.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
In the quarry, the groupstaged a and Mavis showing up to pay their respects. Though they are newly added to the group— they still couldn't help but feel sorry for the loss they have gained. Carl clunged close to Maxinne's side and she caressed the crown of his head as he hid his tears— ever since she had returned with his father, Carl never left her side, afraid she would disappear again with Charmaine who remained still laying on her shoulder with a wide hat to cover her of the sun and the depressing scene. The heavy silence of the group seemed to have encouraged Charmaine to remain quiet as well and remained laying on Maxinne's shoulder still drowsily leaning in comfort of Rick's shirt and not her mother's shoulder.
Mavis made sure to be a few steps further in front of Maxinne's side, to make sure that even though Charmaine planned on lifting her head— the baby wouldn't still be able to seeAndrea and Dale carrying Amy's body and putting it into a digging hole that Rick and Shane dug up for their people.
Once the burying of the dead ended, Maxinne found herself back at the tent, watching a disheveled Rick changing someone's dirty diaper. Despite his weary expression, Maxinne knew Rick needed an anchor at the moment. Something to forget and ground his thoughts from everything that has happened.
So Maxinne had him change their angel's diaper while Carl was back to Lori who wanted him and a few other children to continue studying to get their mind off of the burial. Maxinne didn't really see the point of giving education, for as far as Maxinne could see, they were in it for a long run but if it is what makes Carl keep his innocence intact, she is all in for her kid's happiness. Even if Carl held a frown all over his face as he followed Lori into studying. Maxinne made sure she didn't laugh at him but when Carl's frown deepened at the sight of her, a few might have slipped out.
Maxinne stared at her daughter, widening her droopy almond eyes as the baby girl wiggled her legs at the taste of their freedom. "Well someone sure is lively now! You don't want to wear nappies no more? No more nappies?" And as though the baby loved to hear her voice or simply the idea of going naked with no more nappies, Charmaine gave a throaty laugh that seemed to come from her throat releasing gas from her stomach. A wide smile on her lips and kicked her legs faster.
Rick's lips naturally gave out a smile at the sight of his daughter's cuteness. "Now we can't have that, little princess. You'll start pooping everywhere without those nappies." And hearing her father's voice, Charmaine kicked her legs together, her smile disappearing as she remained staring at her father with a an 'o' shaped mouth, trying to understand his words. Maxinne and Rick gave out a fond laugh as she resembled a hyper hopping frog.
When the baby thought Rick was leaving as he fixed himself after fixing her mess, the mischievous little human started whimpering for her father and Rick sensed it and lifted the baby up and lay her head in his shoulder before she could cry. Charmaine didn't even care for the sweat and clung tightly to him while Rick gave the girl kisses all over her huge head. "I won't leave again. I promise you that. Not for anything."
It was silent for a while, but Maxinne waited patiently for Rick as his eyes showed how deep his thoughts ran. It took a while, a few minutes before his gaze finally moved to connect with her waiting ones. "Shane blames me for not being here. Do you?"
Maxinne shook her head slowly, keeping her gaze towards him. "You won't hear any complains from me, sweetie." With a more mellow tone, she steps close to him and caressed his cheek, hoping she could help her sheriff with his thoughts. "Now, I don't know what it was like before in this quarry but if you didn't go back to the city, we wouldn't have ever met."
Maxinne raised her brow as that seemed to make Rick's eyes widen in realization but she continued, "We already had plans on leaving G and the city. Me and Mavis were outside scavenging for things when we crashed into you." The more she told, the more Rick gave a breath of relief at having gone back. He had never thought of it— that the bundle in his arms and the brown coffee gaze he was staring at would not be here today if he listened to Shane.
That he might have never seen her— possibly, forever.
"And you've also brought back weaponry that heightens our defenses."
Rick gulped down a heavy breath, not wanting to admit the thoughts lingering in his head but he wanted to know— he wanted assurance— from her. "But... we have fewer people. That— that makes us weaker..."
"No matter the number of people— the strength of the weapon lies on the ability of its holder." Maxinne has read a lot of war stories where those with the least people but great skill won over those with numbers. She knows it herself, seen some situations like those.
Maxinne gave a sigh as she knew what Rick was looking for. "You want me to say I think you were right? I understand that. All I can say is that none of you is wrong and none of you is right because we are just humans who don't know the dozen possibilities things would happen, but thinking about it— those walkers would have still creeped out and surround the camp whether you left or not. With lack of weaponry, the fight would have gotten really risky and longer but with the weapons you've brought, it made things quicker." Rick's gaze looked away but Maxinne wasn't having any of it and made him look back at her by holding his chin.
"If it weren't for the added weapons, more people would have died and the fight would have lasted longer."
Rick nods, his eyes still organizing his thoughts not to kiss the woman he married right at this moment. "I love you..." his voice whispered and slightly teary, thank goodness he found his wife.
Maxinne broke into a wide smirk as she pecked his lips. "You'll be mishegas not too. I'm a catch!"
Rick fondly rolled his eyes similar to what Carl has carried by his genes before wrapping his vacant arm on her waist and pulled her close to his chest and kissed her sweaty forehead. Closing his eyes, he just took in her scent, smiling as he heard her voice muffled in his chest as she said, "I love you too, Sheriff."
• ────── ✾ ────── •
Maxinne and Rick went back outside to see how Jim was doing, having asked Mavis to watch over Charmaine and she and Rick thanked her as they left. After a while though Maxinne left the RV to give Rick and Jim some alone time, she looked to the side and saw Carl talking to a girl, must have been close to his age but she stood slightly taller than him. Her blonde hair short just below her chin. Maxinne know she shouldn't ship two kids but Carl's love life might be her only entertainment aside tormenting Rick as his wife.
Despite her focus on her son, it didn't went past her senses, the sound of steps nearing— too light to be called a man's and too quick to be an unfamiliar person. And based on those alone, she could already guess as the other woman who is familiar to her was taking care of her baby at this moment.
Lori steps in beside Maxinne, a firm look placed upon her face. Maxinne frowned at the sight of how fiery her eyes seemed to spear her. "Maxinne, can we talk?"
Maxinne's brow furrowed as Lori spoke to her. They rarely talked to be honest but for Carl's sake, they were at least civil— well Maxinne kept herself civil while Lori just tends to ignore her as though she is a ghost.
In pure instinct, Maxinne glanced towards where she saw Carl still talking to Sophia before back to Lori's fiery gaze. "Lori, if this is about Carl—" Lori cut her off by shaking her head,
"No. Not this time." Lori says, taking a gulp of breath before saying: "It's about Rick."
With that Maxinne's whole body tensed, her furrowed brows now join by her frowned lips and narrowed eyes, suspicious as to why Lori wanted to talk about Rick.
Even at the mention of his name, Maxinne noticed how Lori seemed— shy.
"What about Rick?" Before Lori could speak, the two women saw movement on the side and saw Shane marching over them with purpose.
Shane joins Lori, his gaze staring directly at Maxinne, and the jewish brunette nearly growled as the gonifhad the audacity to speak to her.
"I need you to help talk some sense into Rick. Look, this C.D.C. thing, Maxinne, It's a mistake." Said woman kept staring at him in disbelief, so when she didn't answer him, Shane took the meaning himself. "So you're backing him?"
With a controlled simmering anger, she glared at Shane hard. "How dare you... talking to me? You dare talk to me?" Lori frowned as Shane beside her tensed and his gaze turned murderous with hidden intent but not as fiery anger of a murderous glare Maxinne was sending him.
Maxinne lifted a hand, so quick that Shane and Lori didn't see her with a dagger. She placed it just right on Shane's adam's apple, Lori shivered at the eyes as though Maxinne had already seen Shane's death. "Go away, Shane. Don't make me use this on you." Maxinne threatened, her voice eerily calm and none of the other groups noticed what was happening to them.
Shane scoffed, fixing his stance as he glared at Maxinne. "Look, it may be time for you to play the dutiful wife, but you can't tell me that fixing your marriage is worth putting people's lives at risk." He took a hand to hold her wrist but she was quick and nicked his palm.
"Ah!" Shane winced, cradling the bleeding hand in his chest and started sending her a murderous frown but Maxinne was not deterred and with a voice so calm she said with unblinking eyes.
"Get near me again and I would not hesitate to slice you like we do on our beef briskets at Hannukah."
"What's going on here?" Maxinne has already hidden her knife as she heard the RV creaked with Rick coming out to peek.
Noticing her tensed back and shoulders, Rick frowned placed a gentle hand behind her waist as he stepped close to her.
"Everything all right?" Rick asked Maxinne but she remained glaring at Shane with her lips closed tight.
Shane then hid his bleeding hand, coughing to get Rick's attention away from Maxinne while Lori though shocked and confused at the hot conflict earlier, now looked at Rick in brightness.
"Just talking about my need for a plan, man. So what is it? Are we leaving or not? Maybe y'all just want to stay here. We could hang some more tin cans."
His tactic was effective, Rick left his gaze from his wife but the hold on her waist tightened as the primal urge for him to protect surfaced. "We can't stay here. We both know that."
Lori speaks up, stepping once and got Rick's attention. "I was just telling Shane I think we should trust your gut." Her voice light as she nodded at Rick. What?
This sent the two men to look at her in confusion, Rick most of all while Shane was more onto disbelief but he was quick to hide it as it turned into irritation.
Shane clicks his tongue, hiding his rising temper. "Come on, man. Let's go do our sweep." While Rick still kept a confused look towards Lori, the woman turning a bit shy at his continuous gaze, but the sound of Shane's voice snapped him out and his attention went back to his wife, who now was looking at him.
Rick turns to face her, holding her face in his hands. "Are you okay?" The two stared at each other, making conversations only they could understand.
Maxinne gave a slight smile as she nodded, lifting her hands to hold his wrists. "I'm okay," no, she was not freaking okay.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
Everything else after that quickly flew by, like a blink of an eye Maxinne found herself sitting on the passenger seat of Rick's car with their children and Mavis in the back en route to the CDC but in the midst of their travel, the RV gave a few honks, turning on his hazards lights before stopping. Being in the middle, the RVs honk stopped those at front while the hazard warned the back, this event caused all the cars to stop and check what was the situation with the RV.
"You guys stay here at the back, we'll check what's wrong with Dale, okay?" Maxinne turned to glance at the three in the backseat and saw them nodding at her words, so she smiled and left the car with Rick, "What happened?"
Dale sighed as the group got out of their cars to see what was going on, all of them surrounding the RV, whose front was smoking with hissing sounds. "I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van."
Rick turned his weight on his one foot, placing his hands on his hips as he asked Dale, "Can you jury-rig it?"
Dale nods, smacking his lips as he pointed to the radiator. "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose." Maxinne nearly smiled as the old man seemed more irritated than worried. "And I'm out of duct tape."
"Maybe I can help? I used to be a mechanic at our county, maybe I could try something." Maxinne volunteers, Dale and the others who wasn't with them to see her hot-wire a car gave wide gazed opinions.
But Dale just gave an exasperated breath, filled with drama as he gestured to the RV. "You sure you could do that? 'Cause I'm giving it all to you, I'm out of ideas how to jury-rig this thing."
Maxinne's lips turned into a grinning bob cat like grin and gave a sly stare, lifting her hands as she wiggled her fingers. "Don't worry, I have magic hands unlike my cousin Debrah, who was a surgeon— one of the reasons she's still single, or so I was told." The group turned to stare at Rick as Maxinne left his side to check the smoking engine. The cop let out a small cough and cleared his throat as some stared at him with sly smiles and some wondering how they should react at her comment.
Though it was nice to have: a moment lighting up the tense atmosphere a bit. While Lori not far seemed to have a disgusted grimace until Jacqui gets out of the RV.
"Y'all, Jim…" Everybody's attention turned to Jacqui, even Maxinne peaked out from fixing the RV. "It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."
Just like that, a heavy silence waved over them all. With the decision to leave Jim behind, left almost like an empty forlorn air around everybody in their cars. None talked or even bothered to lighten up the air, Maxinne internally winced at the grim expressions of the group as each decided to go back to their vehicles— giving it their best not to look back at a suffering Jim.
Maxinne felt Rick's hand gently pull her to their car, Carl and Charmaine already there waiting but she saw movement to the sideby the ends of the line of cars, seeing Mavis walk up to Daryl's truck. What is she doing?
She stayed there for a while and her stop made Rick pause along with her, Rick opened his mouth to ask but she shushed him before he could— focusing to see all of this flow right in front of her eyes. The quiet redneck swaggered towards his truck, only when he stood in front of it did Daryl finally realized the new passenger.
"Da'hell ya doin' in here?!" Maxinne saw how the redneck glared at Mavis and if she weren't so darn scary herself, Maxinne would have ran for the hills.
But it seemed Mavis too wasn't so bummed at Daryl's reaction and instead buckled up her seatbelt and grinned at the redneck.
"Get out, woman!" Maxinne cracked up as Mavis only showed Daryl her middle finger towards him. Making the redneck stare at her with wide burning eyes of anger before shaking his head and stomped towards the driver seat.
With a loud bang, he shut his door and started his truck. If she squinted her eyes, Maxinne would see that the redneck's mouth continued to move as he grumbled under his breath.
Mavis saw Maxinne and Rick watching it all happened, Mavis's hazel eyes brightened and waved at Maxinne with a large smile, making the brunette all the more cracked up.
"Oliver Queen better watch out, Mavis would suck him dry if he let her."
"I bet those two end up together." A weak voice spoke up from the side, Maxinne turning to Jim with a smile— nodding at the bitten man's words as she tugged Rick's, a sign that they too should leave while Rick tilted his head in confusion. Not really understanding what just happened.
Now that was entertaining.
• ────── ✾ ────── •
The sun was already setting when they have finally pulled over outside the compound. Without leaving yet from their vehicles, they could already see the piles of corpses around the area. Mix of civilians and soldiers laid around the cold pavement road, blood and flies all over. Maxinne grimaced, never really used to the scent of rotting corpses despite what she has already been through. Maxinne had Rick carry a satchel filled with a few weaponry (and a few diapers and milk powder) she saved while she had Charm wrapped in front of her for a more lighter carrier incase they needed a faster escape. With the danger of the scents infiltrating their nose, Maxinne lifted the soft thin wrap cloth over her baby's head while she hands Carl a towel to cover his nose and kept him close to her as they all left their vehicles and quickly charged the compound to reach the CDC building.
"Keep moving. Come on." Rick said with a lowered voice as he led the group, Maxinne following behind him with an arm pulling Carl beside her, keeping him close always in between her and Rick. On her other hand, she held her unsheathed 18 inch machete from her huge ass scabbard tied on her waist, a few of her throwing knives on a pocket beside her scabbard and her gun on the opposite side of her hip. She felt pretty bad ass,
Mavis was behind her, along with the others with Shane at the very end of the line with Daryl. Some of the women in children remained in the middle, with their defense tactic for the men to be on the outside circle. It was a pretty good idea, to be honest.
When some of the women whimpered along with the kids at the gory sight of the bodies around them. Jacqui with a shaky breath shushed them. Maxinne rubbed her hands on Carl's side, pulling his head close to her chest as they walked, giving him sight to see where they are walking but not enough to for his eyes to look around.
When they had finally reached the building, their hearts quickened at the sight of the shutters rolled down the entrances. "Oh, God."
Shane pounds on door, creating loud metallic thuds as he kept knocking.
T-Dog frowned, lifting a gun as they all went alert if the sounds ever caught unwanted attention. "There's nobody here."
Maxinne remained quiet, staring at the shutters in deep thought wondering why the shutters were down if there was nobody inside to close them?
Rick got the same idea as his brows furrowed. "Then why are these shutters down?"
"-Walkers!" Daryl yells as he spotted a few walkers coming out in the dark, cutting off whatever else Rick was going to say. His yell made cries ensued around the group, Maxinne pulling Carl closer to her as the boy whimpered in fear and clung to her.
"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl with rising anger and blame in his eyes, looked at Rick and took big steps to him but Mavis cut him off with her own dark stare as Maxinne also stepped in between to stop the redneck to getting closer to Rick, her hold on her machete turning white as she could only see a potential harm coming to Rick.
Shane seeing the women standing up for Rick, made his way to Daryl to push him away and make the redneck back-off. "He made a call."
Daryl huffs, "It was the wrong damn call!"
Shane feeling his temper rise as quickly as the atmosphere turned cold with their scary situation. "Just shut up. You hear? Shut up. Shut up!"
"Rick what do you think?" Seeing the redneck backing off, Maxinne turns to her husband. Calling him softly and calmly. Rising her voice because of fear for their situation won't do anything to help come up with a solution, if she followed along the cries, great pressure would fall on Rick and might ruin his thought process.
Shane must have thought the same thing as he too called out to Rick, making his way to his friend as the blue-eyed cop kept looking at the shutters in wild seeking. "Rick, this is a dead end. Do you hear me? No blame."
Lori seeing them talking to Rick, also spoke. "Shane's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark."
Shane nods, keeping his gaze at Rick. Eyes forceful and urgent, "Fort Benning, Rick! Still an option."
Mavis frowned at that, Maxinne too saw the problem but it was Andrea who spoke the problem. "On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles."
"125. I checked the map."
Maxinne steps closer, "Forget Fort Benning. If we are leaving, we should stay on one of the buildings nearby. We still have a lot of options around us." Mavis and the others heard her words and nodded, just across the street, were a few buildings indeed. With their cars they would be able to look for empty buildings in seconds.
"All right, we'll think of something." Rick finally speaks up. His eyes glancing at his wife who gave him a supportive nod as she saw how his eyes showed his devastation but movement from above caught her attention, making her eyes go wide.
Shane nods, finally getting the plan and started urging the others, Rick placing his hand on his family urging them to move back. "All right, everybody back to the cars. Let's go. Move!"
"Rick, hon! The camera! The camera… it moved." Maxinne says, making her husband stop in his steps.
Shane shakes his head, dismissing her words. "You imagined it."
"it moved!" Hearing him annoyed Maxinne but she holds Rick's arm the held him. Her brown gaze imploring Rick to believe her. Her words emphasized and stressed. "Rick, I saw it. It moved."
Rick stared at Maxinne, reading her eyes before looking at the group. His choice divided as the sun has already fully set with a few more walkers were getting close to them.
Shane seeing his indecision and pause, walked back to him and held his other arm pulling him towards the cars. "Rick, it is dead, man! It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on!"
"We have been moving around the shutters for minutes— why did it only reacted now?" Maxinne argued, her gaze more focused on Rick, whose eyes showed where he was leaning on.
"Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick!"
Maxinne shook her head, and went close to the shutters to speak to the moving camera while Rick slammed his fist at the shutters once again, following his wife. "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me-"
Lori runs back to them, seeing that Rick and Carl weren't following behind. "Rick, there's nobody here! We need to go! Think of Carl!" and me, was something Lori wanted to added but didn't. When Carl was close to crying, she tried to pull him away from Maxinne but the boy clung unto Maxinne hard. He won't leave her and Charm. Not again. Although he was scared, he knew his mom and dad always did the right thing. They would do everything to give him and Charm protection. He didn't focus on what else was happening, he just hugged his mom tight and prayed to God, whom his mother always talked to him about, to help them.