Chapter 7 - Leper

The Quarry Campsite

That night felt like an eternity for the camp. Nobody slept, with the exception of the kids and barely anybody spoke. Everybody stayed up sitting around a campfire that Shane and Rick had made. Shane hadn't introduced himself to her but Tess had overheard people's names during the night and learnt that Andrea was the one cradling her sister, Amy. Carol was the other mother in the camp and her and her daughter, Sophia, had lost someone that night too.

Tess sat wedged between Glenn and T-Dog, her rifle propped up between her legs. She thought it best to keep it close in case any more walkers turned up. Thankfully none did. Her knee has been bouncing non-stop since she sat down as she tried to keep herself calm, reciting her grounding mantra in her head. The bloodbath just feet behind her had started to make her panic a little as unwanted memories came creeping in. Glenn had been putting up with the shaking for a while and didn't appear bothered by it but finally turned to her with a concerned look,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine." Tess replied, stopping her knee immediately, realizing it must have been irritating for him.

Morning couldn't come soon enough for them all and once dawn arrived, most people got to work collecting up the dead walkers and setting them aside to burn on a pyre. Tess was making doubly sure that all the walkers had gone down with a shot to the head and came across a body of a man, collapsed on top of a tent. He had been attacked by a walker and Tess knew what had to be done to ensure that he wouldn't come back.

As she knelt down to deal with the issue at hand, she spotted a child's doll amongst the belongings. Tess sighed in realization, guessing that this must have been Ed, Carol's husband and Sophia's father. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at the mother and daughter, huddled together by the fire still.

Sophia looked around the same age as Carl, maybe a touch younger, and Carol looked like a quiet woman who made it her life's work to appear smaller than she was. Based on that assumption and the none too kind words she'd heard about Ed during her short time at the camp, she figured he had not been a good man. Nonetheless, she thought it necessary to give Carol the option of sorting out Ed if she wanted to. Picking up the child's doll from the tent, Tess cautiously approached Carol and her daughter.

"Carol?" The older woman looked up from her daughter, surprised but sent a brave smile her way.

"Hi, Tess, was it?" Tess nodded back and Carol continued, "How can I help?"

"Oh, I just- um, wanted to apologize."

"What for?" Carol looked genuinely confused and Tess started to think that this may have been a mistake.

"Your husband. I'm sorry you lost him, you too, Sophia. I'm so sorry." Tess tried her best to appear sympathetic and not awkward but Carol's pause had her shuffling on her feet a bit. A soft smile slowly made its way onto Carol's face.

"Thank you, you're the first person to say that. Ed wasn't really… father of the year. But…" Carol trailed off, not wanting to say too much in front of her daughter.

"I get it. It's never easy, regardless." Tess felt genuinely sorry for the woman in front of her.

She could recognize a beaten woman when she saw one and she hoped to high heaven that Sophia had been saved from that.

"I know this probably isn't something you want to hear right now but we need to make sure he's gone. Do you understand what I mean?" Tess pulled her knife out slowly and held it by the blade. Carol gulped and nodded, following her meaning. "I can do it, if you need me to. I just thought I'd check-"

"It's okay, I can do it." Carol got to her feet timidly and Tess could tell she was nervous.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I'm sure." Steeling herself, Carol took the knife being offered to her. "Will you stay with Sophia?

"Of course." Tess waited while Carol turned to her daughter, assuring her that she'd be back in a moment and not to worry. Once she went to leave, she suddenly pulled Tess into a tight hug, which was over before Tess could respond.

"Thank you. And thank you for helping us last night. You don't know us and didn't owe us that. We're very lucky to have you here."

"You don't need to thank me." Tess replied honestly. She never expected thanks or gratitude for her actions, it was never out of validation or reward that she did the things she did.

"I'll be here when you're done." Carol left to deal with Ed and Tess took a seat next to Sophia, offering her the doll. "Does she have a name?" Sophia smiled up to her shyly and began to tell Tess all about her favorite doll, becoming more and more animated as Tess chatted with her.

The interaction between Tess and Carol hadn't gone unnoticed by some of those in the camp and it helped to solidify people's first impressions of their new group member. Carl, who had been nagging his mom all morning about going to say hi to Tess, had finally won her over and Lori let him go, watching him race over to the pair by the fire. Tess spotted Carl running over and smiled, despite everything that had happened, he and Sophia still managed to seem happy.

"Hi!" Carl greeted with a toothy grin, "I'm Carl!"

"Hey Carl, my name's Tess." She replied, smiling back at him fondly.

"Thank you for bringing my dad back to us Tess. He said you helped him."

"Of course! Nothing was ever gonna stop your daddy from getting back to you." It was obvious that Carl thought the world of his father, beaming with pride at the mention of him.

"Dad said you're in the army, is that true?"

"Yessir, that's right." Tess nodded at him and smirked playfully when Sophia gawked at her.

"What is it like?" Childlike wonder shining in Carl's eyes and Tess quickly thought up an appropriate response,

"Uh- well, it's a great way to see the world and you get to meet lots of really interesting people." All of which was true but was about all she could say that was child friendly. Before Carl could ask more questions, Carol returned and Tess looked up to her, relieved but expecting her to look upset. However, Carol appeared stoic. Her hands were stained red with blood but she had done her best to wipe it away.

"You okay?" Tess asked her hesitantly, getting to her feet.

"I am. Really. Thank you for this." Carol answered honestly, handing Tess back her knife, to which she responded with a down-turned smile, returning her knife to its sheath.

"I'll see you guys later, yeah?" Tess waved goodbye to the kids and Carol and went back over to Ed.

Carol had done a real number on Ed. Years of pent up anger and hatred released on his dead body. That explains the hands, Tess thought to herself. She crouched down and grabbed his wrist, groaning at the weight as she hauled him over her shoulder. Making her way back into camp, she dropped him atop the growing pile of bodies. At the same time, Daryl was dragging over the body of another camp member as well.

"That Ed?" He asked her, his eyes squinting in the sun.

"Yeah, Carol really went to town on him." Tess grimaced as she looked him over, seeing his mangled face and neck. Daryl grunted,

"Guy was a piece of shit."

"Good riddance to him then." Her suspicions confirmed, Tess shrugged and dusted her hands off on her pant legs. Daryl's eyes ran over the woman in front of him, covered in blood and dirt and settled on her face, the bridge of her nose and the inner corners of her eyes, bruised.

"How's the nose?" Daryl asked suddenly, unsure why he had even bothered. Not noticing Daryl's assessment of her, Tess gently touched her face which was tender but not too sore.

"In one piece thankfully. How's your ass?" She replied, cheekily, not missing the look of confusion that clouded his face. "It got kicked pretty bad, did it not?" Smirking at him and his dumbfounded expression. Tess laughed to herself and started to walk away. Once Daryl had gotten a grip of himself, he called out to her, his tone only mildly offended,

"Like hell-" He stormed after her in a huff, falling short a few feet behind her when he realized she'd come to a stop.

Tess had her eyes locked on Jim and Jacqui, who were arguing about something. Jacqui reached out to try grab his shirt and the blood stained tee had them all thinking the same thing. Other members of the group had started to demand that Jim show them his wound, hoping like hell he hadn't been bitten and he had grabbed a shovel, brandishing it wildly and pushing the oncomers away. From behind, T-Dog grabbed him and Daryl took the opportunity to dart forward, lifting his shirt and revealing the bite wound on his abdomen. A quiet panic settled over the camp as people quickly realized what this meant. Tess' eyes were fixed on the bite mark, vivid images of a similar looking bite on Nate's wrist playing like a slideshow in her mind.

—

Shortly after, the group convened around the hood of one of the vehicles, discussing what should be done about Jim.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girls and be done with it." Daryl griped, bothered by the fact that they were even discussing an alternative.

"Is that what you would want? If it were you?" Shane retorted, not expecting a response but Daryl was quick to throw it back at him,

"Yeah and I'd thank you while you did it." Dale looked distressed and was twisting his sunhat in his hands.

"I have to say it, I never thought I would but maybe Daryl's right." Trailing off as a hostile look came over Rick,

"Jim's not a monster Dale, or some rabid dog-"

"I'm not suggesting-"

"He's sick, he's sick! Man, we start down that road, where do we draw the line?"

"He may not be a monster now, Rick but he will become one. That is not worth the risk." Tess butt-in, knowing only all too well what could happen if these bites were left unchecked.

"Line's pretty clear, zero tolerance for walkers. Or them to be." Agreed Daryl.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick seemed desperate now, trying to make people see his way.

"I heard that too. I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane carried on flippantly.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?"

"Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane was incredibly opposed to the idea of the CDC, seeing it as nothing more than a pipe dream.

"Why? If there's any government left and any structure at all, they protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they Tess?"

"Well yeah, I guess, but-"

"I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-"

"You want those things, alright, I do too okay?" Agreed Shane, trying to calm the situation, "Now if they exist, they're at the army base, Fort Benning." Lori turned to him in concern,

"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction."

"That is right but it's away from the hot zone. Now listen, if that place is operational, it will be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."

Tess didn't feel comfortable with either plan if she was being honest with herself. Every bone in her body told her Fort Benning was gone. She'd tried to contact them before they left the hospital but there had been no response. And as for the CDC, well she had no idea what they'd find there. It was an unknown risk that she didn't know whether they should be taking or not.

"We were on the front lines of this and we got overrun like we were nothing. I tried to contact Fort Benning just days ago. Radio silence. That's not normal."

"That doesn't mean that no one's there. Maybe it's a signal issue." Shane shrugged her off in a condescending manner, like she didn't know what she was talking about. Tess knew right there and then that she was going to continue having issues with this guy.

"You know that's not possible."

"Tess is right. We've all seen it. The CDC's our best choice and Jim's only chance."

As Rick continued to sway Shane to his way of thinking, Tess could see Daryl become more and more antsy.

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls and take care of this damn problem!" Daryl reeled back, pickaxe in hand and made to swing at Jim. Rick and Shane rushed after him, Rick with his gun raised at Daryl's head, which took Tess by surprise.

"Hey, hey hey! We don't kill the living."

"That's funny." Sneered Daryl, "Coming from a man who just put a gun to my head." As he turned to face Rick, Shane stepped between him and Jim.

"We may disagree on some things; not on this. You put it down. Go on." Daryl threw the pickaxe aside and left, striding angrily away, while Rick grabbed Jim, leading him into the safety of the RV.

While Tess didn't agree with his methods, she knew Daryl was right. There was no saving Jim. Not now. Not hours after the initial bite and certainly not based on where he had been bitten. She knew Rick was in denial about their situation, agreeing to take someone's life away was never a predicament to be taken lightly but the alternative was too great a risk to run. Given Rick had family in the camp, she was surprised at his adamant position.

Tess had seen the doctors at the hospital try by every means possible to save the patients that had come in bitten. All failed and all patients died. Some had twenty four hours if they were lucky. Some, a lot less. And they were talking about trying to get Jim to the CDC, which was hours away, without medical care? There was no good outcome here. As Rick left the RV, Tess walked over to meet him.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked, her tone not giving much room to refuse her.

"Sure." Rick nodded and the pair walked away from the camp.

"I really think you need to reconsider this."

"Choosing whether to save a man's life or not isn't up for discussion, Tess."

"There is no saving him, though. Maybe if he'd got bit on the arm or leg we could have done something but even then, he's had it for hours."

"You don't know that. The CDC is our best bet."

"I'm not arguing with you, there, Rick. But it's too late for Jim. Besides, this isn't a decision you should be making alone. Have you even asked him what he wants?" Rick was silent, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I know people are looking at you to lead them. But you can't shoulder this responsibility on your own."

"What am I supposed to do?" Rick shrugged, slightly exasperated.

"I'm really not trying to step on any toes or pull rank or any shit like that. But I'm here if you need anything. You can share the load. Being responsible for people's lives, that's a heavy burden to bear and you don't have to do it alone."

"Thank you, Tess. Really; I appreciate it." Rick smiled at her gently and grasped her shoulder, squeezing it in a friendly sign of gratitude.

Tess could see how much of a toll this responsibility was already taking on her new friend. His tired eyes tried to remain positive and strong but she knew that look all too well. Over Rick's shoulder, she could see Shane making her way over to them. As much as she thought about walking away now in order to avoid him, she stayed in place, waiting for him to come over.

"One helluva day, huh?" Shane greeted them good naturedly but his nonchalant attitude struck Tess as unsettling. "Tess, was it? I don't think we've been properly introduced." He offered his hand to her to shake and Tess returned the gesture.

"No, I don't think we have. I wish it were under better circumstances." She replied, still waiting for him to release her hand, which she felt he had been holding for too long. When he finally did, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"That's some incredible luck we've got, finding a woman like you who can handle themselves. God knows we've already got enough to look after." Shane complimented her, yet Tess couldn't help but feel like it was a bit backhanded. However, she tried not to make her distrust too obvious. Before she could respond, he continued,

"Do you mind giving my buddy and I, here, a moment alone?" Tess looked between Shane and Rick, confused why a man like Rick would have ever associated himself with a guy like Shane, regardless of their work partnership.

"No, 'course not." She answered with a stiff smile, welcoming the out. Taking one last look at Rick, she nodded goodbye and left the two of them alone.

As Tess walked away, not deigning to look back, Shane stared after her, unabashedly, watching the way her hips moved as she walked and admiring the way she held herself. With a low whistle, he laughed and turned to his friend,

"Man…" Shane's eyes were wide with lust, a look Rick knew all too well.

"Don't go getting any ideas." Rick chuckled at him, not aware that these thoughts had been circling in his mind since last night when she broke the tree-line, all gung-ho and untamed looking. Maybe this is just what I need, Shane thought to himself. Some incredible luck.