Chapter 29 - Fairchild

Peachtree City

Georgia had never felt bigger than it did right now. Traveling from one town to the next took at least a day, sometimes two, depending on how difficult it was to find their way through. Walkers were an added challenge, cutting them off where pileups didn't and often the numbers of them were far too large and their only option was to wait them out.

They'd made it as far as Peachtree City now. It was the type of city Tess could have only ever dreamed of living in. It was charming in its own way and seemed like the kind of place where you didn't have to worry about locking your doors at night. Their little convoy of vehicles drove through the town center slowly. While they hadn't spotted anybody as they entered the city limit, it wasn't to say that they were alone here.

Tess was enjoying riding on the back of Daryl's motorcycle. It was far nicer than being cramped in the back of one of the cars for an entire day. The days were starting to get colder though and she couldn't deny that there were times that she wished she wasn't so exposed; even with Daryl taking the brunt of the wind. The afternoon air had a distinct chill to it and it was just another reminder for her to finally get herself a jacket.

As they rolled up to an intersection towards the end of town, they were forced to stop. The road was blocked off by a large truck and trailer that had toppled over onto its side. It was far too big for them to have any chance of moving it or squeezing the cars past it and Daryl idled, waiting for the others to pull up alongside. Tess sighed in frustration and leant back as Daryl climbed off the bike to talk to Rick.

It was becoming tedious to deal with continuous setbacks and backtracking. It felt like two steps forward and one step back every time they made any kind of progress. Tess zoned out of Rick and Daryl's conversation about what to do and where to go next; it was the same every time. She stared blankly down a side street, keeping an eye out for any walkers and frowned to herself as she watched one limp across the street to a horse that was tied up outside what looked like a haberdashery. Tess winced, waiting for the walker to inevitably have its meal but it stopped at the horse's side, leaning against it. Hold on a second… she thought to herself and stepped slowly off the bike.

It wasn't a walker, it was a man. He was tall, with dark skin, broad shoulders and buzzed, black hair. Even though he clearly looked injured, there was something about the way he held himself that felt awfully familiar. He was too far down the street to see clearly and Tess stepped over towards Glenn who was holding a rifle, keeping her eyes on the man as she grabbed it from him.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Glenn protested in surprise but Tess ignored him. She raised the scope up to her eye to get a better look. The man in the street was wearing long pants that were horrifically dirty but looked as though they could have been green multi-cam. He was wearing a short sleeved gray shirt and it wasn't until he reached up to grab the saddle on the horse that Tess recognized the shoddy tattoo on his arm. Her heart skipped a beat. She was stunned and elated. She'd know that shitty little soccer ball tattoo anywhere. Tess slammed the rifle back into Glenn's arms and took off running down the street.

"Tess! Hey! What are you doing?!" She heard Glenn call out to her as she ran in the opposite direction. The others had also noticed now and were running behind her but she didn't let up.

"F.C.!" She shouted, short on breath from excitement and exhaustion. The man turned to face her, looking confused and then surprised. He smiled broadly, his whole face lighting up as he hobbled towards her. Without a second thought, Tess slammed him with a hug, feeling an overwhelming wave of relief and happiness all at once.

"Holy shit, Murphy, that is you!" He chuckled, feeling equally relieved and astounded as she did.

"I thought you were dead." Tess stated, pulling back to hold him at arm's length.

"I could say the same for you." F.C. replied, "How'd you know it was me?"

"Your piece of crap tattoo." She laughed and he nodded agreeably, recalling the poor drunken mistake that permanently marked his arm. F.C. nodded towards the group congregating behind her,

"Good to see you're not alone."

Tess finally let him go and turned back to face her friends that were watching on expectantly. In her excitement, she'd gotten a bit carried away. It was understandable that they were confused.

"F.C., meet the group. Guys, this is Marcus Fairchild. He was in my unit back in Atlanta." Rick was the first to step forward and shake his hand,

"Rick Grimes. It's nice to meet you, Marcus."

"Likewise." As everyone stepped forward to introduce themselves, Daryl noticeably kept to the back, looking suspicious of the newcomer. Nobody, other than Marcus, found it too strange however knowing what Dixon was like.

"Are you holding up nearby?" Tess asked him curiously once everyone was acquainted.

"I'm camping out in the bank a couple blocks over. Nobody needs money anymore, it seemed like the best place to be."

"You alone?" Daryl piped up gruffly, his tone suggesting that he'd rather be anywhere else but here right now. Marcus didn't shy from his abrasiveness and nodded,

"There's seven others that I'm looking after. You're welcome to join us if you need a place to stay. We have the room."

"We'd appreciate that, thank you." Rick graciously accepted the offer. "We ran into a bit of a block on the main road."

"Ah, the truck. There's a road a few blocks back that'll let you bypass it. I can show you if you'd like?"

"Maybe tomorrow?" Tess suggested, enjoying the idea of being able to take the evening to catch up with an old friend.

Marcus nodded with a smile and limped back to his horse, untethering it from its hitch.

"You alright?" Tess asked him curiously.

"It's nothing. Got myself into some trouble and rolled it." He shrugged and then paused as he pondered something. "You guys up for a bit of work?"

—

Tess retrieved her bow from Daryl's bike and after rolling their cars off the road and hiding the bike from view, Marcus led them a couple blocks over to a Publix, leading his horse by the reins as they walked. The front doors were barricaded with a dumpster and an array of wooden boards. The blockade looked like it had been made in a hurry.

"The store is basically untouched but there's too many infected inside for me to clear it on my own." Marcus explained, anxiously hoping that Tess and her friends would take him up on this favor.

"Why don't you get your people to help you?" Daryl grumbled and Marcus couldn't help but feel like he was being accused of setting them up and bit back firmly,

"They're not fighters. They wouldn't stand a chance."

"We can do it." Tess stated confidently, "It benefits us both, right?" She turned to look at Rick and he seemed tempted to agree.

"How many are we talking about?"

"A dozen, maybe?" Marcus shrugged, trying to recall how many infected he'd seen inside.

Rick nodded slowly and held his chin in thought, weighing the benefits against the risks. They needed the food and supplies and they could get all that in this one place. They could do this.

"Okay, we go in. Tess, Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, we go and get the job done quietly." Rick instructed, "Maggie." He continued, turning to face the eldest Greene daughter that was staring him down disapprovingly. "You feel up to going in?" The question clearly took her by surprise as her arms dropped immediately and she nodded confidently, stepping up to join them.

"Alright, the six of us should be more than enough. Probably a good idea if you sit this one out, Marcus." Rick commented hesitantly, eyeing his injured leg.

"Understood. I'll keep your people safe." He nodded, not offended by being sidelined. He'd only be a hindrance to them if anything went wrong and he wasn't willing to risk that. Marcus shuffled on his sore foot towards his friend, "You be careful, yeah?" He told Tess, giving her a half smile that felt forced.

"I'm always careful." She smiled back at him reassuringly and followed the others up to the front doors.

Daryl and T-Dog slowly pushed the dumpster out of the way and the rest of them cleared away the wood panels. If Marcus was right and there were only a dozen inside, then with the six of them going in, it should be a cakewalk. It didn't stop any of them from feeling wary though.

"Stay alert. There could be more in there than we know." Rick asserted, a firm hand braced against the door. Tess nodded and pulled her bow off of her shoulder, ready to follow him in. Rick quietly slid past the door, leading them inside.

They were immediately hit with the sharp smell of rotting food. The entire produce section was dark and decayed, flies and maggots crawling over what was once edible. Tess buried her nose in her elbow for a moment as she adjusted to the stench but it only grew worse as they moved towards the meat and deli section.

There were three walkers loitering by the refrigerators and they hadn't noticed them. Torn trays of meat littered the floor and the tile was sticky with dried blood. Daryl quickly put one walker down with his crossbow without any issue and had another arrow loaded and lined up by the time Tess took the other one out with her bow.

Rick silently instructed them to split up, Tess to go with T-Dog and Daryl to go with him. There was no splitting up Maggie and Glenn, he knew that, so he didn't even try. Daryl and Tess were the only ones with ranged weapons that were silent and it made sense to share that advantage. He told them to watch each other's backs and carried on down to the other side of the building.

T-Dog and Tess crept through the supermarket, up and down the aisles, checking for walkers and eliminating them as they went. They didn't come across as many as they expected and for the most part, it was relatively quiet. Tess came to the end of an aisle and appeared facing the instore pharmacy. There were a few rows of hygiene products off to the left and a small office behind the counter. The areas were small enough that Tess didn't think it was worth them both checking so she whispered to T-Dog,

"Office or aisles?" T-Dog eyed both options, trying to make up his mind. He wandered over to the door that would allow them behind the counter and found it to be locked.

"Nah, you can jump over that, I'll take the aisles." He whispered back to her humorously, nodding towards the high counter. Tess sighed to herself, hoping she'd be able to climb over without humiliating herself too much.

She dropped her bow over the counter and onto the ground, trying her best to remain quiet. It clattered to the ground and she winced at the noise. It sounded incredibly loud in the silence and T-Dog looked back at her with wide eyes. She mouthed an apology to him and checked her surroundings in case it had drawn any unwanted attention. No walkers came clambering towards her so decided it was safe. With all the effort she could muster, she planted her hands squarely on the counter and pushed herself up until she could hook her legs over. Silently, she jumped down to the floor on the other side.

Tess approached the door to the back office and knocked on the door. She pressed her ear tightly against the door to listen for any movement but was met with silence. Feeling hopeful, Tess tried the door, only to find it locked as well. She groaned tersely and stepped back, thinking over her options. The door was made of wood so she could try to use her machete if she needed to however this would make quite a bit of noise and was her less preferred option. If I was a set of keys, where would I be?

She rifled through the few drawers that were there but came up empty. She checked the pen cups and inside the till but still nothing. Slowly, Tess ran her hands on the underside of the workbench, sincerely hoping no one had a nasty chewing gum habit. She flinched back in surprise when her hands hit something but it was small and hard and reached back under to feel a hook with a small set of keys dangling from. Bingo!

Tess finally opened the door to the back office. Inside were shelves and shelves of medication, completely untouched. It was like the motherload of medicine. She laughed herself in disbelief, in awe of the sheer amount that was available for them to take. Especially now with Lori, it was the perfect opportunity for them to stock up on prenatal vitamins. Tess didn't have a backpack with her so she did a thorough sweep of the room before leaving to join back up with T-Dog.

Keys in hand, she flicked through them until she found the right one for the pharmacy door and unlocked it. She opened it towards her and stepped out. Maybe it was due to the excitement but she didn't think to check around her before walking out and jumped back in fright as a walker loomed over her, staring her down with its dead eyes. It had no jaw and made garbled growling noises as it tried to grab her. Before Tess could even fumble for her knife, the walker was hit with a low thwack to the head as an arrow lodged itself into its skull. Tess gulped, her chest rising and falling quickly as her adrenaline spiked and she turned to look in the direction the arrow had come from.

Daryl glowered at her, unimpressed, as he stalked forward to retrieve the arrow. Tess felt embarrassed having been caught off guard as so obviously unprepared. It wasn't like she wouldn't have had it under control but it was far too close a call.

"Thanks for that." She mumbled shamefully and watched as Daryl pulled the arrow out, blood and hair trailing after it.

"So much for always being careful." Daryl grumbled back at her, which only made her feel worse. He stormed away from her without another word and Tess rejoined T-Dog before returning to the front of the store with the others.

—

Once Rick was satisfied that the store was clear, he ushered Marcus and the rest of the group inside. For most of them it felt like Christmas day; once they got past the smell. Carl was especially excited and dragged his dad all the way down to the confectionary aisle so that he could stuff his pockets. It was the first time in a long while that any of them had seen Rick smile and made them all feel a lot better. Tess told Hershel and Lori about the pharmacy at the back of the building and the two of them left to gather whatever medication they needed. Tess needed to get herself a jacket. That was the one goal she had right now and she found herself a bag and asked Marcus to join her so they could catch up at the same time.

"So what happened at the hospital?" Tess asked Marcus curiously.

"Ellis and I were getting the patients outside when the entrance got blocked off and we couldn't get back in. We had so many people that needed to be taken care of that we had to make the call. I'm sorry we left you."

"No, don't be sorry. I'm glad you guys got out safely. Is Ellis with you, at the bank?" Marcus shook his head sombrely,

"We got separated about a day later. I don't know what happened to her." His brow was furrowed deeply and he looked angry with himself.

"That's not your fault. It's not worth blaming yourself." She reassured him, knowing what he was going through all too well. Marcus tried to smile at her but it came across more like a grimace. He did feel guilty about it, even if he knew there was nothing he could have done to change what happened.

"Nate's not with you…?" Marcus began slowly, dreading the inevitable truth. Tess and him were inseparable at the best of times, so if he wasn't with her now, there was only one reason why. "Did he not…?" Tess swallowed back the lump that had quickly formed in her throat and shifted her eyes to her feet.

"He got bit… didn't make it out."

"Fuck… I'm sorry. I know you guys were close."

"Thank you. I've made peace with it now."

"That's good. I'm happy that you've got people." Marcus placed a supportive hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, a thought occurring to her.

"They could be your people too." She told him and he stopped in his tracks.

"What about the others? I've got people relying on me."

"Them too. They may not be fighters but not all of our group are either. We could do it." She was verging on begging, not wanting to let go of the last person she knew. Marcus contemplated her offer but he knew there was something he needed to tell her that could possibly change her mind.

"We're not staying here in Peachtree. I've been in contact with another group over in Senoia. We're meant to be joining them tomorrow."

"Another group?"

"They have a large settlement. Thirty, maybe forty people. I've been trying to convince them all week to let us join them and they finally said yes."

"Well, that's great. They must be well set up if there's that many of them."

"I don't really know what the situation is but it seems like our best bet. I can't not take them, they need this."

"I understand, you've gotta do what's right by your people."

Tess couldn't deny that she was disappointed but she couldn't be selfish and expect him to stay for her. Marcus had his own people that he was responsible for now, same as her. She rummaged through a rack of coats, looking for one her size while she came to terms with the fact that their reunion would also likely be their final goodbye. By how difficult it sounded for just their small group of eight to be accepted, Tess didn't imagine an additional eleven people would be well received.

Tess pulled a forest green fleece lined coat from the rack and slipped it on. It fit well enough and would give her the warmth she needed while on the back of Daryl's bike. She thought about picking a jacket out for him as well but she knew he likely wouldn't wear it. It hadn't taken long for her to realize that he insisted on wearing sleeveless vests because he felt anything else hindered his arm movement. But it was getting far too cold now for him to continue like that.

"I'll contact them when we get back to the bank. See if I can convince them to let you join us." Marcus offered suddenly and Tess gave him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you. I won't say anything to anyone until we know for certain."

Satisfied with her coat, Tess moved over to another rack of clothes, bagging some shirts and a couple pairs of pants, as well as a multi pack of underwear. There was a small section of maternity wear that Tess briefly contemplated before grabbing any pieces that she thought Lori might appreciate. Marcus caught her removing the maternity clothes from the rack and was momentarily stunned but he didn't dare say anything.

"Hey F.C., give me a hand, would ya?" Tess asked him, having spotted a stack of blankets just out of reach.

"The blankets?" He asked, walking over to her.

"Yeah, I just need one." She told him and he pulled one down off the shelf for her.

Tess thanked him and knelt down, laying it flat on the floor. It was a woolen, black and red geometric printed blanket. Marcus watched on as she whipped out her knife and cut a line about twenty inches across through the center. She then slipped the blanket over her head, fashioning herself a poncho. It slouched over her shoulder, the neck hole cut far too big but she looked happy with it and shrugged it off again.

"Okay, great! Good to go?"

—

Everyone's bags were stuffed full of supplies when they met outside again. The sun was starting to set and it was getting too late for them to be out in the road. Marcus insisted that they come spend the night in the bank and they were all only too happy to accept. All except for Daryl, who seemed to be in a perpetually foul mood today.

Thankfully, it was only a short walk to the bank. Marcus led them into the lobby, which had been transformed into a makeshift stable for the horse and then announced their presence to his group inside. They were welcomed by seven people, ranging in age but none younger than Tess and after a brief introduction and explanation, they settled in with the group for the evening.

While Carol and Lori helped a few of the other women prepare dinner, Tess joined Marcus in one of the small side offices where he had the radio set up. He dialed in to the groups frequency in Senoia,

"Whiskey, Bravo, this is F.C. over in Peachtree. Do you copy?" Tess waited patiently for a response, trying not to get her hopes up, but found herself picking at her fingernails anxiously. The radio crackled to life as a reply came through.

"Received. What's your message, F.C.?"

"We uh, we've had a change in numbers."

"How many?"

"Eleven."

"Additional?"

"Yes."

The voice on the other end stopped replying and both Tess and Marcus knew that didn't bode well. They'd been answering almost instantaneously so the fact that they had gone silent now gave them all the answer they needed. Their final reply was the nail in the coffin.

"Your number is eight. No more, no less."

Marcus sighed with disappointment as he turned off the radio. He apologized but Tess just shook her head. It wasn't his fault. There was nothing that could be done.

"Don't be sorry. You guys need to go to Senoia. We'll be fine." She assured him, hoping to find some reassurance in her words herself.

—

Dinner wrapped up quickly with everyone far too hungry to waste time talking. The only conversation that did happen was a brief discussion about hitting the Publix again in the morning to resupply. It wasn't a bad idea either; who knew when they'd next find themselves with so much food so readily available.

They chattered quietly amongst themselves, swapping stories about their experiences. There was an older couple, Mandy and Greg Morris, that had lost their son after he had tried to get them both to safety. The guilt and regret was etched into their faces clear as day and Tess couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

Carl kept them all entertained with his (slightly embellished) story of how his dad was in the hospital and how he found his way back to them. According to Carl, Rick had needed to fight his way through hordes of walkers and had used a tank to blast his way through. Everyone knew that Carl's story was fanciful but they entertained him nonetheless.

"Hold on, so you're telling me you were at Harrison Memorial before all this?" Marcus asked Rick in awe.

"That's right. If it weren't for Tess, well, maybe I never would have found my family." The Sheriff replied fondly, recalling the day where he'd seen his wife and son again for the first time. It had been the happiest day of his life. Tess smiled softly at the Grimes family. She didn't think she had played too big a role in Rick's success but she was happy to have been able to help.

"Always the hero, huh? She's good like that." Marcus teased her and her smile dropped into a frown as she rolled her eyes.

"Hero's a bit rich."

"Ah, she's modest too." Marcus waved her off and a couple of the others laughed. Tess felt her neck and cheeks begin to redden in embarrassment.

"Shut up will you." She groaned miserably, regretting every moment of her life all the way up to this point in time.

Marcus slung a heavy arm over her shoulder and pulled her into a tight side hug, which felt more like a headlock. As Tess tried to push herself out of the hug, she heard a huff and a shuffling of feet as someone stood up and left the room. She wished she could do the same.

"F.C. one and only warning." She grumbled at him and he immediately let go. He knew better than to push his luck. Tess pushed back her hair as she sat up, looking around to see who had left. Daryl was missing from the room. Tess felt strangely guilty for some reason. It was probably the first day since the farm that she hadn't spent the majority of the day with him and for some unknown reason, she felt bad about that.

"I'm gonna get some air." She mumbled as she picked up her bag that she had been using as a cushion and walked over to the lobby that Daryl had disappeared into.

He was standing outside, smoking a cigarette as he leant side on against one of the front columns. Tess gave the horse in the lobby a quick pat and then opened the doors to the street. The night air was cold and she hunkered down into her coat, feeling grateful for having come across it today. Daryl didn't show any sign that he was bothered by the cold but even he couldn't hide the goosebumps on his arms.

"Hey, everything alright?" She asked him as she leant her back against the pillar opposite him.

"Fine." He deadpanned, throwing the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stamping it out with his boot.

"Really? Cause you've kinda been in a foul mood all day."

"This town has been a waste of our time." Daryl stated gruffly as he scowled at her.

"Seriously?" Tess scoffed in disbelief, "Did you see how much stuff we got our hands on today? We needed this."

Daryl's scowl only got narrower and his stance more defensive. Tess knew there was something he wasn't telling her.

"Daryl, what is it? You cannot keep doing this every time you get pissed off." She stressed to him, "Just talk to me."

"Is this it for you then? You gonna go off with your military buddy and leave us?" Daryl shrugged flippantly as though he didn't care either way. The suggestion offended her.

"What? Why would I do that?" She asked him incredulously. "Do you seriously think I'd do that?"

Tess stared at him, waiting for him to reply that never came. Daryl wanted to eat his words but he was too proud to take them back. He had let his own insecurities get the better of him and now he was left looking like an idiot. Tess dumped her bag to the ground angrily and ripped out a dark length of fabric. She stormed over to him with it and forcibly shoved it into his chest. Reacting on pure instinct, Daryl gripped her wrist before she could pull away.

"I'm sorry." He told her and she stilled. Tess slowly calmed down and loosed her grip on the blanket, allowing it to fall into Daryl's hands as she stepped away. It was the first time he had actually ever apologized to her and so she knew he had to have meant it.

"I'm staying." She assured him quietly, hopeful that he would trust her when she said that.

"Why'd you give me a blanket?" Daryl inquired, confused.

"I cut a hole in it for you. I thought you might like a poncho."