Chapter 12 – Deleted Scenes Suck
"I think Lori had it." Shane tells me, his hand squeezing my shoulder again.
I stay silent, feeling my eyebrows scrunch together a little while closing my eyes and tilting my head to the side trying to remember.
I can recall that Carl had been holding Lexie when I'd looked them over so my bag had to have been with them then. She'd still been inside it when I'd left it by the door after all. But I can't remember who actually had it or if it made it up top. I just looked them over, registered the change, and focused on what was happening even when I said I wouldn't. Stupid.
"It'll be okay, even if it's gone. What you gave me is in my gun bag. We can check if I had it or Rick did when we stop." Shane tells me then, his hand squeezing yet again.
Oh, I forgot about that. I forgot that after the Ed incident I'd given a month's worth to Shane to be in possession of as a backup in case he did it again or just destroyed them. Ah, even before the Ed incident I only kept the original amount I'd had in my possession so there should be a decent amount left with the other meds in the R.V. That is if someone didn't come around and loot it while we were inside the C.D.C. Oh, and there was probably the month's worth I'd also given to Glenn to be in possession of as a backup plan too. That is if his bag made it out... Oh there should still be the small amount that I'd hidden around the R.V. as a backup backup after the Ed incident too. And I guess if all else had failed I had Plan E; try and get my hands on Merle's stash that was probably still inside the motorcycle's bag and see what he actually had on him in terms of at least pain killers.
I release a breath of relief before muttering "I feel like a squirrel."
Shane releases a short snort of a laugh having heard me before his hand pats my shoulder as he tells me "Even geniuses forget some things."
"Shut up." I huff out opening my eyes and focusing on the bike in the back of the truck in front of us.
If we actually still had the med box in the R.V. Daryl probably won't offer Merle's stash up to T-Dog like he did in the original. I guess it doesn't matter though as either way T-Dog will get antibiotics and plan A worked.
"So how many trees did you plant Ms. Squirrel?" Shane jokes anyway as his hand leaves my shoulder.
I just release a sound of frustration and annoyance.
"Oh, I think I know." Shane says then, cheeky brother tone active.
"Shane." I warn glaring at him.
He just glances at me, looks forward again, his smirk busting into a full-blown smile, and opens his mouth anyway "There was me, then obviously the med box, then Glenn, you probably stashed some around the R.V. like a squirrel, and finally banked on getting a hold of Merle's stash to see what he had in terms of pain meds if all else failed. So, five."
Damn it, Shane. How he got that so accurate was insane.
But just as I opened my mouth to tell him off, the Jeep suddenly lurched forward eliciting a startled sound as I jerked forward with it.
I would've crashed into the dash if Shane's arm hadn't have shot out to stop me.
"What the fuck?!" Shane exclaims as the Jeep started to lose speed even with him slamming on the gas pedal and I reached for the C.B. and quickly tried hailing the others "We got a problem."
Unfortunately, the C.B. didn't make a sound, it was somehow dead too, causing me to all but throw the microphone at it with a sound of frustration.
What the fuck was this?!
Shane quickly honks the horn but the next second releases another curse "Fuck!" while looking behind us.
I snap my attention towards the caravan that was supposed to stop when a horn sounded only to see it a decent distance away from us already and release my own "Fuck!" while we slow to a stop.
That's when the brake lights of the truck turn on and it's horn and Daryl yelling something could faintly be heard.
He noticed!
"Stephanie, move now!" Shane orders then, slightly panicked, already shoving my gun in my hand and opening his door as the R.V. now makes a quick U-turn back towards us.
I snap my attention back to Shane to see his eyes still glued on whatever was behind us as he quickly reached into the back for the gun bag there.
I only glance in the direction he was looking at a second before opening my door and quickly moving to get out.
Oh, fuck I know what this is! Fuck me this is going to suck! A shit ton of walkers were coming for us and we had to make it to the R.V. before they did.
I stumble as my already angry knees shot that pain through me again when they hit the ground but thankfully don't fall or drop my gun. I'm moving the next second as a shot rings out, meaning Shane had shot one of them, but I don't look back. I'm not even close to being able to actually run again. The best I could manage right now was a jog but one slightly wrong step or sharp enough pain burst from my knees and I'd go down…and probably stay down. After a few steps alone a hand suddenly grabs my arm from behind.
I react by pausing, ripping my arm away, and whipping my gun behind me but stop my finger just shy of pulling the trigger noticing it was only Shane and start to yell at him "Dumbass! I-"
"Yell at me later! Just move!" He exclaims cutting me off and already grabbing my arm again and starting to harshly pull me with him.
"Fuck me." I breathe out stumbling again as one of my legs slightly buckle at the pain that shot from the knee but Shane's hold just tightens even more as he just pauses a moment to shoot another shot off behind us before continuing to pull me.
This repeats once more just before we're close to the R.V. and it's close to us.
The next moment the door swings open with Glenn exclaiming "Get in! Come on!"
Glenn keeps a hand on the door as Shane pulls me in front of him harshly and all but shoves me into the R.V. the second it jolts to a quick stop.
I suck in a pained breath as my knees, palm of my empty left hand, and the barrel of my gun hits the floor inside jamming up into my right hand and twisting the wrist painfully.
Before I could really process that it hadn't made that snapping sound my ankle had done in my first life before I died after slipping on ice, falling down the porch steps, and got a grade three sprain that ultimately resulted in the blood clot that killed me, two hands had grabbed my arms and pulled me further in and to the side, making room for Shane to get in behind me, with Dale exclaiming "Got her!"
The next second Shane's body hits the floor inside as he literally jumped in while Glenn was slamming the door shut right behind him and exclaiming "Go! Go! Go!"
"Hold on!" Rick exclaims as the R.V. starts moving again all while I'm pulled away from Dale and all but crushed into Shane's chest, his heart very violently thumping inside it and his body shaking slightly and not just from the heavy breathing.
"Let's not do that again either." Shane breathes out when I immediately drop my gun, wrap my arms around him tightly, ignoring the stinging of my hand and the aching of my wrist, and bury my face in their familiar chest more than the hand on the back of my head was doing, my own heart and body mirroring theirs, and not just from the heavy breathing either.
Deleted scenes suck. That was too fucking close.
"Agreed." I breathe out before Carl exclaims "Aunty Cat! Shane!" as an additional, though smaller, arm wraps around me and a head practically knocks against mine on Shane's chest.
"It's okay. We're okay." Shane breathes out then both to reassure ourselves and Carl we were alive.
We stay like that for a moment, just holding each other as there's the faint sound of quiet relieved laughing from most of the people inside the R.V. around us.
We soon separate, though like the times before, Shane keeps one of the arms around me while telling Carl "We're okay, bud. Go on back to your mama." Relieved laughing too, a small smile on his face.
"I think I just lost ten years of my life." Glenn breathes out then, a small smile on his face too as he slides to the floor behind the passenger seat, while Carl leaves us and goes to Lori who was in said seat.
"You and me both man." Shane breathes out to him before looking at me, his face relieved.
I shove Shane's chest then while I yelled at him "Ya-Shit." pausing to curse at the stinging the action caused my hand and the slight pain it caused my wrist before continuing "Dumbass! I could have shot ya! What were ya thinking?!"
Shane's face just turns cheeky as he just tells me "I wasn't thinking that."
"Dumbass." I deadpan at him before turning my attention to my injured right hand, raising it a little to finally look at it.
It was slightly bleeding, the palm having been cut by the gun getting jammed into it, and the wrist ached. But it just ached as I moved it so I'll probably live.
"Shit. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? I knew I was too rough when dragging you and pushed you too hard." Shane says in quick succession, slightly panicked and worry clear in the tone, as he removes the arm around me and the hands now hovering over me all while Dale carefully stands and moves to the back of the R.V. judging by the sound of steps behind me.
"I'm fine. It's just some new bruises, angrier knees, and a hurt hand and wrist. I'll probably live." I tell him while turning the hand to show him it was just a minor cut from where the skin got pinched.
"Give it here." Shane orders then, thrusting one of the hovered hands out to me but not actually trying to take it without permission.
I sighed and gently place it in his hand, wincing at the sting as his other hand's fingers gently traced the minor cut to inspect it.
"Sorry." Shane instantly apologizes but still moved his hand to gently manipulate my wrist to try and gauge the damage to it causing me slightly wince again at the pain that caused.
"Looks like it's just lightly sprained." Shane breathes out relieved then as Dale now returns judging by the sound of steps behind me.
I just hum slightly in confirmation.
Yeah, I was probably safe from a blood clot and it shouldn't kill me.
"Here." Dale's voice sounds then as a bandage roll and tube of Neosporin appears in my sight from behind.
Oh! That means the med box is still here. The little fucking wins man.
"Thanks." Shane tells him taking them from him before looking over to Rick adding "Thanks for getting us, man." Then looking back at my hand and starting to take care of it, putting the ointment on the cut before starting to wrap the wrist and hand, continuing "They may be slow but they don't tire, man. They just keep coming. We'd have fared worse than a cut hand and sprained wrist without you."
"Don't thank us. Thank Daryl. He's the one who noticed." Lori informs then, her voice a little weird from what I can remember it was in the deleted scene we were currently living; almost like she was a little sorry that they didn't notice first and that she was actually worried about us.
"He started honking and yelling his head off." Dale tells us then, slightly laughing at the end.
Everyone but me and Andrea slightly laugh too at either the memory or the image of it.
"Man, I really owe him now." Shane slightly chuckles as he ties the bandage, finished, before asking "Rick, you got any moves left?" while the laughter dies.
"I got one." Rick says then so I finally look back up, away from my hand.
"Is it good?" Shane asks while looking over at Rick.
"It occurs to me that we got friends in this town." Rick informs before glancing back a moment adding "Glenn, Cat, what do you think?"
I just shrug as Glenn confirms "Yeah."
Guillermo and his people are probably dead now. But I didn't know if I should say something to broach that fact or even how.
"It would buy us some time. A night or two until we figure out what we're doing." Rick says.
"The nursing home." I inform simply when Shane looks at me, silently asking, figuring Rick probably already told him about what happened when we went back for Merle and the guns.
"Guillermo and his people." Glenn adds.
"The people that took you and Stephanie/Glenn hostage?" Dale and Shane ask, Dale talking to Glenn and Shane to me, his eyebrows shooting up.
So, he did know.
I simply nod as Glenn confirms "Yeah."
"Like I already told Shane, we parted on good enough terms." Rick says then.
Knew it, Rick told him.
"Good enough doesn't bow me over with confidence." Dale says then while Shane just sighs, clearly not thrilled with the idea but not not open to it.
"You weren't there. You didn't see the way that Rick handled things. They're our friends. They'll take us in." Glenn says then.
Fuck it.
"If they're still there." I say then looking back at my injured hand and wrist before starting to work on fixing the bandage as best I could.
Shane would never be a professional nurse.
"Ah, I guess Guillermo did say they were working on moving out of the city." Glenn hums out then, optimistic, before turning not optimistic adding "He also said they've encountered plunderers before too. They could've gotten attacked by people again. Or they could've gotten overrun by walkers."
"We'll be prepared for any of those things. And even if they're gone the building should be safe and easy enough to secure." Rick adds then.
"Good a plan as any." Shane says then as I just nod, both of us agreeing with Rick.
The building would be safe and easy to secure even if Guillermo and his people were killed like the original or if they'd left. And if they weren't dead yet and still there, they should help us at least for a night.
There was then the quiet agreeing of Dale and Glenn while I assume Lori and Carl agreed with silent nods, like when we had the discussion of the Dixon's joining, and Andrea possibly nods or doesn't do anything at all.
It was quiet then, other than faint sound of rustling coming from Shane as he was probably digging through the gun bag he had now; to see if it was his or not and probably check the stock of it too.
I'd just got done with the bandage and looked at Shane when he turned to Rick and questioned "By the way, Rick, where's the gun bag you had? The one I ended up with is yours."
"It's with the others bags in the back. I'll go get it. You just stay sitting." Dale says then already heading back there, judging by the sound of his steps yet again heading back there.
"Thanks Dale." Shane tells Dale again while turning to look behind me, at him with a grateful smile.
I turn to see if my bag was with the others as Dale just dismisses the thanks with a hand wave and a simple "It's no problem."
I release a quiet sigh looking over the pile on the floor Dale was currently picking Shane's gun bag up from.
My bag wasn't in the pile, but I wasn't really upset about it. Glenn's bag was there so I'd have what I'd given him too in addition to what I'd given Shane, what was in the med box, and what I'd stashed around the R.V. What I'd lost was only a fraction of what we'd had so it was fine.
When Dale turns and starts coming back, I turn back towards the front to see if Carl still had Lexie with him, not spotting the small black and white stuffed cat with the bags.
When my eyes meet Carl's he gets a grin, turns around a moment, turns back towards me, and pops the black and white face of Lexie up over the seat.
I release a short chuckle, a small smile coming on my face, before telling him "Thanks little man."
I think I would've been a little upset if that stuffed cat had ended up getting left behind. Rule number…three? No, that was beware of bathrooms…Whatever. Rule number whatever: Enjoy the little things.
"I'm twelve now Aunty Cat." He sasses with a somewhat pouting face.
"No. I seem to recall you being eleven." I tell him shaking my head.
"Aunty Cat!" He exclaims in an exasperated tone chucking Lexie at me as the others, even Andrea, release a laugh.
Glad I could be amusing…this time I was trying to be.
****Time Skip****
"Leave the bags and only bring a weapon for now. We'll get the bags before going inside." Rick tells us as he brings the R.V. to a stop.
The others stop behind us and Rick is the first to get out; motioning for everyone to gather around.
"Yours looks alright but I'll take a closer look at it later. Just take mine for now. I only fired three shots." Shane tells me while handing his from his side out to me instead of mine he'd been giving a quick inspection, as the others get out around us; Carl stopping to retrieve Lexie from me on the way out with Lori.
"I swear-" I start while taking it from him only for him to cut me off by saying "I know. I know. You'll be pissed if I get myself hurt or killed because we traded." With a grin and while standing up then offering me a hand.
"Go die." I scoff then narrowing my eyes at him but he just grins bigger, insists for me to take his hand, and tells me "I love you too."
"Still a Man-Whore." I scoff looking away from him while taking his hand.
"I know you love me." Shane tells me, with a short chuckle, while pulling me up.
"I hate you." I huff pulling my hand away from his and start to leave the R.V. but pause, glance at him over my shoulder, look back forward while moving his, temporarily my, gun to my left hand, send a quick sign I love you into the air, and quickly change it to flipping him off before dropping my right hand and stepping out of the R.V., waving off Rick's offered hand, while Shane chuckles behind me.
I knew he didn't recognize the sign but he did understand what it meant.
"They look like they're barely hanging on. Do you really think they'll take us in?" Andrea asks motioning around us while I move to the side, to allow Shane to get out of the R.V. too, while also moving my gun back into my right hand.
"With all the guns we gave them, they'll probably throw us a party." Daryl answers her question before giving Rick a quick nod adding "Good call, for once."
"Be prepared. Cat brought up the good point that they might not be here anymore. Either by them leaving or getting attacked." Rick warns not just Daryl but the whole group, cop voice active.
"That's right. Keep close and hold your fire unless it's a last resort or Rick or I tell you to." Shane adds, his cop voice active too, while Daryl sends a quick look my way before looking back at Rick and repositions his crossbow with another nod.
We're moving then: Rick leading, followed by Glenn, Daryl, the mothers and children, Andrea, Dale, T-Dog, and Shane and I pulling the rear.
When Shane and I make it to the open holes in the walls to get into the courtyard Shane goes first, easily dropping down without a problem. I stop at the edge, putting my gun into my satchel for the quick moment of getting down, while Shane hands my, temporarily his, gun over to Dale, who'd dropped through just before Shane thus was the closest of the group waiting for us, before turning back to help me down. I carefully bend and place both hands on Shane's shoulders as he reaches up and puts his under my arms. I carefully drop down then, putting most of my weight on him, and pausing a moment and reflexively squeezing my hands on Shane's shoulders when my knees send a quick pain pulse, angry, when my feet touch the ground.
Shane waits to let go until I drop my hands while giving him a nod.
He returns it while dropping his hands before turning back around and retrieving his gun from Dale while I pull his back out from my satchel.
Rick sends a nod, in question, our way then.
We return it and we're moving again.
"Where are the lookouts?" Glenn questions then looking around just before the wall on our left ends and we find the dead bodies and about two dozen walkers eating them littering the area just in front of the warehouse you needed to get through to get to the nursing home.
"Oh son of a bitch." Shane breathes out as we all come to a stop in a few steps, the mother's quickly turning their kids away from the scene.
That's when the walkers take notice of us and slowly start to leave their meals to stand and start stepping towards us.
"To hell with the noise." Rick says then stepping forward and taking the first shot.
Andrea and the mothers quickly hunker down a few steps behind us with the children as the rest of us started firing on the walkers.
Each time I fired it sent a quick slight jolt of pain from my wrist, which just irritated me more than anything.
"Damn." Shane hisses when his gun jams after only two shots and he steps back to deal with it.
I step in front of him without a word, taking out a walker that still had a mouthful of flesh.
Gross.
"I'm good." Shane tells me stepping back up and next to me, resuming firing.
Not even a minute later the last one falls and we take a moment to survey the area as Rick dumps his casings to the ground and Andrea, the mothers, and children rejoin us.
"Alright, Lori, Carl, Carol, Sophia, Andrea, Cat, and Dale stay right here with me. Cat, Dale keep your heads on a swivel and be ready for anything. The rest of you quickly go with Shane back to the cars to grab some of the bags. Every walker for miles around will have heard us so we'll hunker down here for at least the night and barricade the door as soon as we get in." Rick commands then changing his ammo.
Shane gives a quick look my way, the question clear on his face, so I quickly give him a nod and quick motion of my head for him to move.
"Alright." Shane announces, not only to me but the whole group, with a nod my way, before continuing "You heard him. Move." Commanding and taking point with the guys quickly going back through the holes in the wall to the vehicles.
Rick then looks to me, flicks his eyes to my injured right hand a moment, before moving them back to meet mine, the same question that Shane gave me clear on his face too.
I just roll my eyes and nod in response to it before turning my attention away from him and to the littering of dead bodies; grimacing a little and feeling guilt finding the teen, Miguel, among then, a clear bullet hole in his shoulder and side, one clear bullet hole in the middle of his head, and one of his legs completely gone; torn off and eaten by one of the walkers we'd just put down.
I hadn't warned them. If we'd been in the section of the story that I didn't know well or was already planning to change I'd have said something. But right then how could I? I'd feared the butterfly effect changing what I knew. I valued their lives under ours. Under those of those I care about. I just happened to know their fate. Not exactly who killed them or when just what. Not walkers but other people. I just didn't remember how…badly…the ones that fought back had lost against them. They were absolutely and utterly overpowered. And I did not like seeing it in person.
I release a quiet sigh then while taking my eyes from Miguel and turning them back to the holes in the wall, that the guys were just happening to be coming back through now.
Shane's the first through, carrying the two gun bags, and he turns back to take the cardboard box, the med box, from Glenn. Glenn drops through then and I notice he had had not only the med box but also two bags; his and Lori's. He takes the med box back from Shane as T-Dog drops through with two bags, one I believe is his and one I think is Carol's. The two start heading back over to the group while Shane stays there, to probably take the rear now, and Daryl drops through with two bags too, his and…
For the love of all that is holly!
"Why don't I take that Glenn." Dale tells Glenn while I feel my eyebrows shoot up and eyes go wide in surprise and confusion recognizing the second bag Daryl had was mine.
Shane said he thought Lori had it so when did Daryl get it? Was it when the other's collected any dropped or abandoned bags, from when we got to the top and when going for cover before the grenade exploded, when going to the way out? This is not something I expected at all. I thought for sure it'd gotten left behind at some point and blown to smithereens when it wasn't in the R.V. but Daryl had picked it up. Why? Not only had he helped with the whole Ed incident, with Merle, Shane, and Glenn, and he saved my life…twice now….he'd also picked up my bag. Helping with the whole Ed incident and saving my life I could understand since he's not a total asshole. But him picking up my bag? That was a totally different thing which I couldn't understand. Also how the hell hadn't I noticed that Daryl had had my bag? I'd watched him all but chop a walker's head clean off with an axe as the mothers and children jumped out.
Again, I close my eyes and tilt my head to the side trying to remember those moments, feeling my eyebrows scrunch together a little again.
But I can't recall anything about it other than there not being any bags left around for me to grab and watching the axe going through the walker woman's head, slicing it in two, sending the top half flying and leaving only the bottom half connected to the rest of the body before I stepped forward to jump out turning my attention to the ground and hesitated.
"Come on. On me." Rick orders then pulled me out of my thoughts then.
I open my eyes and feel them widen again finding Daryl standing right in front of me, that blasted small, clearly amused, smirk on his face, not Shane, who was next to him flicking his eyes between us with a hard look on his face.
But in the next moment Daryl thrusts my bag out for me to take without a word, the smirk gone from his face.
I take it from Daryl with a nod and quick "Thanks. I really owe you one now."
"Don't need it." Daryl grumbles then already turning to follow Rick and the others already moving.
"Alright." I say starting to slip my bag over my shoulders, albeit a little awkwardly with my right wrist's more limited movement and gun still in hand, while I follow him and the others, Shane falling into step next to me and helping me, also a little awkwardly with gun still in hand.
Once it was fully on we give a quick look and nod at each other before we focus our attention on scanning the area as we get to the warehouse you had to move through to get to the actual nursing home.
It was disturbingly quiet as we moved into and through the warehouse, only finding a few more bodies of the vato's gang scattered on the floor; truly dead with bullet holes in their heads that you wouldn't really notice unless you were looking for it.
I didn't falter until we stepped through the left open door of the nursing home and the woman gasped and stopped and children started whimpering, stop, and clutch the soft toy in their hands to their chests; stopping the group a moment.
Even knowing what we'd find didn't truly prepare me for what was inside. The old people just shot down where they had stood, one even half in a room and half in the hall, and the stench of death filling the air.
"Voices down." Shane orders, but hushed, shutting the door behind us before looking at me, questioning.
I swallow the nausea and nod before motioning ahead.
Shane nods back before ordering a "Let's go." Tone still hushed which spurs the others to start moving again.
"Don't look." I hiss before I could stop myself when Sophia starts to turn her head to look into a room we were passing, my tone harsher than I meant it to be.
Sophia flinches and whimpers a little louder while burying her head into her mother who was now giving me a look with a mix of worry and telling me to back off.
That's when Daryl turns back and hisses that line at Sophia "Put a sock in it."
Damn still happened. Sorry Sophia.
Carol instantly pulls Sophia into her more, as she cries louder, while snapping at him "You leave her alone."
"You shut her up or I will." Daryl warns instantly causing Lori to order "Back the hell off. I mean now." While pointing at him.
Daryl looks at her a moment before sending a look to me, then Shane, then Rick each of us giving him a slight nod to back off.
Daryl doesn't look happy about it but nods and takes a slight step back.
That's when Shane takes control and looks at Rick with a "Okay, Rick." Before looking between the three of us as he continues "You, Cat, me, Daryl we're going to sweep the bed and we make sure we're alone."
We nod in agreement so Rick then turns to the others and tells them "You barricade those doors."
Those staying at the door nod so the four of us going to clear start moving down the hall with me ending up in step with Rick in the back while Shane ends up in step with Daryl at the front.
Coming on the closed doors to the gymnasium Shane motions to Rick than the door as he and Daryl step to the side.
Rick nods and approaches it as I step off with Shane and Daryl, pausing before opening it to look back at us to make sure we're ready, giving a nod and throwing the door open.
Daryl's the first through the door crossbow raised and ready, quickly followed by Shane, then me, and finally Rick our guns ready but kept pointed at the ground.
I grimace at the sight of some of the tables being overturned, the knocked over canes and walkers, some old people bodies scattered around the floor with bullets in their heads, some old people bodies fallen together like they were lined up to receive the bullet in their head firing squad style, one even still sitting at a table slumped face first as we slowly fan out and sweep the room.
Finding nothing dangerous, dead or alive, we group back up before slowly heading up the stairs without a word. My knees not protesting it but still releasing that quiet clicking every once in a while as we ascended. Though this time in a line with Rick leading, then Daryl, then me, then Shane in the rear. Rick stops at the first room, who's door is left wide open, looking it over as we keep going. Daryl stops at the next kicking open the not quiet closed door, that room with the saying Prayer Changes Things on the doorand a dead body inside, as Shane and I keep going.
I hear Daryl scoff and tell the body inside his room "Guess that didn't work so well for you did it hoss?" from behind as Shane and I go back-to-back to check the next two rooms that were across from each other, their doors left wide open like the first one.
There was nothing in the room I was checking other than a fully dead body of an elder, probably the same for Shane as when Rick rejoins us we move on to the last two rooms down the hall.
I hang back a little as Rick and Shane go back-to-back to check the last two rooms that were across from each other too, also with their doors left wide open.
Whoever ran through here only had a conscience when murking the overtly religious elder. They tried to hide that deed from the world. The fucking hypocrites.
Rick and Shane both release a sigh, probably also only finding fully dead elders in the rooms, as Daryl re-joins us, stopping next to me.
"They're all dead." Rick says then when they turn towards us, relaxing their stances.
"Looks like it. Now up here is our best bet for the night. But let's clear a few of the rooms before we bring the others up here." Shane says then as Daryl and I relax our stances too.
"Agreed." Rick confirms while I just nod and Daryl releases a simple grunt as an agreement.
We then split up, Rick with Daryl and Shane with me, to move the dead to one of the furthest rooms; Rick shutting the door behind him once the last one from up here was in there.
We just share a silent nod before making our way back to the gymnasium; finding the others already there, huddled together, staring at the carnage around it.
Rick, Shane, and I join the others while Daryl splits to start inspecting the dead closely; he'd probably noticed the first time we went through but having noticed how the overtly religious elder was killed he was double checking.
"Upstairs is our best bet. We've cleared a few rooms and can barricade those if we have to. We'll be all right." Rick informs then while looking the group over, cop tone active.
"You mean it this time or are you lying to us like all the times before?" Carol questions then, holding Sophia closer in her lap.
"That's unfair and no help at all." Lori tells her, her tone stern.
"What the hell happened?" Glenn asks then, disbelief in his tone and face.
"What do you think? They got overrun." Andrea says her tone, slow but also slightly harsh.
This causes Daryl to scoff loudly while he was coming back over.
Instantly Andrea snaps her head in his direction and snaps "Something to say?"
"Yeah, how about observant." Daryl snaps back at her, stressing the word.
I released a quiet huff of a laugh at that.
I forgot just how snarky he had been about it.
"Observant, big word from a guy like you. Three whole syllables." Andrea snarks then while I get a look from Rick and Shane to explain what Daryl and I had clearly figured out.
"Walkers didn't do this." I say slowly while motioning to the closest body to us.
"She's right. Geeks didn't show up until all this went down." Daryl says then motioning around at the carnage before continuing, as Rick and Shane go up to the closet body and crouch down to inspect it, "Somebody attacked this place. Killed all these people. Took whatever they wanted. They're all shot in the head execution style. Y'all worried about walkers? I'd be much more worried about the people who came and did all this." Daryl motions around at the carnage again with his last words as Rick and Shane slowly get up the realization on their face.
Who's the cops here?
"Get a dictionary. Look it up." Daryl tells Andrea then before pointing to his head with another stressed "Observant." When she looked at him.
Andrea just looks down unable to say anything back about it so Daryl walks out leaving us to think about what he'd just said.
That's when Rick surveyed the group before he lands on Shane and starts speaking "Okay, Shane. You and me will check the kitchen and the dispensary for anything that might have been left behinds."
Shane nods in agreement, so Rick turns to the rest of us and tells us "The rest of you, head upstairs, get settled, we'll be quick and bring up anything useful."
They nod, their minds clearly still racing, and start heading out the door Daryl had already left through, me hanging back a little so I was the last one out the door so I could slip away and search the rooms down here real quick for anything that might have gotten left behind and for things to make the night easier for the kids.
I knew they'd probably find the can of beans like they did in the original but I didn't want to go upstairs yet. Though my knees didn't protest the stairs either way, they still made their clicking sound and they're probably not happy enough for me to get back up from the floor on my own. Once I sit down, I'm probably going to be there until the morning. I'm not going to be able to take any medication without water anyway so I don't have to eat the stupid beans. Squirrels, rabbits, and deer were one thing, I could pretend it was 'normal' meat but things like that were still a no go for me. Dumb? Yes. Was I going to change anytime soon? No. Besides some old people like to stash stuff so I might even find something else. I mean in the original for this deleted scene Shane had also gotten stuff for midnight snacking, but he might not have this time. So, me sneaking off right now is useful…maybe.
But just before I was out the door Shane says a simple but stern "Cat."
I pause, turn to look back at him and hum, tilting my head to the side trying to seem as innocent as possible.
Maybe he doesn't know what I'm planning on doing right now.
"That included you." Shane says while looking at me after a moment with no other response from me, his face now like that of a tired dad.
Never mind he did.
"Fine." I huff out before complaining "Was just gonna search the rooms down here for anything that might have gotten left behind and for things to make the night easier for the kids."
Shane and Rick exchange a glance before Rick tells me "Uh-uh. You need to rest. We'll search the rooms too before going up okay?" his tone and face leaving no room for argument.
"Fine." I huff out again before complaining "You know you two are just sendin' me up there to get stuck on the ground without help right?"
They both give me the same 'Exactly' look before flicking their eyes to my injured right hand.
Damn it. I just dug myself into a hole. I forgot they were in after flare up mode and now that we were in a safe spot I would be placed in rest mode, especially now that I'd gotten injured.
"Don't say it." I snap at them before turning around, putting my gun away, and heading out grumbling "Freakin' after flare up bastards. Shove your exactly up your asses."
"Up those stairs, Stephanie." Both of them tell me, amusement lacing their order, as the door closes behind me.
I release an annoyed sound but obey and make my way up the stairs. Though I pause when I get near the top and spot Daryl standing and leaning on the railing watching me, a slightly amused look on his face, next to T-Dog who was sitting at the top of the stairs, on watch like he'd been in the original.
"What?" I huff out as I continue up the stairs.
"Nothin'." Daryl grunts out, pushing off the railing to stand straight before turning and heading into the room that everyone else was gathered in.
I watch his retreating back in confusion as I pause again at the top of the stairs next to T-Dog.
It was almost like he was waiting for me.
I quickly shove that thought out of my head and sigh.
Don't even go there Stephanie. Daryl Dixon was not waiting for you.
"You good?" T-Dog asks me then.
"Fine." I huff out as I head into the room.
I only do a quick survey of the room, everyone was where I believe they were in the original, before heading to the empty spot on the back wall, under the window and across from the door, between the mothers and children and Andrea. Sliding off and dropping my bags to the floor, placing my left hand on the windowsill, and slowly sitting down, wincing as my knees ache and make that clicking sound.
I'll definitely be stuck on the ground on my own when I go to get up, but I should be able to use the windowsill to pull myself up on my own if needed. Though I don't look forward to that as I'm sure to use my self-motivational 'Up, up, up.' And well I don't wanna do that around the whole group.
I then grab my satchel bag and dig out the DS before offering it to Carl telling him "Just keep the sound low. I think only Glenn and I would appreciate the sounds of Pokémon."
"Okay." Carl tells me with a grin as he gets up, comes over, and takes it from me before pausing and asking "Wait. What happened to the dog skin you had on it?"
"That's not my original DS. That one ended up getting left at home." I tell him.
Carl just looks at me a minute, his mind clearly working it out, before saying "So this is what you got when you snuck away."
"I don't know what you mean." I tell him feigning innocence.
But he's not fooled and just stares at me with a knowing look for a moment before turning to head back to his spot while getting the stylus and opening it only to pause again, his head tilting as he reads off the numbers "Zero, four, zero, three, one, nine, six, five?" his voice confused.
"Ah, that was the additional emergency evacuation protocol passcode." I tell him before looking at Glenn and asking "I almost forgot to ask you about it Glenn. Does it seem familiar to you too?"
Glenn thinks about it a minute before shaking his head telling me "No." while the sounds of Carl starting the game sounds.
"Guess it doesn't matter why I found the code familiar." I sigh out.
"It's probably just similar to a code in one of your off the wall movies or video games." Shane's voice sounds then so I look over to see him and Rick coming into the room as he continues "They ran sacked the kitchen. All we found is the one can." While tossing said can to Daryl.
"They hit the dispensary too. Tore the door off its hinges. Took everything except this." Rick adds coming over and handing the box of cough drops over to me before leaning over me to look out the window through the blinds.
Oops I'm in the way. Sorry, not sorry, Rick, you'll just have to deal with it.
"So we came back for cough drops and garbanzo beans." Daryl says then while reading the label on the can.
"Is there any water?" Sophia asks then.
"Just the two bottles I brought." Shane answers while pulling sitting down in the chair near the door and digging through his gun bag before getting them out, standing, going over to her, handing one over to her telling her "Just a few sips okay? Got to make it last. Got to go for everybody okay?"
He then comes over to me, opens the other one, before closing it and handing it over to me adding "I got something you'll eat in my bag so take your medicine before you hand it off."
"I could've opened it." I grumble as I take it from him.
"You struggle to open them sometimes." He tells me with a grin and teasing tone.
"Sometimes." I scoff as I set the bottle down before I turn my attention over to my bag, pulling it over.
Shane just chuckles as he returns over to his bag while I can hear the sound of the can getting opened.
I retrieve my med bag from my bag as Andrea asks "What else you got in there Shane?"
"Salty snacks. Courtesy of the CDC. I thought I'd be having midnight snacks in my air-conditioned room. Now it'll be dinner." Shane answers her before I hear the sound of bags getting tossed around as I collect the daily med bottle and a pain killer for good measure.
"Rick, Cat's." Shane adds then as I hear the sound of another getting tossed while I start the process of getting the small collection of pills into a hand struggling and wincing a little because of my injured hand and wrist.
"Let me open the rest." Rick tells me then while something is dropped into my lap.
"I got it." I snapped at Rick, finding him already kneeling in front of me with a look that screamed 'Just let me help.'
But my ability to open the bottles betrayed me then as the one I tried to open refused to budge eliciting a soft "Shit." As pain radiated from my injuries.
Rick doesn't say anything as he just takes it from me, easily opens it, and hands it back while Shane half-heartedly teases "Sometimes."
"Shut it." I snap at Shane before handing the bottle back over to Rick for him to close it after getting what I needed out of it.
"Nah I still got one last item." Shane chuckles as he digs back into his bag before pulling out the bottle of wine.
"Is that to share?" Daryl asks then.
"See as how I now owe you my life and my baby sister's life, again. Guess I, uh, I'm going to go ahead and be nice to you from now on." Shane answers while handing it over to Daryl.
"I do think I earned the first swallow." Daryl tells him before going to open it.
I sigh and turn my attention back to what I was doing, handing over the next bottle to Rick, with a huffed "Don't say it."
"Wasn't gonna." Rick tells me with a small grin as he hands that one back to me while Lori tells Daryl that "Best go easy on that stuff. Let's not forget where we are."
"Yes ma'am." Daryl answers her as I hand it back to Rick.
"You all right?" Dale asks then as I hand the last one over to Rick.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Andrea asks coldly so I glance over at her and Dale, who'd gone over to hand her a plate like he'd done in the original.
"I'm spending the night in a building that stinks so badly of rotten bodies I want to vomit up my guts. Dining on condiments and hoping I don't get eaten by dead cannibal freaks before dawn. What's not to like?" Andrea snarks then so I just look back at Rick and take the last bottle back.
"Thank you Dale." Andrea practically scoffs at Dale at the same time as I hand the bottle back to Rick to close it.
Rick does so before setting it down next to the others with a small nod before standing back up.
"What's next? We need to decide." Lori says then so I pause before grabbing the water bottle and look at them, finding Rick looking to Shane for input.
"Fort Benning, Rick." Shane answers earning a nod from Rick.
"Fort Benning." Lori says then nodding in agreement.
Rick then looks at me so I just nod.
Rick then looks back at Shane and tells him "I should have listened to you Shane. Would have saved us a lot of grief if I had. Jackie would still be alive."
"It was her choice man. Do not take that on." Shane tells him so I return to my task, grabbing the water bottle and carefully opening it.
"It was her choice. It was her decision to make, not yours, no more than it was with Jim." Lori tells Rick while I take a drink, shove the pills into my mouth, quickly take another drink, and tilting my head back and swallowing.
"All these people…" Glenn begins then so I close the water bottle as I look at him.
"Who would have done something like this? Just come in here and murder everybody even all the old people. How sick is that?" Glenn continues causing a whimper to escape from Sophia over the faint sound of the game.
Guess it didn't hold her attention like it was Carl.
"Is this something we need to be discussing right now?" Lori scolds then causing Glenn to look down in apology.
"Better if we, uh, got some sleep huh?" Shane says then so I look over to him and he makes a motion for me to stay.
I nod with an eye roll as if I had a choice other than that.
I then just watch as the guys leave with Daryl turning to shut the door behind them, seeming to pause just a moment when our eyes met, before looking away and pulling the door shut.
I quickly shake my head, telling myself I imagined it, as I sigh before saying a simple "Andrea." Before rolling the water bottle over to her.
She just gives me a small nod as she picks it up so I turn my attention back to my things, finding what was in my lap was a small bag of plain chips.
I nod to myself before I collect my bottles, return them to the bag, zip it back up, return that to my bag, and zip that back up.
"Alright time to shut that off and get some sleep." Lori tells Carl then so I glance over to them.
Carl doesn't argue as he shuts the DS and puts it into Lori's outstretched hand.
She turns and takes a single step so she was closer to me before she wordlessly holds it out to me.
I take it from her with a nod and she doesn't do anything but turn back around and returns to her spot.
Oh? Grumpy Lori's back. What made her grumpy now?
I release a quiet sigh as I simply return it to my satchel bag before picking up my chips, opening them, though with a slight struggle that I'm glad wasn't witnessed by the guys, and simply start eating them.
I'm almost done with them when the door opens and I glance up to see all the guys, minus T-Dog re-enter the room.
Shane gives me a look that screamed 'Go to bed.' the second our eyes met as he settled on the ground near the door so I roll my eyes, shove the last bit of my chips into my mouth, and put my hand back into the back before quickly pulling it out while flipping him off.
He grins before flicking his eyes to the floor then back at me, signaling for me to just listen.
I huff with another eye roll but listen, pulling my bag over to use it as a sucky pillow, turning to face the wall, before laying down and closing my eyes.
And though I was un-comfy it wasn't long before I was out.