(Anne Marshall belongs to AquaDestinysEmbrace.)
(Chris Rudy, Misty Rudy, and Chelsea Jernigan all belong to Chris Rudy!)
(I DO NOT own The Walking Dead, Code Lyoko or any of the names or brands that appear in this story. But I do own my OCs)
At the farm, Jeremie winced a bit as Hershel gently pushed a needle into a vein on his forearm for his first blood transfusion. Jeremie's blood was O-Positive, which made him a universal donor and a source of blood for Aelita.
As Jeremie's blood began to head into the IV bag, Hershel kept an eye on him to make sure nothing would go wrong. Dylan and Anne were all in the room as well, but Anne was sitting in a chair and she was taking it easy due to her hurt shoulder. Chase and Yumi both still remained in the guest room with the still-unconscious Aelita.
It only took a few minutes for the IV bag to fill with blood. Jeremie felt pretty woozy as Hershel took the needle out of his arm and put a bandage over the entry point, but the super genius didn't care about how he was feeling. His princess was going to get some of the blood that she needed, that was all that mattered.
Dylan gently helped his friend out of the chair while Hershel walked into the kitchen to get a drink for Jeremie. Dylan slowly and steadily led Jeremie out of the living room and into the dining room while Anne stood up and followed behind them.
Hershel set a glass of orange juice down on the kitchen table as Dylan helped Jeremie sit in it. Jeremie thanked the elderly farmer before he took the cup and gulped down a few sips of its contents. Hershel told him to drink as much as he can since he needed to regain his strength.
Jeremie normally was more of a milk or an apple juice type of person rather than orange juice, but, like OJ, those were luxury items now that the world had ended. It would probably be a long time before orange juice could be common again anyway, so he might as well enjoy it as he drank.
"How many transfusions have you gone through so far?" Dylan wondered as he stood next to Jeremie's chair. His friend looked like a wreck after everything today...
"Two... just two..." Jeremie informed, though he spoke a bit weaker than he normally would've. His miles-long run with Aelita in his arms and now being down about five or six hundred milliliters of blood ensured that the poor boy wouldn't be properly on his feet for at least a few days...
Dylan nodded. "Chase can get the next one if Aelita needs more..." he told Jeremie, and his tone made it clear that there wasn't any room to argue.
For once, Jeremie didn't argue. Although he wanted to help Aelita in any way he could, this wasn't like how he'd spend multiple nights in a row awake to work on codes for Lyoko only to fall asleep on his keyboard. He only had so much blood to give...
As Jeremie drank his juice and tried to regain some of his strength, he and the others noticed Yumi had left the guest bedroom and had come out to join them.
"Okay..." Yumi began to say, getting the group's attention. "So from what I understand, your guy is going to head out to that FEMA place to get the equipment for Aelita's surgery?" she asked for the sake of confirmation.
"Yes, that's right. His name's 'Otis'." Hershel politely informed the Japanese teen.
Yumi cringed with anger once she heard Otis's name and both Jeremie and Dylan did as well. But while the two boys kept their opinions of the man silent for now, Yumi just stared down at the table with a deep frown on her face.
After all, if Aelita died then that monster would be the one ultimately responsible for her death. Yumi and many of the other Lyoko Warriors simply couldn't find the power to forgive him for that just yet, even if it was accidental...
"Otis... that moron who shot my best friend..." Yumi said with a tone of deep bitterness.
Hershel's face fell, though only out of disappointment rather than anger.
"Miss, it was an accident..." the elderly farmer reasoned to that angry teen.
"I'll take that under advisement, Hershel... But for now, at least in my eyes, he's only the bastard who hurt my friend and hurt the girl I think of as a little sister." Yumi coldly dismissed the elderly farmer's statement.
Hershel and the other teens all fell silent at Yumi's criticism. Dylan and Jeremie agreed with what she had said, though despite their anger they still realized Otis really was trying to do everything possible to make up for the horrible mistake he made. It would take them a while to openly believe this, though...
Anne, likewise, didn't hold anything against the man personally. He may have shot her friend, and she was furious about that... but at the same time she realized that what had happened in the forest was just a horrible accident. Aelita was just standing in the wrong place at the worst time, and anyone else could've suffered the same accident.
Otis wasn't a bad guy at the end of the day, so Anne tried her hardest not to devote her anger toward the man personally.
Yumi, however, unlike Anne or Dylan or Jeremie, hated Otis for what he did regardless of if it was an accident or not... but now was not the time to lose her temper.
The teen noticed how everyone went silent at her words, so she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose while she tried to calm herself down.
The guy wants to make up for what he did? Fine... But she'll only believe it when he gets back with the supplies Hershel needs.
"'Otis'... right..." Yumi mumbled a correction from 'moron' to 'Otis', though it was reluctantly.
The sound of a door opening and closing was heard, and the group saw Chase had left the guest bedroom to join them.
"What'd I miss?" Chase asked the others as he came in. He looked tired... very tired. It reminded Dylan of how he looked after they lost their mother years ago, and he didn't like it.
"We're talking about what'll happen next." Anne explained, deciding to leave out Otis's name. She didn't intend to make Chase more upset than he already was.
Chase nodded before he went to take a seat at the table too, taking one of the free chairs next to Jeremie. He quickly was brought up on what they were all talking about - Aelita's shooter would be heading out to try and gather medical supplies for Hershel to use to help her.
"So as soon as he gets back from that FEMA place you can preform the surgery on Aelita?" Yumi inquired, wanting to change the subject.
"I'll certainly do my best." Hershel replied with a nod of assurance.
"And have you done this procedure before?" Yumi asked another question, as she was really wanting to get all of the facts straight along with Hershel's credentials.
"Well, yes, in a sense." Hershel truthfully answered with a soft shrug.
Yumi seemed to be a bit confused when she heard that answer and so were the rest of the teens. What could "in a sense" possibly mean? Did he have the skills necessary to save Aelita's life or not?
Worry started to set in a bit for both her and the other four teens in the room...
"'In a sense'? I'm sorry, but what does that mean exactly?" Yumi inquired as to the meaning of Hershel's words. Her tone was a little more firm than she intended it to be.
"Yumi, we don't have the luxury of shopping for surgeons. Hershel is the only guy we got who can help either of them right now." Dylan stated to his friend, logically.
"I know that, I do... but I'm worried about Aelita." Yumi replied, her stern tone disappearing for now. "I just want to make sure that Aelita's in good hands." she explained.
The teen then directed her attention back to the farmer. "Hershel, you said that you were a doctor, right?" she inquired.
Hershel nodded. "Yes, miss, of course. A vet..." he answered.
... a "vet" ...?
The teens were a little confused by the answer Hershel gave. They never took the man to have been a combat medic...
Chase was the one to ask the question on all the teens minds. "Oh, you were a veteran? You mean you served as a combat medic, or- or a MASH doctor, right...?"
"A veterinarian..." Hershel corrected the teen in a gentle tone.
Anne almost fainted when Hershel told them that. Jeremie would have done immediately so had he not gripped the table tightly with both hands.
... they're trusting Aelita's life to a man who's only ever worked on dogs or cats or farm animals at best. Not humans.
A stunned silence befell the room for several more moments. Hershel understood why, but he just hoped that the teens knew he'd do whatever he possibly could to save Aelita's life.
"... oh fuck." Chase muttered in horror, suddenly standing and hurrying outside since he could feel his stomach churning. Dylan ran out after him and got out the front door just in time to find his brother vomiting next to one of the trees in the yard.
This situation was beyond fucked...
Completely shocked to his core, Jeremie's vision began to blur a bit and the poor boy's knees were getting wobbly. It was obvious was going to drop like a felled tree, though Yumi and Anne were so shocked that they didn't notice.
"Y- You've at least done this surgery before, right...?" Anne hesitantly asked as she struggled to stay calm. The idea of Aelita's survival being in the hands of an animal doctor wasn't sitting right with her, and that was putting it mildly.
"A couple of times, yes..." Hershel nodded to the teen. He didn't hold her reaction or the reaction of the others against them.
Anne's hand trembled from utter fear for her friend's life. "W- What'd you work on...? Cows...? Pigs?!"
"I- I... I have to s- sit down..." Jeremie warned the others as he tried and failed to reach for the chair behind him.
Anne's question went unanswered as everyone turned to Jeremie. Thankfully, Yumi still had a clear enough head to go and help Jeremie stay upright. She grabbed one of his arms and held onto it to keep him from crumpling to the floor.
Once Jeremie was back in his chair, Yumi took a few old bill envelopes from a cabinet and used them to fan the genius and to try and calm him down a little bit. Anne simply leaned against a nearby wall with her mouth slightly agape as she struggled to comprehend all that was going on.
Yumi checked in on Jeremie one more time, and then she checked in on Anne for a moment before she finally turned her attention back to the elderly farmer.
"... you know you're in way over your head, right ...?" Yumi incredulously asked the veterinarian.
Hershel managed a soft smile toward the worried teen.
"Yumi..." Hershel said to her, "aren't we all...?"
It took a few hours of the figure quietly following that 'Rick' guy and his people back to the highway, but the figure was rewarded with finally finding their people.
Spying on those people from the treeline, he saw that there wasn't too many people there next to their vehicles and their RV. They were some old guy with a stupid hat, some dirty redneck with a crossbow, and some dumb monkey who cut the absolute fuck out of his arm. The figure was honestly a little impressed that the idiot didn't die yet.
The figure managed to get to the spot before 'Rick' and the others who went to the motel approached the rest by the RV. The figure also saw a little puppy curled up in a little doggy bed next to the RV steps, so the figure kept their distance so the mutt wouldn't give them away.
It wasn't easy to hear them all from this distance, but the figure did their best.
"'Shot'?! What do you mean 'shot'?!" the old man with the stupid hat exclaimed.
"I don't know, Dale!" a Chinese guy told him. "All I know is these two chicks rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Yumi and Chase."
"You found the others?" the redneck inquired. His tone made it obvious that he didn't seem to give much of a shit, but just wanted to know.
"We did." that 'Rick' guy confirmed with a nod. "And they found Sophia for us."
Although these people were still shocked and upset about what happened to the pinkette out there, they happily took a moment to speak with or hug Sophia when she finally came into view with her mother. At least something good has happened.
Sophia survived the forest... that's something worth celebrating even as they worried for Aelita.
As they went back to what had happened in the forest with the two horseriders, the blonde lady in the striped shirt suddenly looked very angered.
"It was so stupid to let those women take them! We don't know them!" she protested to all the others.
"They knew Chase's name. Jeremie sent them." Rick pointed out to her. This seemed to set at least some of the people at ease, though not by much.
The figure inched their way closer and closer toward the people and their RV, but not too close. They made sure to keep a tight hold on their stolen rifle, and they even aimed it toward all those fools who were talking without any notice of danger.
Hmm... the monkey would make a good target... but there was also a couple of kids there too...
Decisions to be made... decisions to be made...
'Dale' sighed and shook his head. "The group is split, we're scattered and weak..." he reasoned. "One of us needs to find the way to that farm and reconnect with our people. The rest of us should stay and pack up."
"Right." some dipshit with a shotgun and admittedly-nice hair agreed.
That 'Dale' guy turned to look at the Chinese-looking guy in the baseball cap - which the figure thought looked as stupid as 'Dale's' dumb hat.
"Glenn, you go. Take Carol's Cherokee." 'Dale' kindly requested the Chinese guy to get his butt moving.
"Me?" the Chinese-looking guy, 'Glenn', protested. "Why is it always me who has to-"
"Glenn, this isn't an option. You're our best runner." 'Dale' insisted. "We've gotta find out what's going on with Aelita. But most important, you have to get T-Dog there."
The group as well as the figure turned to look at the injured man sitting against the bumper of the RV, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and torso. To the figure's delight, he got a glimpse of the issue with this 'T-Dog' fool...
Along the length of the bottom side of his right arm was a long jagged cut wrapped in some gauze. The gauze was stained with dried blood, and even the figure could tell that the idiot's wound wasn't healing properly.
"T-Dog's cut has gone from bad to worse." 'Dale' informed all of the others there. "He has a very serious blood infection. We gotta get him to that farm and see if they have any antibiotics. Because if not, T-Dog will die, no joke."
As 'Dale' spoke, that redneck with the crossbow suddenly turned and walked away from the group. The figure kept the redneck in his iron sights as he went to a really nice motorcycle and started searching one of the saddlebags. But only after he grabbed some oil-stained rags which someone, presumably 'Dale', accidentally left on the bike.
The figure noticed the SS symbol was painted on both sides of the bike's fuel tank. That wonderful addition alone made the figure determined to steal that bike once they were done with those three idiots they were looking for.
The figure was so caught up in their thoughts that they almost didn't notice the redneck take a big zip-lock bag out from the saddlebag and return to the others.
"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle." the redneck warned as he tossed the rags to 'Dale.'
Before anyone could protest his rudeness, the redneck suddenly made everyone shut up when he placed the bag on the hood of one of the group's cars. Opening it up, the redneck revealed its contents...
Drugs. Lots and lots and lots of drugs.
From his position, the figure noted some weed in the bag, but they also noticed other stuff they've never touched before. Stuff which looked to be crystal meth and pills and some coke among other things.
The figure didn't need to be a user of that shit to know that any of it would fuck you up.
For once, the figure couldn't blame anyone in that group for having those dumb looks of surprise on their faces. Even the figure was stunned by what they were seeing.
"Why'd you wait until now to say anything? Got my brother's stash." the redneck told all of the others like it wasn't a huge deal he had a life sentence worth of illegal drugs with him.
One by one, the redneck listed some of the stuff in the bag. "Crystal, X. Don't need that." he began.
"Is this guy fucking for real?" that 'Rebecca' girl asked with bewilderment.
The redneck's dirty hands fumbled through the bag as he searched for some specific things. Eventually he found one of them.
"Got some kick ass painkillers." the redneck said while ignoring Rebecca's remark. He tossed the painkillers to 'Glenn', who caught them effortlessly.
After a bit more searching, the redneck found that other thing he was looking for.
"Oxycycline." the redneck showed off the little yellowish-clear bottle full of antibiotics before tossing them over to 'Dale.' "Not the generic stuff either. First class." he added with a hint of personal pride in his brother's choice of drug.
Then, to the disgust of everyone, the redneck just had to tell everyone why his brother had that. "Merle got the clap on occasion."
Even the figure couldn't help but look on with disgust at hearing this. Fucking gross...
Suddenly, the figure could hear the sound of some vehicles coming and stopping at the end of the traffic jam of abandoned cars which Rick's group found themselves in. The people in Rick's group found themselves readying their weapons for any sign of trouble. The little dog by the RV also suddenly stood up and growled in the direction of the vehicles.
Luckily, it turned out to not be trouble. It was all the people from that motel.
As the motel people approached, they came across the unexpected sight of a bunch of people surrounding a huge bag of drugs.
"... the fuck am I lookin' at here?!" that 'Kenny' guy from earlier asked with disbelief.
"I think its supposed to be 'Willy Wonka and the Crystal Meth Factory', Kenny." Miranda joked as she walked up to Kenny's side, gesturing over to the dirty redneck and his bag of drugs. She didn't bother to mention how that'd make everyone else the Oompa Loompas.
"You fuckin' idiot," that old grumpy guy 'Larry' frowned at the teenage girl. "you seriously think that this is a good time to joke around?"
Miranda turned to face him. True, things were pretty fucked up right now, and Miranda truly was worried for Aelita. But Jesus Christ, she had to at least try and make some of these people smile again, if only once.
... well, maybe not Larry or Lilly since she despised them both to a cellular level, but still!
"Have you thought of seeing if that farmer can surgically-remove that huge stick which you've got up your ancient ass?" Miranda asked with a mock smile on her face.
Lilly also looked very angry by what Miranda was saying to her father... but y'know, who gives a fuck what that Karen thinks, right?
"Fuck off." Larry growled out.
Blaze suddenly stood up and growled at the old man for his sudden hostility to Miranda, but Odd went to the pup and pet him to try and calm him down. He didn't want to risk Blaze running forth to get kicked by that bastard again...
"Oh wow, how original." Miranda replied to Larry while rolling her eyes at the predictable comeback. "You know, you should probably start to diversify your comebacks sometime, Larry. Otherwise you'll just stick with the one and we'll all think that you're more of a dumbass than you actually are, which isn't saying much."
"The fuck did you say to me you little bitc-?!"
Miranda interrupted him again. To her, it was very fun fucking with someone who deserved it.
"Also, I'm just gonna call you 'The Angry Gorilla' from now on," Miranda interrupted, "both because you look like one and because you're as smart as one."
Already infuriated by what Miranda said about his late wife, Larry had to be physically held back by Lilly, Mark, and Doug for that last remark. Miranda was totally unfazed, and she simply crossed her arms and stood her ground as the angry old man tried his best to reach her and beat the shit out of her.
"Alright, alright, enough of this. No one's killing each other today." Rick demanded everyone to calm down.
"Right, we've got more important things to worry about right now." Chris added his voice to Rick's. The drugs could be explained away later.
At the urging of his daughter, Larry finally started to calm down a bit... though Miranda sneakily showing him a middle finger didn't help at all.
Meanwhile, Mark finally noticed T-Dog sitting at the back bumper of the RV. His eyes widened at the sight of the man's arm wound and he hurried to check it out, bringing with him what little supplies they saved after helping Patrick. It wasn't much, but it'll help T-Dog now and when they get to the farm.
Glenn and Dale handed Mark what they got from the redneck, who the figure overheard someone name him as 'Daryl.'
Now that all of that was out of the way, Lee and Kenny shared a glance and they stepped forward to meet with Rick's group.
The motel people were all already aware of what had happened between them and Hershel Greene, but now Rick and his people needed to know as well. It was only fair, and Lee and Kenny mutually agreed to come clean when they'd meet these people.
"For the sake of clarity, you people all need to know about the history Kenny and I've got with Hershel Greene." Lee began to tell all of the others who were there.
"What? You guys kill one of his kids or something?" Glenn made what he thought was a funny sarcastic joke.
"..."
"..."
The silence from both Kenny and Lee spoke volumes.
"... you're shitting me." Glenn's eyes widened in realization when Lee and Kenny didn't respond.
How the fuck did they kill one of the farmer's kids?! It was an accident, right?!
"Oh, that's just fuckin' great..." Shane frowned. "We've got a couple of kid killers here with us now? Seriously?"
"Fuck you, man! It was an accident!" Kenny growled in response to the insult. Shane glared at the man, but otherwise remained completely composed.
"Enough!" Lee raised his voice and made everyone calm down once more.
Once everyone quieted down, Lee and Kenny explained what had happened. Katjaa also came forth to add her words onto theirs.
Kenny's son 'Duck' had gone to help Shawn Greene reenforce a fence at the man's request, and the boy accidentally released the brake of a tractor he was playing on while Shawn worked. It turned out that by some horrible luck, Shawn was working on a part of the fence right behind the farm vehicle at the time.
The tractor rolled back and crushed the man's leg under its wheel, and his screams drew in some walkers. Lee and Kenny only had time to save Duck, and Shawn was killed.
Shawn's father... he didn't take it well. Told everyone to go and never come back after he was forced to put down his own son with a shotgun...
"Fuck..." Daryl muttered to himself. For once, the redneck was actually pretty stunned.
"Yeah, I can see how that could become an issue..." Dale muttered in agreement with the redneck... which was also a first.
Chris sighed and shook his head. "Is that 'Hershel' guy gonna be a problem for us?" he asked. If this keeps Misty and Chelsea from being able to stay there...
"If he sees Kenny or Lee or the others who were there with them, then probably." Ulrich stated with a fresh expression of worry on his face.
The group fell into silence for a long moment as they thought about everything happening now.
Hershel wouldn't kick out Aelita, at least not before he saved her life. No one could be heartless enough to do that. And the group doubted that he'd be so cruel as to kick out Clementine, Duck, Carl, or Sophia. Sending kids to the wilds of a walker-filled world simply was incomprehensible.
And even if everyone was now associated with Lee and Kenny, they doubted Hershel would kick any of them out either - at least not immediately.
The only ones who were there when Shawn Greene got killed was Lee and Kenny, Katjaa, and also Clem and Duck. Out of all of them, Hershel really only had reason to be angry toward the two men.
So what the hell could happen when they get there...? Would Kenny and Lee not be allowed to stay? The whole group?
"We'll worry about this later." Rick decided for the whole group, and thankfully no one seemed to object. "For now, everyone should start getting packed up and start working on getting all the cars movin' again. Once Aelita recovers, we'll all head out for Fort Benning together."
Rick then went over to Carol's Cherokee and opened up one of the doors.
"Shane and I will go with Glenn and T-Dog. Anyone else wanna come with, you're welcome to do so." Rick said to the group while giving his best friend a nod.
Shane didn't hesitate to go to the Cherokee. Miranda, Ulrich, and Odd all hurried over to join them and Glenn and T-Dog. The rest of the Lyoko Warriors wanted to see Aelita and the rest of their friends, but they had to help pack up, and it was best to let the teens at the farm have some space for the moment.
As she hurried to the Cherokee, Miranda stopped for a moment to pick up Blaze and to take him with to the farm. She was sure the others could use a little cheering up...
"The woman said the farm's on Fairburn Road." Glenn reminded the other people going with him as they hopped into the truck.
"Hope one of you's got a map." Shane said as he set his shotgun down on the floor of one of the rear seats. Soon enough, they were already driving away in the direction which that woman on the horse gave them earlier.
As the rest of the group discussed their worries and prepared to get moving again, the watching figure decided to lower their rifle and begin backing their way back into the trees, having heard all they needed to hear. All of these fools could live... at least for the moment...
As they backed up into the trees, the figure accidentally stepped on a fallen tree branch and broke it. No one noticed except for Daryl, who instantly turned to look in that direction.
The figure was gone by the time Daryl's eyes focused on where they had been, and the suspicious man was left to wonder what caused the sound...
A couple of hours after the sun finally set, the Cherokee driven by Glenn was making its way down Fairburn Road in search of the farm. It took a long time to look since it was dark out now, but eventually he, T-Dog, Ulrich, Odd, Shane, Rick, and Miranda finally found the mailbox of Hershel Greene's farm.
Stopping at the entrance gate, Glenn and Ulrich hopped out of the truck to open the gate's latch so that Miranda, who took the driver's seat, could drive on through. Once she did, the two men closed and re-latched the gate behind them before getting back inside the truck.
Miranda drove the remaining quarter mile up the road until stopping in front of the farmhouse. She and the others were surprised to see the place still had its lights on inside.
Power... electricity... none of them expected this place to still be on the grid.
One by one, the group got out of the truck, with Miranda gently taking Blaze and setting him down by her feet. The group and the dog all walked up to the steps of the front porch before they all suddenly stopped.
... it was weird. They spent all this time looking for this place without ever thinking of what to do once they got there.
"Sooo... should we ring the doorbell?" Odd wondered to the others.
"It looks like people still live here..." Glenn replied, his voice full of hesitance. He suddenly felt a little bad about bringing a shotgun, even if it was only for safety reasons.
"Aelita's in there and so is the rest of our friends." Ulrich reminded them. He was going to get in there, to Yumi, Aelita, and the others.
"Yeah, we're past this kind of stuff, aren't we? Havin' to be considerate?" T-Dog agreed as he walked up the steps. It was a reasonable thing to ask nowadays.
With that, the others found the motivation to follow T-Dog up the front steps and onto the porch. Hopefully Hershel and the rest of the Greene Family wouldn't mind all the weapons this group had brought with them...
Rick was just about to knock on the front door when someone on the porch suddenly revealed herself to the group.
"Did you all close the gate up the road when you drove in?" a woman in the shadows asked from her rocking chair.
Despite the darkness, some of the group recognized the woman as the one who rode in with Carley on the horses. The woman with the baseball bat who saved Yumi.
"Uh, hi." Glenn awkwardly greeted before he answered. "Yes, we closed it... did the latch and everything."
The woman flashed a smile toward Glenn as she leaned forward in her chair, letting her face and torso be illuminated by the little light glowing from the porch ceiling. Now that they got a good look at her face, they saw she was definitely the horse rider with the bat from earlier.
"... hello ..." Glenn awkwardly greeted the woman, giving her a slight wave. "Nice to see you again..."
Some of the others in the group exchanged glances, each noticing how flustered Glenn suddenly seemed to get around this woman.
"We, uh... we met before. Briefly." Glenn's awkwardness only grew as he explained to the woman.
As Glenn spoke, Blaze happily walked up to the woman and licked at her hand, his tail wagging back and forth like crazy. The woman smiled at the pup and gave him the pets to the head which he was begging for.
Ulrich spoke up next, and it was clear by his tone of voice that he was impatient to just get inside to his friends.
"Look, we're with Aelita," Ulrich explained, "do you mind if we can go inside and-"
Suddenly, T-Dog hissed as a fresh stab of pain came to that cut on his arm. The woman stood from her chair and her smile faded when she saw just how badly this man was hurt.
Sensing her concern, T-Dog shook his head as he showed off a little more of his bandaged-covered arm.
"It's not a bite..." T-Dog assured the woman. "I, uh... I cut myself pretty bad though." he explained. He was still kicking himself a little for getting a cut this bad, even if it was entirely by accident.
"We'll have it looked at. I'll tell them you're here." the woman assured him. Either Hershel or Patricia can fix him up, hopefully.
Glenn rummaged through his pockets and grabbed the pill bottles which Daryl had 'borrowed' from Merle's now non-existent drug stash. The painkillers and antibiotics weren't much but he figured that every little bit would help.
"We have some painkillers and antibiotics." Glenn said to the woman as he handed her the bottles.
"We already gave T-Dog here some." Miranda added, gesturing to the hurt man by her side. "There's still some left if Aelita or Anne needs them."
The woman nodded and took the pill bottles. "Come on inside. I'll make you all something to eat." she gestured to the front door.
"Thanks miss..." Odd told her with gratitude. Hot food, his best friends around him, a roof over his head - if Aelita wasn't shot then this would almost feel like heaven.
With a nod, the woman led the people into the house one by one, though she asked them to take off their shoes and leave them by the door. One sniff was all it took for her to make a specific exception for Odd, whose feet had smelt like the living dead even before the pandemic began.
The teen grumbled quietly to himself as he put his shoes back on. "... doesn't smell that bad ..." the others heard him say, but didn't hear much else from his mumbles.
"Aelita's in the guest bedroom over there." the woman told the group, gesturing down to a door further down the hall. "The name's 'Maggie Greene' by the way." the woman, 'Maggie', properly introduced herself after that.
"Thanks Maggie... we really appreciate it." Ulrich told her before he, Odd, Miranda, and Blaze all hurried down the hall, leaving the adults with their host.
As Maggie brought T-Dog into the kitchen to get his wound checked out, cleaned, and stitched, the three teens went to the guest bedroom and they each mentally prepared themselves for the worst. Although they did their best, it soon became apparent that it wasn't enough...
Odd, Ulrich, and Miranda were greeted with the sight of Jeremie, Chase, Dylan, and Yumi around the bed... and in the bed they saw Aelita.
The pinkette was still unconscious and she still had IV running into one of her arms, one connected to a bag of Jeremie's harvested blood and the other IV line connected to some bag of fluids, each bag hanging up from an old hat rack. Dried blood was visible on Jeremie's shirt, the bandages on Aelita's abdomen, and on the bedsheets under her.
Ulrich, Odd, and Miranda knew it was going to be bad... but this...?
"Oh Christ..." Miranda's eyes widened at the scene in front of her. So did Ulrich's and Odd's.
Aelita... god, this was so much worse than they ever feared...
"Hey guys..." Anne softly greeted the teens that had just arrived. The three were as horrified to see Anne's bandaged shoulder as they were to see Aelita in the bed.
The three teens stepped a little further in the room, getting clearer views of the five who had stayed by Aelita's side for hours now.
They all looked terrible, with Jeremie looking the worst out of all five. The boy was pale, tired, and sickly-looking. The other teens all looked similar but to lesser degrees. All of them must've been by Aelita's side almost non-stop ever since she got shot...
As they walked in, Blaze, in an attempt to comfort his clearly-upset friends, silently went to nuzzle his head against the hands of all five teens who were sitting around the bed. All five of them were made a little happier at seeing the dog was brought here, as Miranda hoped they would.
Yumi was surprised to see a dog was here, as no one had told her yet that they had adopted one while she, Robert, Kyra, and Charles were gone. But Yumi didn't go and voice her surprise. Instead, the teen gently lifted the pup and set him down on her lap so she could pet him, much to Blaze's satisfaction.
The pup curled up and relaxed in the embrace of another new friend, and Yumi felt a smile on her face for the first time since before learning Aelita was shot.
"How are you guys doing...?" Odd hesitantly asked the five teens.
"Dumb question..." Chase muttered in response, his tone firm. Clearly he was upset...
That was enough of an answer for Odd. He simply nodded and crossed his arms and went closer to Aelita's bedside, studying his unconscious friend as she laid there.
Her breathing was very shallow and weak, but at least she was still alive thanks to Hershel... hopefully she'll stay alive...
"How's Aelita holding up...?" Ulrich next asked a question, his voice just as hesitant as Odd's was.
"Not good..." Jeremie responded, not looking away from Aelita. His voice was quiet, and he sounded so very tired. "Hershel's got to get more bullet fragments out of her, and he'll need a respirator to do it... otherwise she'll most likely die during the surgery."
"Where can we get one?" Ulrich wondered. He would've suggested another hospital, but he knew Aelita didn't have time to wait...
"The man who shot her volunteered to go and grab one from a FEMA center at a high school." Dylan explained to him. "He's gonna go out there tonight and get everything that Hershel needs, but right now he's just getting everything he needs right now."
"Maybe Rick or Shane can help him out?" Miranda suggested.
The five teens by the bed looked up at Miranda, all suddenly looking a bit surprised to hear what she suggested.
"Shane and Rick are both here?" Anne asked, though she realized she shouldn't be surprised considering that the others were here too.
"So is T-Dog and Glenn." Odd confirmed with a nod. "They'll head back to the highway and get everyone over here soon."
"The motel group's also gonna go to Fort Benning with us." Miranda then informed the five teens by the bed.
"Wait, for real?" Dylan blinked. Neither he nor Chase, Anne, or Jeremie thought that the motel group would join up with theirs. Yumi was so caught up with Aelita's situation that she simply forgot to tell the other three about that, so she sheepishly apologized.
Miranda, Odd, and Ulrich all nodded at Dylan's question. From now until they get to Fort Benning, they're just going to be one big group.
Chase briefly looked up from Aelita to nod at the three teens.
"That's one good thing at least..." he sighed, having been desperate all day to hear any sort of good news. It was a brief moment of respite from this nightmarish day.
Anne reached out and patted Chase on the shoulder to try and cheer him up a little, though he immediately shrugged off her hand. He didn't turn to look at her, he didn't say anything to her, but it was clear that he just didn't want to be bothered.
Admittedly, Anne was a little hurt by this, but she didn't voice it. She understood that he was just struggling with what he, Dylan, Yumi, and Jeremie were all going through right now...
She hoped that at the very least the boys and Yumi were managing... and she hoped even more that Aelita would make it...
Sensing how the five by the bed were feeling right now, Ulrich, Odd, and Miranda decided to stay here with them while Glenn could go back and lead the rest of the group to the farm. Right now, the Lyoko Warriors needed to stick together...
"We're here for you... you guys know that, right?" Ulrich promised the five teens. He also promised this to Aelita herself.
Jeremie, Yumi, Chase, Anne, and Dylan were thankful for the presence of their friends, though they only responded with silent nods to what Ulrich said.
Odd and Miranda each took seats nearby, close but still distant enough to let the five have their space around the bed. Ulrich was the only one who went closer, and it was only so that he could be by Yumi's side and to help her with anything she needed from him.
As she continued petting Blaze, Yumi allowed Ulrich to wrap an arm around her shoulder and to give her a kiss on the cheek to show her he was here for her. It was welcomed by Yumi after their separation and after what happened to Aelita...
So, the eight teens and the dog settled into silence as they watched Aelita sleep. Each teen was silently praying to themselves that Otis would be successful at the FEMA center when he leaves...
All of these Lyoko Warriors knew that the next hours would probably determine if Aelita lives or dies...
A short time later, Otis had brought his pickup truck up to the front of the farmhouse and was finishing his preparations to head out, determined to make things right.
Luckily for Otis, he wouldn't be going out there alone. Shane was told about how Otis was going to head out to that FEMA camp, and, in a decision that surprised everyone, he immediately volunteered to help Otis on this run.
Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, Dylan, Chase, Miranda, Rick, and even Anne and Jeremie all offered to help as well, but Shane refused to allow them to come. He explained that it'd be easier to get the equipment with just a small group of two, and he also insisted that Rick and especially the kids shouldn't risk their lives even for Aelita's sake.
If only he knew how many times the teens have already done that both in and outside of Lyoko...
So, Shane and Otis were preparing to head out in Otis's old truck, a light blue Ford F-100. With luck they would find all of the equipment and they would be back at the farm by the end of the day. Hell, they could even be back within a few hours if there wasn't too many walkers on the way there and back.
As Aelita continued to lay unconscious in the guest bedroom with Beth keeping an eye on her and Blaze curled up by her feet, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors all went out onto the front porch to watch as Otis and Shane loaded up the supplies they were to take with them.
"Just get what you need and get out of there..." the teens overheard Rick advise his best friend as he walked with Shane toward the truck.
The Lyoko Warriors then saw Otis and Patricia pull each other in for a tear-filled hug, with Otis swearing to his wife that he would return soon, safe and sound. Even Yumi couldn't help but ache inside as she watched the husband and wife bid each other goodbye for now. After all, the risks were high for both Otis and Shane, and it was completely within the realm of possibility that this would be the last time Otis and Patricia would ever see each other.
The husband and wife shared one last kiss for now, and they each made sure to tell each other an "I love you" before Otis went to the driver's seat of his truck, setting his cursed hunting rifle into the space between the two seats.
Jeremie likewise felt pity for both of them despite what happened to Aelita, and he wished he could help Otis and Shane in some way. Jeremie suddenly realized that there was something he could actually do to aid them, even if it was just a minor thing...
Unholstering the pistol he had down at his side, Jeremie walked down the front steps of the porch and out to the truck, a million thoughts going through his head alongside the anger he still felt toward the man who shot Aelita.
While fighting his own hesitance and that angry feeling deep within, Jeremie stopped at the driver's window and gripped the gun by its barrel, holding it out in an offering to Otis.
Hesitantly, Otis took the pistol, a Glock, and he checked the magazine. Fifteen rounds ready to fire with each pull of the trigger... it would be a huge help.
"That's a fine weapon, Jeremie. I'll bring it back in good shape..." Otis promised the teen, nodding at him with gratitude.
Without saying a word in response, Jeremie just nodded back at the hunter and he walked away to rejoin the group on the front porch. Otis understood why. In their minds he still had to earn their forgiveness for what happened to Aelita...
For them and for that poor girl in the house, he was determined to do anything to get a respirator back here...
Shane climbed into the passenger seat of the truck and set his Mossburg shotgun on his lap before shutting the door. He reached out to bang the roof of the truck with his hand as a signal for Otis to finish up so they could finally head out, so Otis stuffed Jeremie's pistol into his vest before he hurried into the driver's seat.
As Otis buckled up and shut the door, Shane was a bit taken aback with surprise when he noticed that Otis was bringing with him the same hunting rifle which he apparently shot Aelita and grazed Anne with.
Otis noticed how disturbed Shane looked, but who could blame him? This rifle hurt two girls and may still end up killing one of them...
"...only one I got." a shamed Otis sheepishly explained to the former cop after a moment of mutual silence.
Shane chuckled with disbelief, but he didn't press the issue further at all. He realized that they needed whatever guns they had on them no matter if they have shot humans or walkers in the past.
With the issue settled, Otis put the key in the ignition and the people at the farm watched as the two men began to drive away...
The FEMA facility at that high school had to have the surgical equipment...
Unbeknownst to the men or to the people standing on the front porch, two evil eyes were looking at them through a pair of binoculars in the trees far west of the farmhouse. The figure had with them a stolen military rifle and a stolen M1911 pistol, and some knowledge of the two groups which were coming here...
"Finally..." the figure whispered to themself as the binoculars settled on three specific teens on the porch - Dylan, Chase, and Anne.
They found them... they finally found those three...
The figure lowered the binoculars, a deep frown and a sinister grin on their face as they now studied the farm and its lands, needing to know everything there was to know about t his place before they make their move.
After all these years, they finally found those three fools again...
... and this time, the figure was determined to make certain the three would pay for what they've done.