Chapter 14 – Stained Change

"How bad is it?" I questioned, fidgeting with one of the straps on my brace, watching as Shane started to clean the pieces of my gun after finally taking it apart and inspecting them for what caused it to jam up.

I could take them apart, clean them, and put them back together but other than that I was lost.

"Not too bad. But not great. This part should be replaced, or it could jam up again. So, you'll just have to deal with mine until we can do that." He tells me pointing to one of the parts for a moment before going back to cleaning.

"I swear-" I start again while narrowing my eyes at him and like before he just cuts me off with "I know. I know. You'll be pissed if I get myself hurt or killed because we traded." While looking at me with a grin.

"Go die." I scoff but he just grins bigger and tells me "I love you too."

"I hate you." I scoff looking away from him and out the window next to me.

"I know you love me." He says with a short chuckle.

"Shut up." I huff out earning a full laugh and a shoulder nudge.

I release a grumble but keep my mouth shut and simply put his, now cleaned, gun back in my satchel bag.

He chuckles before Andrea says that "Looks complicated." From her spot across from us.

"The trick is getting all these pieces back together the same way. I could clean yours, show you how." He tells her, his charming voice on, causing me to roll my eyes.

I knew that line was coming, though it seemed to be in a different tone than what I remember, and that he'd probably try to get with Andrea like he did in the original but his Man-Whore ways were annoying to be witness too. And if I get him past his death flag it may cause issues in the future seasons I don't know the events of exactly. But I shouldn't be too concerned about that right now as his death flag loomed on the horizon.

"Oh yeah. It's a sweet piece." He tells her then meaning he'd picked it up like in the original.

"It was a gift from my father. He gave it to me just before Amy and I took off on our road trip. He said two girls on their own should be able to defend themselves." Andrea says then.

"Smart man, your father. Said something similar to Cat when I gave her hers." He tells her then and it's silent for a moment before he continues "Look, it's a…It's a limited capacity. See? Only holds seven rounds." More than likely showing her like he'd done in the original.

On cue Dale breathes out an "Oh jeez. Aw no." as the R.V. comes to a stop.

I just keep my eyes out the window as everyone is silent a moment before the sound of Daryl's…well Merle's…bike gets louder as he turns around and comes back to us.

"See a way through?" Dale asks him then.

Like the original Daryl doesn't answer verbally and soon drives past the window as the R.V. starts moving again.

"Uh, maybe we should just go back. There's an interstate bypass-" Glenn starts but like the original Dale cuts him off with a "We can't spare the fuel."

Like the original we slowly make our way through the cars, no one speaking, and just as Glenn finally speaks, asking "Can we get through here?", there's a loud clanking sound before the R.V.'s engine sputters and the R.V. comes to a stop.

"Stay close." Shane all but ordered me then as I worked on sliding out of the seat.

I glare at him and snap "I'm fine."

My wrist ached but other than that I was fine. And if he kept me next to him Plan A, stay near Sophia and stop her from getting out from under the car…truck…yeah truck a little too early, wouldn't work.

"It's either that or stay in the R.V." He tells me with his cop face and tone active.

I glare at him a moment longer before huffing out a "Fine."

Shane gives me a look that screamed 'If I turn around and you've wandered off I'm going to lose it.' Before he turns and leaves the R.V behind Glenn just as Dale starts saying his lines "I said it."

I do so myself and as soon as both of my feet were on the ground Dale continues "Didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water." As he heads over to the front of the R.V. to look at the engine.

"What's the problem, Dale?" Shane questions as he follows him while Rick and those that'd been riding with him join us.

I look at Shane then wondering why that didn't sound quite right.

Did that change too? If more little things were changing what about the big things?

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-" Dale starts to say then before I can think on that more and on cue I spot Daryl from the corner of my eye as he comes over and starts to go through the back of one of the cars near us and Dale cuts himself off with that "Okay, that was dumb."

"If you can't find a radiator hose here…" Shane says then trailing off as Daryl pipes up with that "There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find."

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog says then as he walks over to Daryl.

"Maybe some water." Carol pipes up with.

"Or Food." Glenn adds.

On cue that's when Lori says "This is a graveyard."

Everyone stops and looks at her and she adds "I don't know how I feel about this."

It's silent only a moment before Daryl simply turns and starts going through the stuff in the car again.

"All right, all right, here we go." T-Dog says then as he heads back into the R.V. to get the siphoning supplies.

"Come on, y'all. Just look around, gather what you can." Shane announces then before pointing at me and ordering "Stay in my sight."

I just wave him off with an eye roll as I wander myself over to follow after the two mothers and children.

Here we go. Plan A: Stay near Sophia and stop her from getting out from under the truck a little too early is a go.

"Lori keep an eye on her too please." Shane announces then, his tone slightly ordering.

"Already doing so." Lori practically snarks back while turning slightly to give me the side eye.

I just released a small sigh and look away from her.

Guess grumpy Lori instead of mom Lori is still in effect. Wish I knew what the fuck made her upset…you know what…no I don't. I don't give a shit about it. But after nearly thirty years and all this shit I'm just getting tired of the flip flopping.

"Kids don't look." Carol's soft tone sounds then so I look back and see we were passing a car that held a dead body inside.

I pause a moment and look at it, always wondering why some of the cars had bodies that weren't walkers, but I don't see anything glaringly obvious from where I was.

I glance at the mothers and children, a few cars ahead of me now, before looking back at the body debating whether to satisfy my curiosity fully or stick to Plan A.

Curiosity nearly wins but when I glance back at the living I noticed that Carol was pulling that red shirt out from the back of one of the cars and I head over to join the kids where they were a few feet ahead while she starts to hold the shirt up to herself, knowing that soon after that interaction is when the horde shows up.

"Ed never let me wear nice clothes like this." Carol says taking the shirt away from her body just as I get closer as Lori had looked over at her and had given her that strange look.

"Wear whatever you want." I tell Carol as I pause next to them earning a small smile from her before she holds the shirt back up to herself.

"We all can't be as indifferent to others as you Stephanie." Lori snarks at me.

"Well, we all can't be as grumpy as you for no reason." I retort with an eye roll as I continue on to the children.

I hear Lori scoff before she sighs before calling "Hey, Carl."

He looks back, noticing me first and gets a big grin, before looking past me to her.

"Always within my sight, okay?" Lori tells him then before she sighs again and adds "You too Cat." Her tone that motherly one now.

Oh? Mom Lori's back.

Carl nods while I just wave her off.

"You too, Sophia." Carol pipes up with then causing the girl to look back and nod.

I move closer to her then and she looks from her mom to me and gives a small smile.

"Help me find another plushie so Carl will stop stealing Lexi?" I ask her then while giving her a small smile.

She giggles as her smile grows a little and nods before quietly joking "Let's find him a doll."

"Hey." Carl complains having heard her just before I hear Glenn call out that "Save me some!" before laughing loudly in excitement.

"Nothin' wrong with dolls." I tell Carl with a grin causing him to pout and look away muttering "I still don't want one."

Sophia erupts into giggles and goes over to him and nudges him playfully.

Carl blushes a little as he looks at her and mutters "Fine, but only if it's a boy doll."

Sophia giggles an "Okay." So, I inch closer to them while I look over in the direction I'd heard Glenn and find him trying to retrieve a hose from under the hood of a different box truck than the one with the water jugs.

But before I could look for Shane I hear Rick ordering that quiet "Lori, under the cars."

I snap my attention to him to see him running towards us, that horde of walkers visible behind him, shuffling their way towards us slow but at the same time quick.

Fuck that's a lot.

I'd just turned back to the kids when Rick orders a hard "Cat, Carl, Sophia, get down now."

The kids look back and instantly go wide eyed before they split apart and quickly drop down and move under a vehicle each.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

I move quickly to get under the truck Sophia was under, cursing under my breath at the pain the action was causing my knees and injured wrist while also thanking the heavens that it was a bigger truck and I could fit under it too.

As soon as I was under Sophia pressed herself into me and I awkwardly move an arm around her whispering "Shh. I got you." Before I look to check on Carl.

He's looking at me wide-eyed, so I quickly motion for him to stay with my free hand before putting my finger to my lips.

He nods just as the walkers' feet start passing us.

I look back at Sophia as I hold her closer before squeezing my eyes shut and trying to control my breathing.

It felt like forever listening to the shuffling of feet while pressed into the hot pavement and praying that everyone was safely under another car or a dead body like they'd been in the original.

When the sounds of feet start to fade Sophia shifts, but I tighten my grip on her whispering "Hold on."

But then I hear a thud and my eyes snap open, instantly going wide when they slide over towards the sound and see a walker laying on the ground slowly turning its head towards us.

What the fuck?! Did it seriously just trip?!

In the next moment it opens its mouth and groans while reaching for us just as Sophia notices it and screams.

I quickly slap my hand over her mouth but then another walker drops down to reach for us and I'm shoving her over to get us away from the hands.

Plan B! Plan B! Plan B!

When we're out from under the truck I grab her hand before she can bolt, holding her close behind me as I watch the two stand up…slightly wondering why they didn't look right.

But then Sophia screams "There's more!"

"Oh fuck." I breathed out, looking away from the two to find two more quick shuffling towards us.

That's why those two didn't look right! Those two aren't the originals! Those two are! So where in the ever loving fuck did those fucks come from?! Two I could handle for a game of ring around the truck until we got help but four?! Time for the worst Plan! Plan C!

"We need to run." I breathe out as I quickly turn around towards the woods, pulling her with me as I hastily step over the side rail, cursing under my breath at the pain my knees gave me in protest.

The second she was over the rail herself we were running down the hill and into the woods the four walkers hot on our tail.

As we run, I keep an eye out for Rick expecting him to pop out at any moment like he'd done to Sophia in the original while trying to figure out what I'd say to him. I never actually got that far in planning Plan C. I just knew he couldn't be alone with Sophia or it would probably revert to what happened in the original.

But that's when I'm struck with an idea when I spot a tree with thick branches that are low enough that I should be able to get her up into, but she should also be safe from reaching hands of the dead and veer off towards it.

Once in front of it I stop while telling her "Up you go." Before struggling to help her get up the tree, wincing at every shockwave of pain my wrist sent me.

The second she was safely up there I was taking the sheath off my satchel bag strap ordering "Sophia, I need you to listen to me right now."

"How will you get up?!" She cries her eyes wide as she stares down at me, hugging the tree hard enough to turn her fingers white.

"Stay there till Daryl's standing right where I am. No one else." I tell her, holding up the knife up to her, glancing back to see the walkers were still in fact coming to take a bite out of me.

Persistent fucks.

"What about you?!" She cries then.

"Repeat it back!" I order, my tone harsher than I meant it to be as I look back at her and making an insisting motion for her to take the knife.

She flinches and stammers "St-stay-Stay till Daryl. No-no one else." While she slowly reaches out and takes it from me.

"Again." I order, still harsher than I meant it to be, as I drop my hand and look back and see the walkers were even closer.

That would have to be good enough.

"Stay-Stay till Daryl. No one else." She repeats, a little stronger.

"Again." I repeat looking back at her.

It needed to be in her head. Even though I gave her a weapon she couldn't go with Rick.

"Stay till Daryl. No one else." She repeats, strong, and nodding.

"Again." I tell her, as gently as I could with a nod as I take a step away from the tree.

Repeat it again and again till he's right here.

"Stay till Daryl. No one else." She repeats, tears streaming down her face, as she nods again.

"Again." I whisper taking another step and glancing back at the walkers.

I was pushing my luck now but I needed to make sure it was drilled in her head. Besides I always knew this sucky Plan C might bite me in the ass and kill me.

"Stay till Daryl. No one else. Stay till Daryl. No one else." She repeats, in a whisper now, again and again.

That's it. Focus on that.

"Come on you fuckers!" I scream at the walkers then as she's still repeating it before turning and start leading them away.

Fast enough that they couldn't get me but slow enough that they wouldn't lose me and turn around. I just had to keep going. My own version of It Stains the Sands Red starts now. Four walkers after me instead of the original two after Sophia in the original and instead of the one that was after what's her face from the movie. God, I hate Plan C.

Time Skip*

The sun had just started to set by the time I nearly took a nasty fall down a steep, almost sheer drop, hill down into a ravine but luckily noticed and stopped just shy of stepping on air. I'm hit with an idea and I send a quick look behind me and see the walkers still on my tail and slowly closing the distance between me and them.

"Here goes nothing." I breathe out before I turn around and carefully start to climb down a bit, keeping my attention on the edge praying I wouldn't slip and that my foot and or handholds wouldn't give way and ignoring the pain from my injured wrist and hand, and the wetness on my hand.

Guess the scab ripped open.

I'd managed to get myself a foot from the edge without falling when the first walker reached the edge and simply stepped off of it. I close my eyes, tighten my hold on the tree roots I currently had my hands on, and press myself into the earth just before my arm is brushed by the falling walker that luckily doesn't grab me on the way down. This is quickly followed by another brushing by my other arm, then the first one again, and then my back. Slowly I open my eyes and glance down seeing the four walkers that'd been following me currently tangled up in each other but slowly working on getting themselves free to stand back up and try and get me again.

"Holy fuck it worked. Thank you, Tallahassee." I breathe out before looking back up and slowly working on getting myself back up.

Sure as shit, some branches leading back up to the edge had some blood on them. Fantastic…not. I'm going to have to find somewhere clean it once I get myself back up…if I get myself back up. One slip up and I'd be falling, literally, into the arms of walkers.

I was panting heavily by the time I managed to pull myself back up to the top and stayed on my hands and knees while taking a moment to catch my breath before carefully moving to look back over the edge to check on the state of the walkers. One was up and reaching its hands up at me, snapping its jaw like it would help, one was wandering away an arm at an odd angle and dragging a leg, one was just now standing up an arm stuck sticking up and leg looking wonky at the knee, and the last was still on the ground still struggling to stand up both its legs looking wonky.

I breathe out a sigh of relief and move away from the edge before pushing myself to my feet and looking around.

I was safe…kind of. I was safe from those walkers, but I was in the woods, alone, and it would be dark soon. But that didn't mean I could stay here. I had to keep moving. If I stayed still, I might fall asleep and then a walker could wander up on me and take a bite before I woke up or a non-friendly living person might wander up on me and kill me before I woke up. Oh, and I had to find a place to clean my injured hand on my way back to the highway. Though I guess worrying about that right now isn't exactly a pressing matter.

I then look down at said hand and mutter "Least it looks like it's already starting to stop bleeding." Before brushing my hands off on my pants, wincing slightly, as I look up trying to find where the sun was.

Finding it I started moving so it was on my left shoulder, listening for any sound of danger or possibly my name or Sophia's being called.

I knew Plan C was gonna suck. Oh, and I should have put a fucking flashlight in my bag just in case. Shit I used to have one of those hand crank flashlight in it until Shane broke the thing before the whole death comes with teeth situation. But that hadn't even crossed my mind as I was planning this shit out.

Time Skip*

I was tired and lost…Really fucking tired and really fucking lost. Walking nonstop for however fucking long with trees in every fucking direction and now in the dark will do that to you. Sun on your left shoulder bullshit. No wonder Sophia never made it back in the original. There were no fucking landmarks to get my bearings just more fucking trees and the occasional walker that forced me to alter my path. It was a bad idea to use Shane's…my…gun on a single walker when I had no idea if there were more nearby or if there was a non-friendly living around that'd get notified of my presence with it. I just hope Daryl managed to track our tracks to where I'd stuck Sophia up the tree or if Rick managed to find her that she'd listened and waited for Daryl to be there before getting down and didn't go with Rick alone. At least I wasn't exactly in my own version of It Stains the Sands Red anymore. Now I was just keeping myself moving hoping to find one of six goals: highway, farm, the church, the town, the house Daryl found the Cherokee Rose, the housing development. Oh, and I guess anyone looking for me; Daryl and Andrea, the full group minus Dale and T-Dog, the group with Rick, Shane, and Carl hopefully before they find the deer and Carl gets shot, or the group with Daryl, Andrea, Lori, and probably Carol and Sophia.

That's when I break the tree line into a clearing and stop when I see I'd made it to a house that looked really fucking familiar.

I glanced around a moment before carefully approaching it, still glancing around.

I'm pretty sure I've managed to find the Cherokee Rose house. There weren't any walkers when Daryl got here in the original but that was two days after Sophia got lost and right now that was a day away. If it was clear I'll hang out here a day, hopefully find something to clean my hand, rest, and hope it flows with the original and Daryl shows up tomorrow. I'm a little upset that I won't be able to stop Carl from getting shot or Shane from choosing himself and Carl over Otis and thus triggering one of his death flags. I'll just have to wait and see what the situation is like when…if…I get back.

At the door, I stop a moment after opening the screen door to carefully place my ear against the main door, listening for anything moving inside a moment. Hearing nothing I do a single knock on the door and listen for a moment again. Still hearing nothing I breathe out a sigh of relief before straightening and trying the doorknob. There's zero resistance and the door opens without issue allowing me to step inside.

I debate a minute about leaving the door open until I clear the house but decide against it, just in case a walker wants to wander up to it and easily into the house, but I don't lock it or shut the screen door just in case a walker is chilling inside and didn't hear my knock. Rule number whatever: Know your way out.

I then carefully clear the first floor, pausing just a moment to take note of the empty sardine can in the trash and the small sleeping space set up in the pantry.

Guess it wasn't Sophia who was here and someone else.

I shut the back door, again leaving it unlocked and that screen door open, and take a few moments to grab one of the kitchen knives from the wooden block on the counter and to shut the open window before I make my way back to the stairs to clear the top floor.

"I fucking hate stairs." I grumble under my breath as I slowly climb the stairs, using the railing for support.

Though the second I made it to the top that's when I heard it, a faint repeating thump.

I debate about just going back down the stairs and taking my chances in the woods again or to try and kill the probable walker trapped in a room with the knife a second before deciding on option two.

Mainly because I was fucking exhausted, needed to rest without the chance of a walker or something just wandering up on me without a barrier, and to clean my injured hand.

I reposition the knife a little so it was more secure in my hand as I head towards the thumping that got louder with each step.

I wait a second before I go to open the door but suddenly the doorknob slowly turns and the door opens.

"Fuck me." I breathe out feeling my eyes widen at the sight on the other side: a walker around Carl and Sophia's age with its bloody hand on the doorknob and a walker woman, covered in blood.

In the next second they both lunge at me and I staggered back out of their reach. I quickly turn and start going for the stairs.

The woman I could re-kill no problem…probably…but the kid? Yeah, no thank you. Not doing that right now.

I make the split-second decision to hold the railing as I practically race down the stairs. And it was a good thing I did as one of my knees protested this action of running down the stairs and shot extreme pain up my leg that nearly caused me to fall down them but was stopped in my decent by my grip on the railing.

"Stairs are not my friends." I complain, breathing heavy, as I pull myself back up glancing back to see the two were nearly at the top of the stairs and would soon, probably, fall down them coming to get me.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I breathe out forcing myself to move.

I'd just made it a step away from stairs when there's a crash behind me and I glance back to see, sure enough, the two walkers were in a slowly untangling crumpled mess of hands at the bottom of the stairs reaching for me.

I don't wait to see if they get themselves untangled and make my way out of the house through the back door.

But I was slow and when I chance a look behind me when I hit the tree line they were already coming out of the door after me.

"Great. I'm back in my own version of It Stains the Sands Red again." I complain to myself as I turn and head back into the trees.

Fuck Plan C! Fuck It Stains the Sands Red! Fuck Season 2!

Time Skip*

"I'm so fucking over this shit." I yawn out pressing my forehead against the fucking tree I marked with the knife yet keep managing to circle back to.

I'd managed to lose the child and woman walkers after me during the night but now not only am I even more lost and even more tired than before but everything fucking hurt and I was nauseous. The half tablet I choked down of some Norco when the sun started shining through the trees did jack shit other than make me nauseous. I was tempted to take my chances and just sit down for a minute…an hour…a day. Maybe I should just take this all as a sign and check the fuck out.

"Yeah…let's do that." I mutter turning, leaning back against the tree, and slowly sitting down, wincing as my knees ache and make that clicking sound.

I sigh heavily as I stab the knife into the ground and put my other hand in my bag, feeling around for my gun, while I look up at the sky through the branches of the trees.

What was I even doing? Why was I even trying? They'll get over my death. I didn't even belong here in the first place.

But just as I pulled my gun out and started raising it to my head, I barely heard it…bells.

I froze and slowly look in the direction I think it was coming from wondering if I really lost it but they were still there.

"No fuckin' way." I breathe out before slowly forcing myself back up on my feet, having to pause and suck in a pained breath every few inches as my knees protested the action.

Once on my feet I start going in that direction while I open my mouth to call out but my voice cracks and nothing but a barely audible "Here." Came out.

Fuck. This is some nightmare bullshit.

That's when the bells stop and I barely heard Rick screaming out my name followed by Shane doing the same causing me to try and pick up my pace.
I stumble a few times when a foot hits the ground a little wrong and that leg's knee screamed at me, but I somehow managed to keep going and not fall.

Unfortunately, when I finally break the tree line, stopping when I see the church in front of me, and quickly look around while bending over and breathing heavy with hands on my thighs I can just barely see two taller figures and one smaller figure disappearing into the woods.

Fuck me. That had to be Shane, Rick, and Carl. Shit. Shit! Shit!

I take a deep breath before forcing myself to run after them, praying that I can make it in time to stop Carl from getting shot.

I stumbled again when an angry knee shot a bolt of pain though me, luckily I still didn't fall this time either but I do have to pause and take a moment, bent over and breathing heavy with eyes on my feet and hands on my thighs.

God this sucks.

When I look up, I can see the three of them and the deer somehow only a short distance in front of me and I try to call out again despite how dumb it was when I could barely breathe.

Fuck! Think! Think!

That's when Carl starts to separate from Rick and Shane and it's like everything in me is on fire as I'm hit with an idea and immediately do it.

I snapped my gun up towards the trees across from them, where Otis probably was, and fired.

The deer snaps its head towards me as there's the crack of another gun while Rick rushes forward and pulls Carl to the ground.

Everything was muffled then as black started to encroach my vision while I breath out in relief, the gun slipping from my hand as my arm drops to my side, watching as the deer turned and bolts and the wide-eyed, shocked, but as far as I could see unharmed, Carl looks up at me, absolute horror quickly flooding his face.

But in the next breath everything was gone.