This will be the last chapter of winter, then we're onto season 3, hope you're excited for that. And I hope you all have enjoyed the latest instalments. Also thank you for the new follows and favourites, and thank you AngelJKK for the reviews, you're a gem!

Disclaimer I don't own The Walking Dead just my ocs and plotlines.

Callie's POV

Looking at the lifeless baby, she couldn't believe it. The baby hasn't turned yet and she didn't know how she was going to do this. How the hell was she going to put down a newborn.

Tabby did everything she could, she was blowing into the baby's mouth, rubbing her back. Anything possible but it was too late. Nothing. Josie was passed out, the pain was too much for her which she was glad of. She was glad she passed out so she didn't have to see it.

As a leader, she had to make the tough decisions, and this means by putting down people of the group. Making the tough calls.

Her hand goes to her knife and Tabby stops her.

"I'll do it." Tabby says, tears in her eyes. She must've looked confused. "You've done enough. It needs to be me."

Callie nods her head, tears running down her face. She couldn't do this one, so she just got up and walked out of the room, where she heard everything talking and laughing out in the dining room. She had to break it to them.

When she was by the threshold, Hershel looks up at her, hope in his eyes and everyone notices her. The look says it all. She just shakes her head and Carol puts a hand to her mouth, a sob erupting.

"Where's my mom?" Connor asks, his arm around his sister. They didn't understand yet. They must think it's their mother.

"She's okay. She's passed out from the pain. But-" she pauses and walks over to them, and kneels in front of them. Their young faces looking at her... desperately. "Your sister-" she takes a breath and sees their eyes start to glisten, understanding. "She didn't make it."

Maya starts crying and buries her head into her brother who looks like a shell. He looked sick.

She felt tears run down her face and looks over at Rick, who just closes his eyes in defeat.

There goes another. An innocent baby. Gone before her life even begun.

The whole group was mourning the child, her and Rick were sitting at the kitchen table, away from the others. Connor and Maya were holding onto each other like a lifeline.

She couldn't believe that they lost the baby, it was horrible. But when she looked at Lori, she could tell the fear was there now, it was there before but after this, it made it official. It was dangerous having a baby in this world.

It wasn't long later when Tabby came out with a blanket wrapped up in her arms and they all knew. It was so small. She couldn't believe it, an innocent taken before their life had even begun.

Hershel walks up to her and they have a whispered conversation before he walks into the room that she came out of, the one with Josie inside.

She notices the blood on the blanket and realises she put the baby down. That poor girl, having to do that. They could see the emotions, but could also see the doctor training behind the girl's eyes.

It wasn't long until Hershel came back out and they all went outside, knowing it was time for the funeral. Daryl and T-Dog were outside, the hole already dug up, and she couldn't believe it, the sheer size of it almost made her puke.

Tabby gently lays the baby to rest, and she could see the pain in Daryl's face, even with his masked look that she could read so well, but there was no hiding it today, and he starts to bury the baby. T-Dog had finished the weaving of the cross, and stabbed it into the dirt, just above the top of the grave. Tabby sobs and heads back to them and stands next to Glenn,

She looks over at the Stephens' children, Maya and Connor, both having red eyes from crying. Summer was standing next to Connor, the two having started a teenage romance, which Lori has had the talk with Summer due to them being old enough to understand. Carl was actually next to his mother, tears in his eyes. Carol stood next to her

Harriett, Richie, Damien, and Daisy were standing together. Hershel had his bible in his hands. Beth, Noa, and Maggie holding each other while Glenn places a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and had an arm around his best friend's shoulder. Jeremy was standing next to Amy whose eyes were red with tears.

The group was broken.

She could still hear the impact of Dale's words, but somehow it has made them stronger. Every loss they have endured has ensured that they remain together and create a bond stronger than anything else.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Hershel begins and she just watched as Daryl continued to fill up the grave.

Aubrey. Elijah.

"... who has blessed us all with the gift of this earthly life, and has given a short life to our sister, her span of life as short as it may be. We celebrate the gift of a life."

Jim. Jacqui.

"God, our Father, we thank you now for all her life."

Sophia.

"For every memory of love and joy."

Otis.

"For every good deed done by her."

Dale

"And every sorrow shared with us."

Patricia.

"We thank you for her life, and for her death."

Shane.

"We thank you for the rest in Christ she now enjoys."

Jimmy.

"We thank you for giving her to us."

Andrea.

"We thank you for the glory we shall share together. Hear our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Hershel finishes and the whole group had tears in their eyes.

Connor and Maya the two with the reddest eyes, the occasional wiping of their nose to get rid of the snot. Carol ushered them into the house, being their crutch in this difficult time.

Callie appreciated what Carol was doing, they needed a crutch right now, and she was trying to take the load off of her and Rick. Plus she knew the loss of a child better than anyone.

Thats when they heard a scream and rushed inside the house, guns raised and they see a young man, shaking with fear, his little knife held up in defence, in the kitchen amidst an open cupboard and a bag open, a few cans littered inside.

She raises her gun and aims at him, the same with Rick, Daryl with his crossbow, T-Dog with his gun. Jeremy and Amy come inside, Maggie, Noa, and Beth, and Glenn. One against all them.

She could see the defeat in his eyes and he lowers his knife and drops it to the ground with a clatter.

"Put your hands behind your head." Rick threatens him and the boy does so, his arms shaking.

Some Time Later.

The boy had his hands tied behind his back, begging them to let him go, crying. He couldn't be older than 18.

"We should leave him here, tied up, leave a knife and get going." She tells Rick who agrees.

"I know. I'm trying to keep Dale's word alive, but after the group." Rick trails off and she hums.

It was a tough call.

Daryl was there in the discussion, the boy was tied up to a radiator, and everyone was in a totally different space so no one will go near him. They didn't want to anyway. Not after that group, no one wanted to risk it.

Bang.

They jump and quickly go to the room with the boy, who was dead. Blood dripping from his head, his body slumped on the floor. His eyes wide open, they were terrified. Her eyes trail to Maya, standing to his side, holding a gun up, with tears in her eyes.

"What the hell." Rick mutters and she looks up at him and just hands the gun over, which he takes off her.

There was no changing what happened. She walks up to her and she looks up at her. The girl had tears in her eyes.

"I had to." Maya mumbles, tears running down her face and all she could do was close her eyes and brings the little girl struggling with grief into a hug.

That's when the door opens and her mother walks in, Josie, looking tired and weak but angry.

"What the hell is going on? Where's my baby? Where's Destiny?" She demands, staring her down.

It is a predicament, her and Tabby were the only ones in the room when she fell unconscious.

"Josie, we need to... I need to tell you something." She begins and her voice cracks from the emotions already.

Josie just looked at her and realisation set in and her face turned white. "No." She whispers.

She just looked down, she couldn't even say the words to the mother. How the hell could she tell her that her baby died in stillbirth and they couldn't save her?

She breaks down and collapses onto the floor, wailing in pain.

"Mommy." Maya cries and goes to her but Josie pushes her away in anger, which causes her to trip and fall.

A few people come in due to the commotion and Carol gently kneels next to her and looks up at Callie.

"I'll take it from here." She says honestly and Callie nods her head in agreement.

"Mommy hates me." Maya mumbles and she had to soothe her as she guides her out.

The last ones to leave were herself, Maya and Rick. They had to console the little girl and assure her that her mother didn't hate her, that it was grief. She needs time to process before she can begin to grieve.

"She doesn't hate you." Callie assures the little girl.

"She's grieving." Rick adds and Maya sniffles.

Callie notices the little girls hands shaking and she holds them. "And so are you."

"I-I killed him." She sobs.

"I understand. In this world, things are different now. You will end up doing things that will haunt you. I see why you did it, after the group."

She nods, tears slowing down. "The bad men."

She nods in agreement, biting her lip. The memory was still fresh for her, and she could still feel the blood all over her. "Yes, the bad men. You didn't want to risk anything."

"But we must always keep a level head." Rick adds on and Maya looks at him, hiccups hitting her hard. "What you did, it will haunt you. But, you need to make decisions based on things they've done, not what they're about to do, or on a what if."

"You shouldn't have to do what you did." Callie finishes. "You're just a kid." And she could see the gears turning behind the girls eyes.

"Will it haunt me forever?" The question was a deep one that both of them never considered her asking them that.

But will it? She had no idea.

"I don't know." She tells her honestly and Maya nods her head.

They can't lie to her and tell her everything will be fine, this will haunt her, but forever? They had no idea. She shouldn't have had to do it, a child killing someone based on a what if due to the trauma of the group that attacked them. She didn't want to take a risk and had to do it. But that takes away her innocence.

Poor Maya, getting her first kill. A lot of trauma with that little girl. But the honest answer of whether it will haunt her forever is I don't know. People react differently and there will be no hate towards little Maya, she's a kid in a world that we will never understand. Did she do the right thing by not taking a risk with the lad?