Abel stares at Amy's body with a look of guilt; his eyes travel to Andrea as the guilt worsens. The mourning girl has had her hand tightly held since she took her final breath. A sickly pale color has covered Amy's skin since she died.
Abel takes his gaze off them and looks down at his hands; they are bruised and bloody. If only he were faster, he could have saved her, right? Those are the types of thoughts that kept repeating in his mind over and over. Different what-ifs? took hold of his mind; he snapped out of it when Lori came over and knelt down. She glanced at Andrea with a look of sympathy.
"Andrea, I'm so sorry; she's gone. But.." She hesitates before taking a deep breath. "You gotta let us take her. We all cared about her, and we'll be as gentle as we can."
Andrea remains closed off as she stares at Amy's face. Lori goes to speak again, but feels something placed against her back. Glancing over her shoulder, it's Abel. He shakes his head gently. She lets out a sad sigh and nods her head before rising to her feet. Abel goes to turn and join the others when a hand wraps around his.
Glancing down, Andrea can be seen tightly holding his hand. She slowly turns her gaze away from Amy and towards him.
"T-Thank you. For everything.." She whimpers out. Abel smiles sadly and gives her hand a gentle squeeze. Andrea's emotions start to take hold of her again, and her body begins to tremble with grief.
"I'll be back; we'll let you have as much time with her as you need. Okay?"
She looks up at him and nods with tears streaming down her face. Andrea lets go of his hand and turns her attention back to Amy.
Abel joins the group just as Rick approaches them; he glances over at Andrea with a surprised look.
"She still won't move?" He questions Lori, who walks up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist.
"She won't even talk to us; the only one that can speak to her is Abel. She's been there all night. What do we do?" She asks, unsure of what they should do. Shane, who is sitting on a milk crate with his shotgun leaned against him, glances at the others.
"Can't just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it, the same as the others." Abel runs a hand through his hair, unsure of what the right call is.
"I gave her my word that we'd let her have as much time as it takes." He says. Shane sighs and glances over at the young man before looking at the others.
"Abel, I'm sorry, but Amy is going to turn. She died from a bite. We need to deal with this now, or Andrea could get hurt or worse." Shane says.
A silence falls over them as they let Shane digest. Abel silently curses, trying to think of a response, but Shane has a point. Rick sighs and pats Abel on the shoulder as he looks over at the grieving girl with sympathy.
"I'll tell her how it is." He says it in a low and quiet tone before walking over to her. The others watch as he calmly approaches her.
"Andrea-" He's cut off by the barrel of a gun aimed in his face, and the sound of the hammer chambering a round into the chamber echoes loudly around the quiet camp. Her thumb quickly flicks a switch on the side of the grip, turning off the safety with an audible mechanical click.
"I know how the safety works." She says in an almost emotionless voice, Rick slowly raises his hands up as he takes a single step back.
"All right, okay. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whispers, trying to diffuse the situation. As he leaves her personal space, she holsters her handgun and looks back down at Amy's corpse with a look of sadness.
Daryl can be seen with a pickaxe slung over his shoulder as he approaches the group. He glances at Andrea with confusion.
"Y'all can't be serious. Letting that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a timebomb." He says, Rick looks at him.
"What do you suggest?" Daryl glances between everyone before taking a step closer to Rick with a serious expression.
"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."
"No, for God's sake, let her be." Lori says sitting in a chair next to Carol, Daryl looks around at everyone and scoffs as he walks away.
Abel pats Shane and Rick on the shoulder before walking over to Glenn and helping him drag one of their deseased camp members into a pile for burial.
"Thanks. These guys are a lot heavier than they look." Glenn says taking off his baseball hat and wiping away sweat from his forehead. Abel claps him on the shoulder with a small smirk.
"Just make sure to eat your veggies, and you'll grow up to be big and strong."
"Ha ha," Glenn says with a faint smirk.
Morales and Daryl drag another person who had unfortunately perished in the Walker attack; they drag him to a pile that is marked to be burned. Abel sees this and calls out to get their attention.
"The pile for our people is over here. That's for the lamebrains." He says.
Daryl looks up at him while breathing heavily.
"What's the difference?" They're all infected."
"Our people go in this row right here. We don't burn them! We bury them." Glenn trails off as his voice wavers. Daryl glances between the two and sighs before he and Morales drag the body to the row where Glenn and Abel are standing behind.
"You reap what you sow." Daryl says that as he spits off to the side, Morales shakes his head as he wipes sweat from his head.
"You know what? Shut up, man." He says breathing heavily. Daryl's face changes to anger as he walks over to another body.
"Y'all left my brother dead! You had this coming!" He shouts while walking. Abel sighs and pats both Morales and Glenn on the back before walking to a group of bodies.
It's a few people from the camp and a couple walkers. He bends over and gently lifts up the girl who had died from a walker and throws her over his shoulder; he does the same with her husband. Grunting at the weight increase, he slowly walks back to where Glenn laid them in the row. His young friend stares at him with a surprised look. He glances between the two bodies and Abel.
"Dude, you just carried two hundred pounds like it was nothing. What are you, made out of vibranium?" He asked. Abel lets out a breathless chuckle as he slowly catches his breath.
"Man, that'd be a cool power to have now. Then I could slice these things with my metal claws." He says this while swiping the air with a closed fist.
"A walker got him! A WALKER BIT JIM!" Jacqui suddenly shouts, alerting the camp, and everyone turns to see the woman backing away from the man in question. He looks around with a worried look and notices everyone slowly walking towards him. In defense, he turns and grabs a nearby shovel and bounces on his feet, ready to use it.
"I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim speaks weakly as everyone surrounds him.
"Easy, Jim," Shane says, trying to deescalate the situation.
"Grab him." Daryl asks for someone to restrain the bite victim.
People start shouting at the man to put the shovel down, while Daryl calls for someone to restrain the man. Fear runs through Jim's being as he quickly turns around and swings the shovel to keep them back. He has a terrified look in his eyes as everyone shouts for him to drop the shovel.
"Put the Shovel down!"
"Put it down!"
"Someone grab him!"
More shouts run over the other, and Abel takes the chance and sneakily walks behind the man as he's distracted by the shouting. T-Dog slowly follows his lead, and together they quickly rush towards the scared man. He hears the incoming footsteps and spins on his heel, swigging the shovel in a wide arc. Abel ducks, weaves around, and grabs the man's arms, preventing him from swinging the shovel again. T-Dog quickly wraps his arms under his arms and locks his shoulders from moving.
Daryl quickly runs up and lifts Jim's shirt, revealing a large, bloody bite mark on his side.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." He quietly repeats it with a scared look on his face. Abel and T-Dog let him go and stepped away from him.
Everyone stands shocked to see that he was indeed now infected; the bite was large and on his right side. Blood had dripped down his side and stained his shirt, along with the teeth-like holes that ripped through the cloth.
Jim can be seen sitting on a small milk crate in front of the RV, his eyes unfocused as they travel between the group and the ground. The terrified expression hasn't left his face since the group found out he was bit in the attack; it also starts to register in his brain that he is now infected, doesn't have long left to live, and there's nothing anyone can do to save him.
The group stands a little ways away from him and discusses what they should do with the person who was bit. Daryl tightly holds the pickaxe and rests it over his shoulder as he paces back and forth.
"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and that dead girl's and be done with it." He says giving his opinion. Shane looks up at him with a furrowed brow.
"Is that what you'd want if it were you?"
"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it." He says without skipping a beat, Abel crosses his arms as thoughts fill his mind.
"I hate to say it; I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl's right." Dale says, speaking up. Rick glances over at him with a surprised look.
"Jim is not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog."
"I'm not suggesting..."
"He's sick. A sick man! If we start down that road, where do we draw that line?" He interrupts the older man, and Lori rubs her hand up and down his back, trying to calm him down.
"The lines are pretty clear. There is zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be." Daryl says.
"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure." Rick says. Abel scoffs and wipes away the sweat on his face.
"If there was a cure, this shit would have been over in a day, and we'd all be home watching some shitty cable TV." He says.
"I agree. I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane agrees with Abel, and Rick glances around the group with hope-filled eyes.
"What if the CDC is still up and running?" He asks as a spark of hope grows in his eyes. Shane shakes his head with a skeptical look.
"Man, that is a stretch right there."
"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection..." He's cut off by Shane.
"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they are at the army base, Fort Benning." He states looking around the group.
"That is a hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori says, speaking up, and Shane nods his head.
"That's right, but it's away from the hot zone. Now, listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."
"The military was on the front lines of this thing; they got overrun. We've all seen that! The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance."
Able notices Daryl looks over at Jim before nodding his head a few times. He looks up at the group, and his hand holding the pickaxe tightens his grip around the wooden handle.
"You go out looking for aspirin; do what you gotta do. Someone needs to have the balls and take care of this damn problem!" He says, turning his back towards them, and rushes at Jim with his pickaxe raised, ready to kill the man. Jim cowers in fear and tries to protect his vitals with his hands.
Rick quickly reacts, pulls out his revolver, and pulls the hammer back, chambering the cylinder.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Shane shouts, trying to calm the situation down. Rick aims the revolver at the back of Daryl's head, stopping him in his tracks.
"We don't kill the living." Rick says it in a deathly calm tone. Daryl slowly turns around and lowers the pickaxe with a glare at the man.
"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."
Shane takes the opportunity and steps in front of Jim, blocking Daryl's path. A serious look is on his face as he looks at Daryl. Before he could speak, Abel spoke up for the first time in awhile.
"It's not worth it; just put the pickaxe down." He says, Daryl glances over at him and bites on his lower lip before nodding his head slightly. He slams the tool into the ground before storming away from them. Shane nods his head towards the young man and grabs the pickaxe while Rick walks over to the scared man.
"Come with me." He says grabbing him under his arm and helping him to his feet.
"Where are you taking me?" He asks, confused and fearful.
"Somewhere safe." He says leading Jim around the RV.
Abel looks around to see everyone disperse to do chores around the camp; some bury the ones they lost, others burn the walkers that attacked them. He glanced over to Andrea, who was still mourning the loss of her sister, to see Dale slowly approach the young woman.
The young man makes his way through camp, and towards his pack, he pulls out the leather journal that belonged to his father. A lump forms in his throat as he traces the engravings on the front. He has yet to read this since his father died. Every time he tried, a pang of sadness and regret filled him, and he quickly put the journal away.
Taking a deep breath, he opens the leather cover to the first page.
Journal Entry: A Heart Torn Between Duty and Love
July 1st, 1992
Location: Sydney, Australia.
Today, I write with a heart both full and conflicted. In the time I've spent stationed here in Australia, fate has introduced me to a woman who has completely turned my world upside down. Her name is Emily, and she has captivated me in a way I never thought possible.
Our first meeting was nothing short of serendipitous—a chance encounter at a local café, where her laughter filled the room like a melody. Her presence was magnetic, and from that moment on, I knew my life was about to change. As the days turned into weeks, we spent countless hours exploring Sydney's vibrant streets, losing ourselves in deep conversations, and sharing dreams beneath the starlit sky.
Emily is a force of nature—her spirit is as wild and beautiful as the Australian landscape. Her laughter is contagious, her kindness is boundless, and her love for life is utterly infectious. With her, I feel a sense of completeness, a profound connection that defies explanation. She sees me not just as a Marine but as the man behind the uniform, with all my hopes, fears, and vulnerabilities.
But as my time in Australia draws to a close, a bittersweet feeling has settled in my chest, like an ache that won't go away. The reality of my impending departure looms over us like a dark cloud, casting a shadow on the happiness we've found together. The thought of leaving Emily behind fills me with a sense of loss that I can't bear to contemplate.
I find myself standing at a crossroads, torn between my duty as a Marine and the love that has blossomed in my heart. Should I ask Emily to marry me, to take a leap of faith with me into the unknown? Or should I let her go, sparing her the heartache of a long-distance relationship and the uncertainty that comes with my life in the military?
Every time I look into her eyes, I see a future filled with endless possibilities. I imagine us building a life together, filled with love, laughter, and shared dreams. But the uncertainty of my career—the constant relocations and deployments—makes me question if it's fair to ask her to take on that burden.
Tonight, as I sit here under the same Southern Cross that watched over my parents' love story, I am filled with doubt and longing. My heart tells me that Emily is the one—the woman I've been waiting for, the one who completes me in every way. But my sense of duty and the reality of my life as a Marine weigh heavily on my mind.
Dear Journal, I am at a loss. The thought of leaving Emily behind is unbearable, yet the fear of asking her to give up her life for an uncertain future is equally daunting. I must find the strength to make a decision—to either seize this chance at love or let it slip through my fingers.
For now, I will cherish every moment we have left together, holding onto the hope that love will guide me to the right choice. As I close this entry, I offer a silent prayer for clarity and courage, trusting that God will illuminate the path I must take.
With a heart full of love and uncertainty
Cain
Abel closes the leather cover and takes a deep breath. His mind is racing with memories he has of his father; to him, he was always strong-willed and never doubted a decision he made. Reading that journal entry put a small smile on his face. Maybe he can learn more about his dad and who he really was.
That was for another time; unfortunately, he slides the book back into his pack. The small smile never leaves his face as he reminisces about the times that felt like a lifetime ago.
Daryl slams the point of the pickaxe into the head of a dead body, making sure it stays dead. The sound of the metal point entering the temple sounds like a watermelon being ripped open. He moves onto the next body and raises the pickaxe again, but someone weakly touches his back, making him lower the tool.
Turning, he sees Carol with tears streaming down her face as she looks at the dead body of her half-eaten husband, Ed.
"I'll do it. He's my husband." She weakly speaks. Daryl glances at her briefly before reluctantly handing the pickaxe to her. He steps off to the side and watches her. She stares at Ed's body with a quivering lip as tears continue to stream down her face.
Abel breathes heavily as he pulls his own pickaxe from the head of a dead body. He walks over to see Carol standing over Ed's body with a look of agony on her face. He and Daryl share a look before looking at the widow.
"You don't have to do this. One of us can." Abel says. The widow turns to him with a weak smile and shakes her head.
"No, I can do it. I have to. H-He was my husband." Her voice is shaky as she raises the pickaxe into the air and lets the heavy metal point fall down.
The sound of the metal tearing through the bone and brain squelches as she pry's it from the temple of Ed's body. She raises it again as she lets out a cry of sadness and anger before slamming it with more force. The look of agony vanishes and is replaced with one of hate and disgust. She repeats the process several times; with each cry she lets out louder than the last, Carol lets the pickaxe hit Ed's head one last time before letting the wooden handle fall from her hands.
She whimpers quietly before walking away, leaving behind the body of her abusive husband. Abel bends down, grabs the handle, and hands it off to Daryl. He nods his head and goes back to making sure none of the bodies come back as walkers. Abel leans his pickaxe on a nearby table; his eyes fall onto Andrea, who still hasn't moved from her position.
The sound of soft growls caught his attention. The once-still body of Amy is now sitting up with a fistful of Andrea's hair in her hand. The blonde has tears streaming down her face as she stares into the emotionless void that is her sister's face.
Everyone notices and watches; some get their weapons ready just in case. They watch when a loud bang resonates around the camp. Looking closely, Andrea pulls out her handgun and shoots Amy in the side of the head, putting her to rest permanently.
Abel runs a hand through his hair and decides not to approach her, letting the woman grieve in peace.
The sun beats down on Abel from above as he stabs a shovel into the dirt, he raises the metal tool and dumps the dirt off to the side. Breathing heavily he looks over to his left to see Rick and Shane also digging next to him.
Currently the three of them are finishing the holes that Jim had dug the day prior to the attack. Abel wipes the sweat that's gathered on his head and looks up at the cloudless sky, Shane keeps sneaking glances at Rick each time he dumps dirt off to the side of the hole.
Rick knows his best friend and without looking in his direction he speaks up as he hops out of his hole.
"Say it." He says.
Shane stops digging and leans against his shovel with a sigh.
"Okay. I'm thinking if you'd have stayed here, if you'd have looked after your own... Instead you went off. You took half our manpower with you. I'm thinking maybe our losses wouldn't have been so bad." Shane says in a angered tone.
"If we hadn't gone off and brought those guns back when we did, I think our losses would have been a lot worse. Maybe the entire camp." Rick says with his own anger, Shane sighs with a look of irritation on his face but goes back to digging without saying anything else.
Abel hops out of his hole just as the back of a truck comes up the hill, it stops just near the holes. Daryl slips out of the driver seat and walks around the back where the bed full of the people they lost in the attack.
"I still think it's a mistake not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right? Burn them all, wasn't that the idea?" He asks, Shane stabs at a rock with his shovel.
"At first." He says dumping some dirt into a small pile off to the side, Abel looks at the truck to see the remaining members coming up the hill.
"The China man gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along?" Daryl asks but doesn't get an answer. He glances between the three of them and scoffs.
"These people need to know who the hell is in charge here. What the rules are."
"There are no rules." Rick says wiping away sweat off his forehead.
"Well, that's a problem. We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. WE need time to mourn and we need time to bury our dead. It's what people do." Lori says speaking up for the group, she runs a hand through her hair as she looks at all the holes they would soon fill with their dead.
Abel stabs his shovel into the ground and walks over to the truck and lifts a few bodies at a time. He fireman carries them to a set of holes before gently laying them into the grave respectfully.
They repeat the process till everyone they had lost is laid to rest.
The remaining members begin their journey back to camp, Abel keeps a steady pace as he walks towards the RV to check on Jim. Up on entering, Carol can be seen sat on the edge of the bed he lays in with a cool damp towel gently wiping his forehead. The young man lightly knocks on the wall getting their attention.
"How is he?" He asks, Carol gives him a sad smile as she gently pats his head with the cloth.
"His fever is worse." She says with a frown. Abel leans on the doorway and gets a good look at Jim, his skin is extremely pale and sweat makes his body glisten.
"How are you feeling, is their anything I can get you?"
The sick man lets out a small chuckle before groaning in pain, he looks up at Abel with a sad smile.
"I feel like shit, like I'm gonna burst into flames. No mater how much water I drink, I still feel thirsty." He says in a hoarse voice.
Abel frowns at his declining health. Another knock on the wall catches their attention, they turn to see Rick and Lori walk down the small hallway that leads to the bed where Jim lays.
"You need anything?" Lori asks with a small smile, Jim takes in a shaky breath and croaks out a response.
"Uh- Water, could use some more water."
"I'll get some."
"Okay..."
"Carol, can you help me?" She asks, the widow nods and stands up squeezing past Abel and followed Lori out of the RV. Rick takes the seat that Carol was using and sighs as his body slightly relaxes.
"You save a grave for me?" Jim asks, Rick looks at him with a worried look.
"Nobody wants that" A hoarse laugh escapes Jim cutting Rick off.
"It's not about what you want. That, uh... that sound you hear, that's God laughing while you make plans."
Abel shakes his head and looks at Jim with sympathy.
"I don't think that anybody would laugh at a thing like this, least of all God. If anything, I would like to think that he's angry that people are suffering."
A silence falls between the three of them, Jim leans his head against the wall as his body begins to heat up more. Rick grabs the bridge of his nose and gently tries to rub the growing fatigue away. Jim looks up at Abel as a tear leaks out of his eye and down the side of his face.
"D-Do you think... My family, are they in Heaven? Cause I watched as those things tore into my little boy.. the love of my life.. m-my poor baby girl." He says in a shaky voice as tears stream down his face as those horrible memories come back in droves now that he's closer to deaths door. Rick looks at the floor unable to think of something to say, Abel gives him a smile and nods his head.
"They're waiting for you, and they'll welcome you with open arms when you join them." Jim lets a genuine smile grace his face before a groan of discomfort escapes him, the bite on his side starts to twinge in pain. He suddenly starts to violently cough, Rick quickly reaches over and hands him the nearby bowl. Jim takes it with shaky hands and hovers his face over it as blood spews from his mouth with each cough and exhale of air.
He spits a clod of blood from his throat before leaning back breathing heavily. The man stares off into the distance as the fever starts making him delirious.
"Watch the mangroves. Their roots will gouge the whole boat. You know that, right? Amy is there, swimming. You'll watch the boat, right?" He asks looking over at Rick, Abel silently stands their with a sad look on his face.
"I'll watch the boat. Don't worry, I'll watch the boat.." Rick whispers quietly as he gets lost in his thoughts trying to think of ways they could save Jim.
The sick man nods his head in acceptance. Abel gently pats Rick on the back a few times before turning and walking down the small hallway and out of the RV. He steps down the two stairs before walking a little ways away and into the shade of a tree.
The cool breeze wraps around him, after the past few days it's a welcoming feeling. He slides his body down the tree and leans against the strong roots, a few minutes pass and all that he listens to is the gently sway of the trees. This makes his eyes grow heavy but just as he's about to drift off, a hushed argument catches his attention.
"I need you to talk some sense into Rick." Shane whispers, Abel opens his eyes slightly to see him kneeling Infront of Lori, she looks at him with a neutral yet hurt look in her eyes. She stands up and tries to walk away but Shane quickly follows after.
"Look, this CDC thing, Lori, it's a mistake." He says hoping she would agree, she glances at the RV and hesitates before looking back at Shane who has a look of disbelief.
"So you're backing him?" He asks almost surprised but also with betrayal in his voice. Her face of regret deepens.
"What else would I do? He's my husband."
Abel's drowsiness leaves him as he listens to the conversation, he rubs his eyes and quickly stands up.
"Look, it may be time for you to play the dutiful wife, but you can't tell me fixing your marriage is worth putting people's lives at risk." He whisper's with a harsher tone, she shakes her head and looks off to the side.
"I think folks around here can make up their own minds without bringing my marriage into it. It's a habit you need to break."
Shane stares at her with a hurt look in his eyes, before subtly nodding his head. The weight of those words laid heavy on his heart but he quickly burried it and let a stoic mask grace his face.
"I guess, I have to add that to the list of habits that I'm breaking. Whether I like it or not.." He trails off letting his words hang just as Rick appears from the RV. As he steps down he notices that both his wife and Shane are stood near the door and glances between them curiously.
"What habits?" He questions briefly hearing the final part of their conversation, both Lori and Shane unable to speak and stutter thinking he heard everything. Abel lets out a quiet laugh as he walks over to the three adults. An embarrassed smile graces his face as he sheepishly rubs the back of his head.
"Ah, it's nothing bad. These two were getting into a heated argument cause of my dumb ass. I pissed the bed and Aunt Lori wanted to give me a talkin to, while Shane was covering for me." He says and gives Shane a wink stunning the man.
Rick lets out an amused chuckle and shakes his head remembering times when Abel was younger. Lori looks at him with complete bewilderment, and Shane lets out a small laugh of disbelief.
"Thought you stopped doing that? You're 16 going on 17." He says with amusement in his voice.
"Yeah, well, shit happens. Speaking of that, I gotta apologize to Carol for cleaning up my mess."
Rick shakes his head in amusement and ruffles Abel's hair before walking away with Shane. Lori is still stood in place with shock all over her face, she stares at Abel with wide eyes and confusion.
"Why'd you cover for him?" She asks, Abel's once sheepish and embarrassed expression changes like he flipped a switch. He glances at her with a serious look, but a small twinkle of anger in his eyes as he looks at his aunt.
"Cause we have enough shit on our plate as is, last thing we need is those two at each other's throats. A divide like that would strain the group even more than it is."
Lori rolls her eyes and begins to fold clothes that sit in a basket at her feet, she glances up at him with a stern look.
"What do you know about relationships? Have you ever even have a girlfriend? Do you know what it's like having someone else in your life; let alone two people?" She asks in a raised voice, the young man keeps calm and looks down at the woman.
"This ain't about me now. So I'll just leave you with a little advice, I won't always cover your ass." He says before turning and walking away from her; the woman stands with a glare on her face and throws a shirt into the basket and huffs in silent fury.
"All right everyone, listen up!" Shane calls out to the group that's gathered around a small campfire, Abel wipes the sweat from his forehead as he takes a break from burying bodies all day.
"I've, uh... I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no... There are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've know this man a long time, I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together."
He looks around and lets his words hang as people fully digest what he's saying. Abel kneels next to Andrea as she sleeps in a lawn chair with one of Amy's shirts tightly held against her chest.
"So... those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?" Shane finishes and takes a good look around the group, most of them are exhausted, Abel stands up and nods his head towards Rick before going back to burying the remaining bodies.
The day had came and gone in the blink of an eye, Abel stands up and slightly winces at his sore body. The young man still a little drowsy steps towards the center of the camp where Shane's voice rings loudly for the morning.
"All right, everybody listen up. Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem and don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"
Morales steps Infront of his family getting everyone's attention, his face holds a remorseful look as he looks between everyone.
"We're, uh... We're not going."
The group looks at him surprised, Maria steps forwards and gently rubs his arm with a sad smile with tears threatening to leak out of her eyes.
"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people."
Shane looks at them with uncertainty, the danger of splitting off from the group could be catastrophic for his kids and wife.
"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back."
"We'll take the chance, I got to do what's best for my family."
"You sure?" Rick asks making sure they have really thought things through, Morales nods his head once more with a sad smile.
"We talked about it. We're sure."
Abel walks over to the bag of guns that Rick had brought back from Atlanta and kneels down, he grabs a 357 and a green box of ammo. He looks to Rick and Shane and gets a small nod in return, the young man makes his way towards Morales and holds out the items.
"Take this with you, just in case. The box is half full, so make every shot count."
Morales looks at the gun and ammo and lets a small smile grace his face and takes the parting gifts.
"Thank you, thank you all.." Maria says with a quiver in her voice, Lori hops off the hood of the car she was sitting on and wraps her friend in a hug. Abel holds out his hand for a fist bump with a small smile.
Daryl watches and lets out a scoff and shakes his head seeing them part with a gun they could use in the future.
"Keep your family safe, and for the love of God; stay the hell out of cities." Morales pulls him into a hug and pats him on the back.
"I'll keep that in mind." He releases Abel and turns to Shane and shakes his hand.
"Good luck, man."
"Appreciate it."
"Yeah." Rick walks over with a serious expression.
"Channel 40, if you change your minds. All right?" He says, Morales nods his head.
"All right."
Morales and his family walk away from the group and get their vehicle ready for the journey. Shane turns to Rick as he rests his shotgun over his shoulder, he's still not convinced about this plan.
"What makes you think our odds are any better?" He and Rick share a look but the man stays silent as his thoughts swarm around in his head.
"Come on, everyone. Load up and let's move out." Shane calls out to everyone as he walks over to his Jeep. Abel looks around to see everyone walking towards their respected vehicle and decides to join Daryl.
The older man checks the ratchet straps that hold his motorcycle in the bed of his truck, he glances up to see Abel walking towards him and nods his head.
"Sup." He says, Abel pats the side of the truck.
"Got room for one more?" Daryl looks up and nods his head.
"Sure, got a few questions for you."
Abel nods his head and walks over to the passenger side.
One by one the sound of engines starting fills the air, Morales and his family are the first to drive down the hill followed by the others. When they get too the end, Morales takes a left turn leaving the group, while the others turn right and head towards the CDC in hopes that it's still operational.
A few minutes pass of driving and following the convoy, Daryl glances at Abel before looking back at the road.
"So, what gives. You handing over that 357 to Morales, why'd you do that?" Abel leans back into the seat and lets the cool air hit him in the face from the open window.
"He's a good dude, deserves a helping hand. Gave him a life line, just in case." Daryl nods his head.
"Your what? Some sort of savior?" Abel shakes his head with a small chuckle.
"Nah. Just trying to do good by good people." He says quietly as the green scenery passes them by.
The convoy got a good distance before the sound of an engine sputtering erupts. One by one, each of them pull over to the side to see the RV smoking from the front, Abel gets out and quickly makes his way towards the large vehicle and sees Dale with his head inside the engine compartment.
Slowly everyone gathers around the RV, Dale removes himself and swats the air a few times as the smoke hits his face.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said, I needed the one from the box truck." Abel peers his head inside the motor bed and sees the duct tape melting from the intense heat, that's what caused the engine to overheat and smoke.
"Yeah, she ain't going anywhere." He says pulling his face out of the engine, Rick tries to look inside but smoke blocks his view.
"Can you jury-rig it?" Abel shakes his head and lets a sigh of frustration escape.
"Nah, the duct tape is starting to melt from the heat. I'm surprised she's lasted this long." Dale nods his head in agreement.
"She's a fighter." He says lightly tapping the hood.
"Y'all. I see something up ahead." Everyone turns to see him peering down the road with a pair of binoculars.
"Gas station?" Abel asks, the deputy lowers his binoculars and turns to him with an unsure face.
"If we're lucky. Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive up ahead, and see what I can bring back." Rick nods his head, T-Dog looks down the road where Shane had just moments ago.
"Yeah, I'll come along too and back you up." Shane nods his head and starts walking back towards his Jeep with T-Dog.
"Y'all keep your eyes open now, we'll be right back." He says while opening the driver side door.
Jaqui comes barreling out of the RV with a panicked look, sweat drips down her forehead as she breathes heavily.
"Y'all, Jim... It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." She says before quickly returning to the sick man. Rick takes his hat off and lets out a sigh before following Jaqui.
Abel peers his head back into the engine well to see the smoke clear up a little, he grabs some of the duct tape and starts pulling off the burned and melted pieces. Suddenly a hot liquid shoots out of the hole on the hose, it lands on the lower part of his face and neck.
"Ahh! Fuck!" He curses as he pulls his head back, unfortunately he slams the back of his head on the door causing him more pain. Dale quickly looks over to see the young man reeling back in pain.
"You okay? What happened?" He asks, Abel quickly removes his shirt and wipes up the hot liquid that slowly dripped down his chest and face.
"Didn't expect some boiling water to squirt at me is all." He says irritated. Dale gives him a look of sympathy, he had experienced that far too many times.
"You'll get used to it." He says patting him on the shoulder, before he could respond; Rick comes walking out of the RV with a solemn expression on his face.
"Jim... he said we should leave him here. It's what he wants.." Carol looks at him shocked.
"And he's lucid?" Rick looks at the ground before resting a hand on his belt.
"He seems to be. I would say yes." Dale looks around before speaking up with a sad look on his face.
"Back in camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer." Abel crosses his arms and leans against the RV.
"If this is what Jim wants, who are we to question it?" He says, a silence falls over the group unsure what the right call is.
"We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not to sure I could live with that.." Shane says walking up too the group, Rick looks at him and feels the same way. Before he could speak, Lori speaks up.
"It's not your call. Either one of you." Abel scoffs quietly and walks into the RV. He carries on down the small hallway towards Jim's bed, the man in question is extremely pale. The young man kneels beside the bed with a sad look.
"Jim, are you sure? Are you sure you really want too be left behind?" Jim looks up at him with a look of acceptance and slowly nods his head.
"I'm sure." Abel nods his head and stands up.
"Okay." He says with a sad smile, he grabs him by the arms and lifts him over his shoulder. The man groans in discomfort but doesn't resist any. Abel slowly turns and carries Jim out of the RV and down the stairs, Rick and Shane look at him surprised as they would have needed someone to help them carry the man.
"I'm gonna set you down in the shade, all right?" He asks quietly as he walks up a small hill. Jim has faded in and out as Abel sets him down. The young man gently leans him against a tree, as the others walk over to say their final goodbye.
"Hey, another damn tree.." Jim says with a weak smile before groaning at the discomfort from his side. Shane kneels Infront of him with a stoic look but his eyes show how sad he is.
"Hey, Jim... I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this."
"No. It's good, the breeze feels nice."
"Okay... Okay..." Shane says quietly and pats him on the knee before stepping back. One by one each member of the group says their goodbyes. Abel stands back and watches as everyone walks back down the hill; the young man makes his way over and kneels down Infront of the dying man.
"I just wanted to say... I'm sorry for that day." Jim lets out a weak chuckle and looks at him through half lidded eyes.
"I should be telling you that. I nearly smacked you in the head with a damn shovel.." Abel nods his head as a lump forms in his throat.
"At least... I get to meet my family again." He says looking up at the swaying tree. Abel nods his head and pats him on the knee.
"They'll be waiting for you with open arms." Jim looks up at Able as his breathing starts to slow down.
"Tha... Than... Thank... ou..." He says as his body falls limp, Abel slowly stands up and makes his way down to the others.
Everyone gets back into their vehicles, the sound of engines starting fill the air. Everyone looks out the window as they slowly drive past Jim, leaving him behind. Abel hangs his body half out the open window and watches as he disappears into the distance.