Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Just before sunset, the C.B. crackled to life.

               “We need to pull over. The RV’s got smoke coming out of the motor,” said Glenn through the radio.

Rick glanced in the rearview mirror and saw exactly what Glenn described. Rick slowed the car down, aiming to pull over onto the dirt between the road and the forest.

               “We need to get this sorted fast,” said Rick, “Carol, Carl sweep the area, make sure we don’t have any walkers nearby. Daryl, help Dale with the RV. Remind people that if they’re not on watch or helping with the RV then they need to stay inside their vehicles.”

               “After we clear the area, get someone else to keep watch. I’m staying with Sophia and my younger self,” said Carol.

Rick nodded, instantly understanding, “Carl, get T-Dog to help sweep and keep watch.”

               “Got it,” replied Carl.

As soon as the car was parked everyone hopped out, Carl and Carol instantly started to sweep the area ahead. Daryl watched the trees on their side of the road while the caravan parked and Rick watched the trees on the other side of the road.

Rick went up to the RV and gave way to Dale when he hopped out and walked towards the RV’s motor. Rick did a quick sweep of the trees, before turning back to Dale who was using a rag to fan away some of the smoke.

Carl walked passed and up to T-Dog’s van, “T-Dog you’re with me, we’re doing a sweep and then we're on watch. Don’t use your gun unless you have to. You got a knife or something?”

               “No, I don’t have a knife,” replied T-Dog as he got out of the van.

               “Carol, you got a spare knife?” called Carl, his voice only slightly louder than regular speaking volume.

               “I do. Here,” said Carol, passing over the knife and sheath she had strapped to her belt to Carl before taking out a smaller knife she had hidden in her boot and continuing her sweep.

Carl passed the knife to T-Dog, “Stab them if you can, only use the gun if you have to. We don’t want to draw attention.”

               “Stab the walkers. Got it,” said T-Dog before strapping the knife to his belt and following Carl along the side of the caravan.

Rick turned his attention back to Dale who was elbow deep in the motor and grumbling something.

Grimes, Shane, Andrea and Dixon walked up to the front of the RV.

               “What’s going on?” asked Shane.

               “The RV started smoking,” answered Glenn from where he was leaning against the RV, watching Dale’s movements with a sharp eye.

               “How’s it look?” asked Rick.

               “I told you all we’d never get far on this hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van,” replied Dale standing back from the RV.

               “Can you jury-rig it?” asked Grimes.

Rick closed his eyes knowing the answer. He thought they’d get a bit further on it. That they would have more time.

               “That’s all it’s been so far. It’s more duct tape than hose. And I’m out of duct tape.”

Rick pinched his brow. It would be dark soon. He knew if they gave the RV time to cool off then they could get more mileage out of it, but at this rate, it wouldn’t get them to the Greene’s farm. They needed to find a replacement as soon as possible.

               "There’s a small town not too far from here. We were just going to swing round the edge of town and grab some gas, but since we need to find that hose we're better off going on a run into town for the hose and gas," said Rick, "Daryl, could you find a hose for the RV?"

Daryl stepped past Dale and Grimes then gave the innards of the RV a long look, "Yeah, I can match it."

Rick nodded, "Daryl and I are going on the run onto town, I want to take two others. Anyone want to join?"

               "I'll come," said Glenn instantly.

               "I'll join you," said Shane.

Rick gave Shane a long look, "We leave at first light. I want to get in and out as fast as possible."

               “We’re camping here for the night?” asked Andrea.

               “We don’t have much of a choice. And it’s better to be here than in a town that we haven’t cleared at night,” said Rick.

               “Ok,” said Andrea.

               “Shane, Grimes, Dixon and Andrea, help me get the vehicles in a tight circle with the RV. Everyone either sleeps in cars and locks them tonight or pitches a tent in the middle of the circle. No fires tonight, we’re not risking it,” instructed Rick.

It took a bit of manoeuvring but eventually, everyone got the other five vehicles in a circle, with the RV being one of the sides. Rick was the most worried about Shane’s jeep. It was open enough for walkers to crawl over the seats, while the RV, van, two cars and even Dixon’s truck made for a decent wall.

               “Choose where you’re sleeping for tonight and if you’re in a tent, pitch it before it’s dark. There’s no fires or lights tonight,” said Rick to the group once they all gathered inside the circle of vehicles.

There was a murmur at the last sentence.

               “It’s getting colder and you expect us to go without a fire?” asked Lori.

               “Yes. I’m sorry but we don’t have good visibility here. We’re going to have to make some compromises for tonight. We’re having two people on watch. One on the RV and one in the back of Dixon’s truck.”

Dixon didn’t look particularly happy about that announcement.

Rick sent him a quick apologetic look but pressed forward, “We need to figure out the watch roster. It’s best if those of us going on the run aren’t on watch. We’ll need our sleep. Once the sun is up I suggest the camp has at least one person on watch until we get back. We’ll take the jeep and if we’re not back by midday fill up using a few vehicles around the outskirts and move on. If we don’t come back out of the town then don’t go into town, ya hear?”

Carol hummed. And the others vocalised their understanding.

               “Yeah,” said Carl, not looking happy about it, “Just don’t be idiots. Glenn, can you make sure they’re not idiots?” asked Carl, turning a pleading eye on Glenn.

Glenn straightened under Carl’s gaze, “I can try?”

Carl gave Glenn a small smile, “Thanks.”

               “Why are you saddling Glenn with that task? I can help keep your dad out of trouble,” Shane said with the confidence of someone who had, in fact, helped Rick out of trouble before.

Carl rolled his eye, “Glenn is the most sane out of all of you.”

Daryl gave a shrug and glanced knowingly at Rick, “The kid’s right.”

Rick sighed. There was absolutely no way to contest that.

Beside them Shane grimaced slightly, tilting his head down, his fingers twitching. Rick took note of that and he saw that a number of others did too. Carol, Daryl, Carl, Mrs Peletier, Dixon, Grimes, Lori, T-Dog, Amy and Dale all seemed to notice the reaction.

               "Let's get set up for the night. Who's on first watch?" asked Rick, bringing the attention back to him.

               "I'll do it," said Grimes.

               "Me too," said Dixon, "If any of you assholes that hop on my truck touch my brother's bike, Merle won't be the only one missing a hand," said Dixon glaring and pointing his finger at the group.

Rick could tell that the threat was more bark than bite, but he wasn't going to call Dixon out on it.

               “Who’s doing second watch?” asked Rick.

               “I can,” said Dale.

               “I’ll join,” said Carol as she nodded to Dale.

               “Third watch?”

               “I’m up for it,” said Carl.

T-Dog shrugged, “I’ll do it.”

Rick nodded, “Right, first watch, get some food and get set up. Daryl and I’ll keep an eye out while you eat.”

               “We should really come up with a plan for tomorrow,” said Glenn.

               “We’ll do it once first watch is on and plan over food,” replied Rick, “Not much we’ll be able to do without a map. But we can cover formations.”

The map they possessed had major roads, highways and some other streets, but didn’t have any particular details of the town. It wouldn't be useful to plan a run with.

               “I have an old street map in the RV. It should have the town on it. It’s a few years old so it’ll probably be outdated,” said Dale.

Rick blinked at him, thoroughly grateful that they had Dale back with them, “Even if it’s outdated as long as it’s mostly accurate with the streets then we can plan something. Thanks, Dale.”

               “I’ll find the book and put it on the table. You boys grab it when you need it,” replied Dale walking inside.

People started breaking off to set up tents or grab some dried food. Rick scaled the RV and kept watch while Daryl hopped in the bed of the truck. Dixon eyed Daryl for half a second before realising who it was who hopped in the truck and completely ignored how Daryl ran a fond hand over Merle’s old bike.

It didn't take long for Rick to be relieved by Grimes and Daryl to be relieved by Dixon. They both quickly grabbed some food and went inside the RV. The last traces of light were fading out of the sky. Daryl and Rick walked in to see Glenn and Shane sitting on either side of the table. The curtains were tightly shut and Glenn was quickly flicking through the street map book with a torch in hand while a plate of food was forgotten at his elbow. Daryl sat down next to Glenn who didn't look up, he just kept muttering the town name under his breath, while Rick sat next to Shane, who was quietly eating. Rick sat back and allowed himself to kick a foot out under the table and rest it against one of Daryl's. Daryl had taken the torch and was holding it for Glenn and he didn't look over at Rick as he pressed back against Rick's foot.

               "OK this is the town," said Glenn as he jabbed a finger at the town spread out on the pages.

It was a good map. It had all of the streets and a few of the major buildings were labelled.

               "What's the plan?" asked Rick before he took a bite of dried squirrel.

Glenn looked up at the people around the table and tensed when he saw that everyone was looking at him.

               "Uh, you got any ideas?" he asked hesitantly.

Rick shrugged, "We'll listen to any ideas you have first. You and Daryl have the most successful runs."

               “I’m not your Glenn though.”

               “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re one of the best. You’re good now and you only get better,” said Rick honestly.

               “We would have gotten that fucking van if you were with us,” said Daryl with a bite to his tone as he leant back and crossed his arms.

               “Jesus probably thought we were part of the Saviours,” said Rick, “We would have done the same.”

Daryl tisked loudly, “Ain’t ever gonna be one of them. It could have been a good run.”

               “You’re just upset that you couldn’t leave him up a tree.”

               “Woah, woah, hold up. I feel like I’m missing something. You wanted to leave Jesus up a tree,” asked Shane, his brow pinched in confusion.

               “We would have gotten a fucking good sleep if we did,” responded Daryl bitterly.

They really would have had a wonderful sleep if Jesus hadn’t woken them both that morning demanding to talk. It still scared Rick how close Jesus had gotten to him and Daryl while sleeping. How close Jesus got to his children when they were sleeping. They were incredibly fortunate that Jesus had no intention of hurting them and that he was a gentle person who would never harm someone unless he had to.

Daryl complained about the run where they met Jesus, but Rick knew he was glad that they met Jesus. Rick was incredibly glad when he heard that Jesus helped Daryl sneak out of the Sanctuary and back to Hilltop.

Rick chuckled and decided he would mercifully explain, “His actual name is Paul but everyone calls him Jesus. He looks the part and aside from the martial art skills he has up his sleeve he acts the part too. We’ll try to meet up with him at a later date, but we need the RV working for that.”

               “Right, yes,” started Glenn looking back at the map, "It's a small town so the mechanic shop is probably near the main street. There's a good number of smaller streets we can use if the main street isn't clear. But I say have a look at main street. If it's quiet, use it. If it's not, we go back a street to the ones behind. That'll be the quickest way to find the shop."

               "We don't need a shop. We can find a hose like that in vans, trucks and other RV's," said Daryl taking a bite of his own dried squirrel.

               "But this part can still be found in mechanic shops?" asked Glenn.

Daryl shrugged, speaking around a mouthful of food, "They should, 'specially this early on."

               "Then the mechanic is the best bet. They’ll probably have more gas cans there anyway and we could use more of those. We can check vans and anything else on the way back while collecting gas if we can’t find it there,” said Glenn.

               “Good work Glenn, it sounds like a good plan to me. It’s smart to check there for the gas cans. If we get separated we meet back up at the jeep,” after Rick spoke he took another bite of food.

Glenn gave Rick a radiant proud smile, “Thanks, Sheriff.”

Rick momentarily choked on his food, not expecting Glenn to call him Sheriff with such earnestness. Rick patted his chest and cleared his throat.

               “I blame you for that,” said Rick glaring at Daryl.

Daryl chuckled and softly tapped his foot against Rick’s.

               “I think we should clear out the sheriff’s station,” said Shane pointing to the labelled building on the map in the middle of main street, “They’ll have guns and ammo there, and we need more. We’ve lost some people but we’re still a big group.”

               “The sheriff’s station is the first place people look for those things. They’re probably already gone,” said Daryl.

               “It’s still early. It’s only been about a month. There’s a chance that it’s untouched or that things were missed,” Rick pointed out.

               “So you want to go for it?” asked Daryl sitting up a little straighter. It was a genuine question of if Rick thought the benefits outweigh the risks.

               “It’ll be easier to find these things sooner rather than later. I say we look. If the station isn’t overrun then we clear it out tomorrow. We need to get melee weapons too, but we can save that for another time. Once everyone is secure on the farm. We can come back here and properly clear it out,” said Rick.

Daryl looked Rick in the eyes for a second longer then nodded.

Rick turned to Shane, “We only try for it if the station isn’t overrun. If it is, then we’ll come back for it when everyone else is safe.”

               “I hear ya,” said Shane. His expression was firm.

It was clear that Shane wasn’t happy that they could miss out on the sheriff’s station, but Rick knew that getting the guns from the station didn’t outweigh the safety of the group for Shane. Even when Shane tried to kill Rick, in his mind it was what was best for the group. Shane thought that Rick was going to get them killed, so he tried to remove the problem. Rick knew that his old friend wouldn’t try anything while the group wasn’t safe.

Rick turned back to Glenn, “Does that change the plan?”

               “No. But I say we hit it on the way back. We need the hose and gas more than the guns and ammo at the moment, so we’ll make sure we have them before we try for the guns. If we pass the station before we get to the mechanic shop then we can quickly scout it and see if it’s overrun or if it’s clear,” said Glenn looking down at the map.

               “Anything else we need to sort out?” asked Rick, about to launch into a talk about formations.

               “If you have time, medicine would be good to get,” said Dale walking out from the back of the RV, “I understand you want to be in and out as quickly as possible, so I only ask to get some if it’s easy and quick.”

Glenn nodded, "We'll try, but it's the same rules as the sheriff station," said Glenn before glancing at Rick for confirmation.

Rick nodded, "Anything we don't get now we can come back for once we're settled at the farm."

               "Thank you," said Dale, "Right well, I think I'm going to sleep before I'm on lookout. Goodnight."

The people at the table said their goodnight's as Dale slipped back into the back of the RV.

               "There's a few formations I want to go over before we stop for the night. Do both of you have a knife or melee weapon?" said Rick.

               "I have a knife," said Shane, patting his belt. Rick could see a sheathed knife strapped to it.

               "I don't," replied Glenn.

Rick undid his knife sheath and handed the knife over in its sheath, "Use this. Do you know basic knife safety?"

               "Uh, the pointy end goes in the geeks?" said Glenn.

Daryl and Rick shared a small smile.

               "Yeah and don't stick yourself with it either. This is the best way to hold it," said Daryl, taking his hunting knife out and holding it in a reverse grip, "You need a lot of force to get through the skulls. Don't be afraid to grab them. Just be careful where you put your hands. They're not always as solid as a human. Stab 'em through the eye or through the ear. Those are the best places to aim."

Glenn nodded, following along and pulling the knife out of its sheath and matching Daryl’s grip.

They talked for a little longer about knife tips and formations as they finished their food before calling it a night. Rick and Daryl left the RV and slipped into the tent which Carl had pitched earlier.

There were two empty sleeping bags and Carl was already snuggled deep in his own sleeping bag. Carl tilted his head and cracked his eye open to look up at the two of them as they entered.

               “Where’s Carol?” whispered Daryl.

               “With Sophia and Mrs Peletier,” Carl replied softly, “She wants to keep them close.”

Daryl hummed, “She’s worried about Sophia.”

Carl gave a soft grunt of confirmation.

Daryl nodded and sat on his sleeping bag, quickly pulling his boots off.

               “We’ll try to do something to put her at ease when we get back from the run,” said Rick.

Carl let out a sound somewhere between a hum and a groan as he pulled the sleeping bag over his head, “Talk later. Sleep now.”

Rick chuckled as he tugged his boots off and sat on his sleeping bag. Rick ruffled what he could reach of Carl’s hair.

               “Goodnight, Carl.”

               “Night, dad. Night Daryl,” replied Carl quietly.

               “Have a good sleep kid,” said Daryl as he slipped into his own sleeping bag.

Rick slid into his sleeping bag which was squished in the middle of Carl and Daryl. Rick had just started getting comfortable on his side when Daryl’s hands grabbed his waist and pulled him back an inch or two against Daryl’s front. Daryl’s arms firmly wrapped around him, keeping him close and Daryl’s forehead pressed against Rick’s neck.

Rick let out a soft snort, “Goodnight Daryl.”

               “Night Rick,” said Daryl, his breath tickling the back of Rick’s neck.

Chapter Text

Rick woke up as soon as the sky started to lighten. The sun wasn’t fully up but already Rick was awake. It was just him and Daryl in the tent, Carl having left a few hours earlier for third watch. Rick had just started to shift in Daryl’s hold when Daryl sighed behind him and briefly tightened his hold before letting go of Rick and rolling away.

               “Let's go get this shit,” said Daryl as he sat up.

Rick hummed, “Food first, we can eat it on the way.”

               “I’ll get that and the supplies, you get the others and say goodbye to the kid,” said Daryl, having tugged on his boots and strapped on his knife.

               “You better say goodbye to Carl too. He won’t be happy if you leave without saying goodbye,” replied Rick.

Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and waved a dismissive hand at Rick as he left the tent, “Yeah, yeah.”

Rick pulled his boots on and buckled on his gun belt, now without his knife attached to it. Rick slid his hatchet in place and left the tent. Rick could see Daryl by their car quietly pulling backpacks, gas cans, food and water out of the boot of their car. On the top of the RV stood T-Dog who was looking down the road in the growing light. In the back of Dixon’s truck stood Carl, who waved at Rick. Rick waved back and walked over to Glenn’s tent. Rick tapped on the tent.

               “Glenn, we’re heading out soon,” called Rick quietly enough not to wake the people in the tents nearby, but loud enough that Glenn should've heard him.

There was a rustle and Rick could hear a loud groan, “Yeah, I’m coming,” Glenn called back.

A few moments and some more rustling later Glenn emerged from the tent, looking very much like a person who had just been asleep. His cap was on at an angle and his clothes were wrinkled and crushed from being slept in.

               “Daryl’s getting some food and the rest of the supplies together. Make sure you grab the map. We’ll eat on the way,” said Rick as he nodded in Daryl’s direction.

Glenn turned to look at Daryl then turned back to Rick, “I’ll get the map and help. We’re taking the jeep right?”

               “We are,” confirmed Rick.

               "Meet you there," said Glenn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he turned and walked to the RV.

Rick made his way over to Shane's tent and tapped on it, "Shane, get up it's go time."

There was a bit of rustling and an "I'm up," from inside the tent.

A few seconds later Shane stepped out of the tent and shoved his cap on.

               "Glenn and Daryl are getting the supplies ready. We're eating on the way," said Rick as soon as Shane emerged.

               “Right,” said Shane with a nod.

               “I’ll meet you at the jeep, get anything else you think you’ll need,” said Rick returning Shane’s nod before he walked over to Dixon’s truck.

Rick saw some boots against the inside of the truck window and glanced inside to see that Dixon had taken to sleeping in his truck last night, one foot propped against the glass and the other bent so he had space to lay down across the seats.

Not wanting to wake Dixon, Rick went to the very back of the truck and gestured Carl closer. Carl carefully picked his way around the motorbike and the ties securing it.

               “Morning dad,” whispered Carl when he was close enough.

               “We’re heading off now. Remember, if we’re not back by midday then you leave. If we’re just having trouble then we’ll catch up. And if not-”

               “Then don’t come back for you. I know. I’ll make sure everyone is safe, then Carol and I will come back for you,” said Carl, cutting off Rick.

               “Carl, don’t come back for us,” said Rick softly.

               “You can’t stop me. If you get bit I’m not just going to leave you as a walker. You’ll need to be put down,” Carl looked away for a second, took a breath, then looked back at Rick, his eye sharp, “and it’s better when it’s done by someone you love.”

               “Carl,” Rick tried.

               “I’ll make sure everyone is safe first, I promise,” said Carl, his expression open and honest.

Rick reached out a hand and Carl clasped it, “Only when everyone is safe. Bring Carol or someone else with you, and if there’s trouble you leave, it doesn’t matter if you finish what you go there for or not.”

               “Ok,” said Carl softly, his hand tightening around Rick’s for a brief moment, “Good luck.”

               “Stay safe,” responded Rick.

Rick let go of Carl’s hand and with a ghost of a smile, he turned and walked over to the jeep.

Shane was waiting there, tossing the keys up and catching them over and over again while he was waiting. Daryl and Glenn were shoving the last of the supplies into the back of the jeep when Rick made it to the vehicle. With one last shove, everything seemed to be placed well enough for Daryl and he gestured for Glenn to get in the passenger seat.

Daryl walked up to Rick and tapped him on the shoulder with the back of his hand, “Go over where we’re parking the jeep again. I’m going to say bye to Carl,” said Daryl as he walked past.

               “Glenn, can you get the map of the town?” asked Rick gesturing to the book in the man’s lap.

               “Sure,” came Glenn’s quick response and the pages of the book were flung open and flicked through faster than Rick could register.

               “Shane,” called Rick, waving Shane over to the passenger side.

It only took Shane a few seconds to be standing beside Rick but Glenn had already found the map. Rick took a moment to reorientate himself with the map. Rick pointed to a smaller quiet road only a five minute walk out of the edge of town.

               “This is where we want to stop the jeep. We don’t want to drive through the town unless we know it’s clear. We’ll leave it there and carry the supplies. If we have too much a couple of people can run back to this spot and grab the jeep. We want this to be quick and we don’t want to attract attention,” said Rick.

Shane and Glenn nodded along with Rick’s instructions.

               “You think you can direct us Glenn?” asked Rick.

               “I think so,” replied Glenn, seeming a little more sure of himself.

Rick placed a hand on his shoulder, “Good.”

Glenn gave Rick a small smile back.

Soft familiar footsteps came up behind Rick, “You ready to go?” asked Rick without looking back as he took his hand off Glenn.

               “Yeah,” replied Daryl.

               “Let’s go,” said Rick.

               “Alright everyone hop in,” said Shane as he moved to the driver’s seat.

Rick and Daryl jumped into the back of the jeep and Shane carefully manoeuvred them out of the car barricade they made before. Once Shane hit the road he eased into a steady speed, one that wouldn’t have been legal before the end of the world.

The jeep slowed as they reached the point where they wanted to leave the jeep. Everyone quickly hopped out and strapped on a bag or a gas can. Shane slung his shotgun over his shoulder and took out his knife. Daryl checked his crossbow was loaded and hung onto it loosely in his hands. Glenn kept his hands free but checked the knife on his belt. Rick did a quick check of his weapons, his python was loaded and he had his hatchet. Rick pulled out his hatchet and gestured for them to move.

They walked quickly to the town in a loose formation, Glenn and Daryl up front with Rick and Shane at the back. They got to the town with only Daryl and Shane each taking down a walker. They tightened up the formation and cautiously started to walk down the smaller streets, heading towards the main street. The town looked mostly intact and more like a ghost town rather than a town after the world had ended. There were a couple of cars abandoned on the streets and a few shops had their doors left open. Otherwise, it looked almost normal. It was quiet however, it was very quiet. Under Glenn’s silent directions they headed towards Main Street. Every step closer to the centre of town set Rick on edge. They should have come across more walkers. Rick found it concerning that they had yet to see any in the inner town.

They were just around the corner from Main Street when Rick felt the tip of his boot hit something and heard the skittering sound of a small pebble skipping across the bitumen. Rick stilled and grimaced at the noise. Daryl’s eyes shot to the pebble and flicked back to Rick. Rick gave a small nod and Daryl gave Rick his ‘I’m unimpressed’ look.

Rick’s hope that the main street was as quiet as the rest of the town they’d been through was quickly dashed by the moans that came from around the corner.

Daryl and Rick instantly flattened themselves against a nearby wall and Shane was only a second behind. Daryl grabbed Glenn’s shoulder and yanked him back against the wall. Then he held his crossbow out of the way and crept up to the corner of the building. Daryl quickly peered around the corner and held up five fingers. Glancing back he checked that everyone saw the number of fingers he held up.

Daryl held up three fingers, meeting everyone’s eyes before he started silently counting them down. On zero Daryl spun around the corner and simultaneously raised his crossbow and shot a walker. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder Daryl made his way for another walker, while Glenn, Rick and Shane stepped out from behind the wall and quietly rushed the walkers. Rick took down his walker quickly with one efficient and well practised swing to the skull with his hatchet. Shane wasn’t too far behind Rick, and his walker dropped with a knife through the eye.

Glenn reached his walker and had to grapple with the walker’s grabbing hands. Glenn pushed the hands away while trying to keep the walker at bay.

Daryl was quietly stalking up behind the walker, ready to lunge if Glenn needed the help.

Grabbing an arm Glenn yanked the walker forward and onto his waiting knife which he thrusted through the walker’s eye. Glenn pulled the knife free and the walker dropped. He huffed out a few breaths and looked around the clear Main Street. Glenn then lent forward his hands on his knees, his breaths deep and ragged.

Daryl stepped forward and put a hand on Glenn's shoulder, "You did good."

               "I, thanks. It's, it's different with a knife," replied Glenn, his voice shaking.

               "You'll get used to it," said Rick, stepping towards Glenn.

Glenn gave a short laugh, "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

               "They're already dead. There's nothing bad about it," said Shane matter-of-factly.

Rick nodded, “Shane’s right.”

Glenn’s breaths had almost evened out and he eased himself back into a standing position, “I know. I’ve shot them before, but you don’t look at their faces when you shoot, you just aim. But with the knife I looked right into his eyes. He was a person once, and I can’t forget that,” said Glenn softly as he looked down at the walker.

               “We all understand, and we don’t forget that,” replied Rick.

Glenn nodded his head, and after a few more moments he spoke up again, “I’m ready. This way,” he said as he started forward down Main Street.

Main Street was all too quiet, until it wasn’t. Soft groans could be heard coming from further up the street, but Rick still couldn’t see any walkers. His eyes kept darting around the strangely clear street and the seemingly empty buildings. Rick could see that everyone else was doing the same. They all slowly continued their path forward, glancing in the windows of every building from the centre of the road. They kept getting closer to the sound and with every step forward Rick was getting ready to fight or run.

The groans were loud, and Rick knew that they could only be that loud if there was a horde of them. Rick and Daryl might have years of experience dealing with walkers, but even with Glenn and Shane they absolutely could not take a horde.

               “Why are we getting closer? Can’t we just go around?” whispered Glenn, adjusting the grip on his knife for the third time that minute.

               “We need to know where they are and if the walkers are contained. If this group is as big as it sounds and it’s wandering the town we need to know,” answered Rick quietly.

Glenn swallowed and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes they were set in determination.

The groans increased in volume but Rick still hadn’t managed to spot the walkers. They were almost halfway down Main Street at this point. They hadn’t managed to spot the pharmacy or the mechanics. According to the map, the sheriff’s station was only a little further up.

Everyone was keeping their steps as quiet as possible. Their eyes were trained on their surroundings. Rick could hear the quiet shuffling now. The walkers were close.

               “There,” said Daryl softly as he pointed to the right.

Rick could see the movement of the walking dead behind a wire fence. The group moved to hide behind a nearby car. Rick peaked over the roof of the red honda and saw well over fifty walkers behind the fence. The fence that belonged to the sheriff’s station. The fence, which had a gate that hardly looked strong enough to hold that many walkers back.

Shit.

               “It looks like the whole fucking town’s there,” Shane quietly growled as he glared at the walkers.

               “I’m sorry Shane but I don’t think we can make a run to the sheriff’s station,” said Rick honestly in a hushed tone.

Shane grunted and if looks could kill then the walkers would be dead ten times over.

               “I do have some good news,” said Glenn quietly.

               “What?” said Shane with a bite to his tone as he continued to glare at the walkers shuffling mindlessly around the exterior of the sheriff’s station.

On his other side, Rick could hear Daryl shifting, slinging his crossbow over his shoulders and slowly sliding out his knife.

Without looking Rick put a hand on Daryl’s arm and pushed it down slightly, not enough to push the knife all the way back into the sheath, but enough to convey that Rick wanted Daryl to stop and wait.

               “I found the mechanic shop,” said Glenn.

Rick looked over to Glenn as he pointed down the road diagonally across the street from the sheriff’s station. It was a single story building, with peeling yellow paint and a front door and a garage door that both looked tightly shut. There was a car in front of the garage door which looked like it had been abandoned. The back half of the shop’s lot had a tall wired fence surrounding it, which linked up to the mechanic shop’s back wall.

               “We need to backtrack and go around the back. We can’t be seen by these walkers, that fence gate looks like it’s a strong breeze away from collapsing,” said Rick looking over to the sheriff’s station.

Rick looked to Daryl for his opinion, but Daryl’s gaze was focused on Shane. Turning his head, Rick could see that Shane was still looking over at the station.

               “I think we should see if there’s a back door to go through. What do you think, Daryl, Shane?” said Rick, intentionally drawing them back to the mission at hand.

Daryl looked away first, looking at Rick then he turned and looked towards the mechanic shop. Shane gave the sheriff’s station one last glare then turned to Rick. Rick raised an eyebrow at him and then nodded his head towards the shop.

               “S’ a good plan. They probably have a backdoor. I might be able to pick the lock,” replied Daryl.

Rick heard Shane softly snort and he turned to face him, “You good with that?” asked Rick.

               “Yeah, I’m good. Come on. Let’s go,” replied Shane just before he stepped away from the car, keeping himself low so the walkers wouldn’t see him.

Rick quickly took up his position at Shane’s side and Daryl and Glenn followed them to a small side street. The street was clear and narrow enough that two cars could only just fit side by side. They could still hear the walkers' groans echoing around the narrow street and bouncing off the buildings. They all snuck through the street, eyes peeled for stray walkers.

They started their cautious loop around the block. Fortunately, they reached the next narrow street that connected to Main Street and it had a side entrance to the mechanic shop. The alley that led down the street was quiet and clear. They walked down the street and turned off just before the end of the street. The garage had exits at the back, one for the vehicles and one for the people. There was space for cars to be parked on the flat concrete ground with lines indicating places to park. The whole back area was surrounded by a barbed wire topped fence. There were a few cars in the back parking lot and a shelter that covered large shelves holding almost complete engines, car doors, tires and other large pieces of vehicles.

They all stopped at the chained gate, which held a heavy padlock.

               “There’s bolt cutters in my bag,” said Glenn, turning around to give them easy access to his bag.

Shane stepped forward and grabbed the bolt cutters out of the bag. He made quick work of the padlock and slid the chain out of the way.

Shane turned to put the bolt cutters back in Glenn’s bag and Rick carefully opened the gate, inching it open in a hope to reduce any squeaks. The gate was blessedly quiet with only a few minor squeaks that were definitely too quiet to be heard by the walkers at the sheriff’s station. Daryl slipped past Rick with his crossbow up and his eyes scanning the parking lot. Starting at one side Daryl walked anti-clockwise around the lot, checking the nooks and crannies for any walkers. Rick did the same, moving clockwise around the back area. Rick found no walkers and it seemed that Daryl didn’t either.

The fence that jutted out from the back of the mechanic shop was lined in plywood in any direction that the sheriff’s station would have been visible. Rick frowned at it and he saw the others all do something similar.

Rick tried the back door to the shop. The nob didn’t turn, “Locked,” he said aloud.

Shane walked over to the back garage door and tried to heave it up. However, there was no luck. The metal strained, but it was thoroughly locked. All the windows looked boarded up too.

Daryl stepped up to the back door patting down his pockets. He pulled out a multitool and a few narrow lockpicks. Rick had no idea where Daryl got the lock picks from but he wasn’t going to question it. Daryl worked the lock for a few minutes till eventually, the lock turned the entire way around. With a soft click, the door was unlocked and Daryl slowly opened it. The door was quiet as it opened. Rick slipped in first, followed by Shane, then Glenn, and finally Daryl.

The shop was dim. Every window was covered in planks of plywood. Through the gaps, small rays of sunlight slipped through, however, the gaps weren't large enough to peek through. They wouldn't be able to keep an eye on the horde in the station from inside the mechanic shop. The ground near the back entrance was covered in dirt and old footprints.

Rick had his hatchet ready as he cleared the back room and wandered into the main entrance. There was a reception and a few waiting chairs. On the wall hung photos of people with cars. Rick could only assume that the people used to work at the mechanic’s shop. There was even a photo of the whole team in front of an older model car, an Impala of some sort, all of them with bright happy smiles.

Daryl and Glenn slipped past Rick and Shane and went into the actual garage of the shop.

Shane disappeared into the staff rooms while Rick went into the office. It was easy to clear the small office and Rick did a quick raid of the drawers and cabinets, looking for anything interesting. In one of the drawers, Rick found a first aid kit that was almost completely stocked. With a satisfied hum, Rick tucked the kit under one arm and went into the garage to find Glenn and put this in his bag.

Quietly Rick walked into the large garage area. There was a car stored inside and shelves lined the wall closest to Rick. There was plenty of space for another five or so cars to be inside the shop if needed. On the opposite side of the garage was a series of shelves in rows. Rick slowly approached it seeing movement amongst the shelves.

Rick sent out a short quiet whistle and got a response of a click so quiet that Rick wouldn’t have heard it outside of the silence of the garage.

Not even a second later Glenn’s head popped out from behind one of the shelves. Glenn sent a disbelieving frown at Rick, his hands going into a ‘what are you doing’ gesture before he put a finger to his lips.

Rick gave a soft snort and a small smile, “Daryl says it’s clear,” whispered Rick.

Just because it was clear that didn’t mean they could be loud.

Glenn’s disbelieving frown turned into one of confusion, “You didn’t talk-” started Glenn, cutting himself off, “You came up with a new communication system?”

               “Me and Merle had one we used for hunting. We’ve added a few things to it,” answered Daryl as he appeared from behind a bookshelf and searched a box.

               “That’s, actually smart. What sounds do you have and what do they mean?” asked Glenn, sounding very eager at the prospect of quiet shorthand communication.

               “Teach ya later,” replied Daryl.

               “Ok. You better,” said Glenn pointing a finger at Daryl before he turned back to look at the shelf.

Daryl pulled out a small box and looked in for a moment before he grabbed a handful of what Rick thought were small metal bolts and shoved them into a pocket.

Rick raised a brow. Daryl caught his look and just shrugged.

Rick just held up his first aid kit with a smirk. Daryl’s eyebrows lifted and Daryl gave Rick an impressed nod.

With a few long steps, Rick was behind the same shelf as Glenn and he held up the first aid kit when Glenn looked at him. Glenn gave him two thumbs up then turned around for Rick to put the kit in his bag.

Just as Rick was zipping the bag back up Shane walked into the garage. Shane looked around for a moment at the seemingly empty garage until Rick peered out from behind one of the shelves. Shane tensed for a moment and spun to Rick. Rick held out a pacifying hand and kept his movements slow. Once Shane registered it was Rick his posture loosened slightly and he lowered his knife.

Rick took a couple of steps towards Shane, “Clear?” asked Rick softly.

               “It’s all clear,” replied Shane, matching Rick’s quiet tone.

Rick nodded before turning to search the shelves for anything that could be useful. Only Daryl knew what the hose looked like so he was going to leave that to him.

Shane started wandering around the garage and paused at the car, seemingly admiring it. It looked like the same car that was in the group photo.

They’d spent a good ten or so minutes quietly searching and Daryl had made his way to the back shelves against the wall. Behind these shelves leaning on the walls was more boards of plywood. It looked like they were slotted behind the shelves as storage. The boxes on these back shelves weren’t labelled and they ranged from medium sized boxes to small boxes.

Daryl started digging through the boxes and peeked inside a large cardboard box. Daryl pulled it off the shelf, but halfway off it got caught on the old shelf. The shelf creaked and teetered forward. Daryl dropped the box back on the shelf and shoved his weight against it. Rick lunged forward and braced some of the smaller boxes, catching them before they could fall off. With a soft thunk, the shelf landed back in position.

Loosening their braced stances against the shelf Daryl and Rick looked at each other and each let out a breath.

Daryl gave Rick a nod in thanks and Rick returned it.

With another breath out Rick eased his weight off the shelf and its boxes. A moment later Daryl did the same.

               “You ok over there?” whispered Glenn from a few shelves away.

               “We’re fine,” replied Rick quietly as he stepped away from the shelf and started towards Glenn.

Daryl grabbed the large box again and started to slowly ease it off the shelf, careful of whatever it got caught on.

With no warning, a groan and a smash sounded within moments of each other. Daryl dropped the box to catch the shelf that lurched towards him. The contents of the box clattered loudly to the ground followed closely by a number of other boxes and tools that tumbled off the shelf.

The groans got louder and the shelf Daryl was pressed against creaked and shuddered as the shelf pitched forward. Daryl grunted and his feet slid back as he shouldered against the shelf with all his weight.

Rick darted back towards the shelf and rammed up against it. The shelf was jolted back slightly with his weight added to it. Rick could feel the force pressing down on the shelf from the other side and the moans were coming from behind the shelf.

The plywood that lay behind the shelf was also pressed forward and Rick could see a couple of rotten fingers curling around the large sheet of wood.

For a second Rick pitched forward and the shelf smashed against the wall for just a moment as more weight was thrown against the shelf. Rick glanced to the side to see Shane gritting his teeth and pushing hard against the shelf.

The three of them were holding it. Just.

The shelf gave another jolt and Rick looked past Daryl to see Glenn shoving against it.

               “Glenn, the plywood, move it aside, we need to stop the walkers!” ordered Rick, “We can hold it.”

Glenn nodded and swiftly moved between Rick and Shane. Glenn grabbed the edge of the plywood sheet and cried out with exertion as he shoved the panel to the side inch by inch despite the walker’s pushing against it.

As soon as the first walker was visible enough Glenn pulled out his knife and stabbed it. Glenn stabbed the next walker that replaced it.

The weight against the shelf lessened and after Glenn stabbed another walker, Rick let Daryl and Shane hold the shelf while he pushed the plywood further to the side. Rick wasted no time and grabbed Daryl’s hunting knife from the man’s belt and stabbed a walker directly in the eye from between the shelves. Glenn stabbed another and Rick stabbed one more. The inside of the shop was quiet, aside from the groans of the walkers across the street.

Rick handed Daryl back his knife and pulled out his torch, searching the dark room hidden behind the plywood. It was a mess of a room that stank of rot and human waste. Rick could see one more body in the room that looked almost completely eaten. Rick clicked off his torch and returned it to his belt.

Rick gave a quiet click of his tongue then half a second later he remembered who he was with, “Clear,” he said.

               “Shane,” said Rick, jerking his head to the side in the direction of the street, “Make sure it’s still clear.”

Shane looked at Rick for a moment, his brow had a slight crease, and Shane seemed to be mulling over the instruction. Finally, after a long moment, Shane nodded, “Got it.”

Quickly Shane slipped out towards the back door.

Glenn wiped off his own knife then walked over to his backpack that he dropped and opened it up to check the contents.

Daryl scanned the mechanic shop from his position and Rick did the same. Rick was about to move on and check the area around the back door which they entered through when Daryl looked down at the scattered tools and parts and let out a frustrated growl. Daryl then dropped to the ground and started quickly sorting through the pieces.

               “Daryl,” said Rick in a tone that said, ‘what are you doing? We don’t have time for this’.

               “Saw the hose in the box,” replied Daryl, not looking up.

Rick glanced over at the box Daryl had been looking in before. It was empty. Every single item was on the floor. Rick’s face scrunched up for just a moment as he let out a harsh exasperated huff.

               “Glenn, make sure the back doorway is clear,” called Rick with only enough volume for it to carry clearly to Glenn.

Glenn nodded and zipped up his bag with two gas cans now tied to it.

Rick dropped to the ground and started to help Daryl sort through the parts that definitely weren't hoses.

Daryl looked up and Rick knew he was about to ask why Rick was helping when he didn’t know what the hose looked like. But before he could do more than open his mouth a voice called out.

               “Rick,” Shane hissed, sticking his head through the door, “We need to go now! The walkers heard us.”

Rick and Daryl both cursed.

Daryl’s search turned frantic. Daryl shoved parts aside in a flurry. He picked up others then chucked them away.

Rick ran over and grabbed his gas can and another that he found.

               “Are they through the fence yet?” Rick asked in a hurry.

               “Not yet, but it’s not going to hold much longer,” replied Shane as he glanced between Daryl and Rick.

               “Daryl?” asked Rick, a note of worry in his voice.

               “I’m looking!” Daryl snapped back.

Rick heard the very distinct whine of metal being warped out of shape.

Daryl continued to toss pieces aside, almost desperately now.

               “We need to go,” said Rick.

               “Hold on.”

The whine of metal cut out when a crunch echoed through the street. A crash followed it.

               “Dixon, move it!” ordered Shane.

               “One more second!”

Through the garage door, Rick could hear the groans grow closer.

They need to go. Now.

               “I’m calling it, Daryl!” said Rick, his voice sharp.

               “Got it!” cried Daryl without even a second between his words and Rick’s.

Daryl scrambled to his feet and scooped up his gas can. Shane and Rick had already turned and started to run out of the mechanic shop.

               “About time!” said Glenn when they all emerged from the shop.

A loud bang reverberated through the mechanic shop and let them know that the walkers had reached the front of the store.

               “Glenn, we need a way out now. Main Street is compromised,” said Rick quickly.

               “Ok, ok. This way,” said Glenn waving a hand over his shoulder as he jogged out of the mechanic shop’s back lot.

Glenn slowed down with a skip when he reached the small road they entered from and looked both ways. His eyes widened when he looked towards Main Street. Glenn pivoted to face the rest of the group who was right behind him and he continued to skip along keeping his momentum.

Glenn waved them up the road away from Main Street, “Go, go. Straight through the next intersection!”

Rick reached the small road and looked towards Main Street. At least twenty walkers were shuffling down the street. Rick wasted no time and followed Glenn’s directions, only slowing for a moment to glance back and check that everyone was behind him. Rick ran at a pace he knew that both Daryl and Shane could keep up with, not worrying about Glenn since Rick knew that even with the backpack on he could outpace him.

Just after sprinting through the intersection, Glenn caught up to Rick.

               “Take the next left,” called Glenn, gesturing in the direction with a hand as he looked back at the other two.

Rick nodded and followed Glenn.

Just before the turn, Rick glanced back to see Daryl and Shane keeping pace, and the Walkers approaching the first intersection.

Rick turned the corner and slowed to a stop with Glenn. Shane and Daryl weren’t far behind.

Glenn took two deep breaths then spoke, “We can loop around the edge of town and get back to the jeep.”

               “We need to lose the walkers. If they see us they’ll keep following. We can outrun them, but not forever. We still need to stop and get some gas,” said Rick. They needed to at least make sure that the walkers didn’t follow them to the outskirts of town while they were trying to collect gas.

               “We need the hose too, but we can’t deal with all of those geeks and we don’t have time to look for that with them wandering around,” said Glenn.

Daryl pulled the hose out of his pocket, “Ya mean this hose?”

               “You actually found one?” asked Glenn, looking astonished.

               “Your bet about the shop was right on the money,” replied Daryl with amusement.

Daryl gestured for Glenn to come closer and when he did Daryl stepped behind him and put the hose in the backpack.

               “Ok, that's one thing sorted. But Sheriff's right we should lose the geeks,” said Glenn.

               “What can we do? We can’t hide here,” said Shane as he gestured to the single story houses with their peeling white picket fences, “We’d need to clear a house first to use it. What happens if we hide and the walkers find us and we get trapped?”

               “Then we don’t hide in the houses,” said Daryl like it was simple.

Shane turned a scowl on him, “Then what do we do Dixon?”

               “We yard hop. A lot of the houses have tall fences,” he replied.

Rick was picking up what Daryl was putting down, “If the walkers don’t see us or hear us we can use the yards to get away without being seen,” added Rick nodding to Daryl.

A loud crash came from inside a nearby house. The group collectively spun to face the house. A thumping from the door started and got louder as what Rick assumed was another walker hit the door. The door rattled and it was clear that it wasn’t going to hold much longer.

               “Well I guess that’s what we’re doing now,” said Glenn, bouncing on the balls of his feet ready to move.

               “This one,” called Daryl, sprinting to the gate of a house on the opposite side of the street from the home with the walkers in.

The single story brick house had a tall wooden fence, at least two heads taller than any of them. The fence started a metre back from the front of the house and surrounded the back third of the block.

Daryl tried to open the gate, but it didn’t budge. A padlocked chain was the only thing holding it firmly closed. Daryl quietly cursed then threw his empty gas can over the fence and tossed his crossbow aside. Daryl spun and lowered himself with his back braised against the gate hinge and his knees out.

Daryl waved Glenn over, “Glenn, up.”

Glenn listened and quickly scaled Daryl and the fence.

               “I’m down,” called Glenn from the other side.

               “Shane,” said Daryl gesturing Shane forward.

               “I’ve got the bolt cutters,” said Glenn.

               “Leave it. We don’t have a spare lock,” replied Daryl looking back towards the fence to give Glenn the instructions.

Daryl turned his attention back to Shane.

Shane hesitated for just a moment, but another loud thump and the cracking of wood rang through the street. Shane looked back at the door that was breaking and glanced at Rick who was watching him back. Shane turned back to Daryl and marched forward and climbed Daryl and the fence.

Rick was warily splitting his attention between the door and the group, his fingers on the handle of his python. As soon as Rick saw Shane drop over the fence and heard the ‘I’m over’ he grabbed Daryl’s crossbow and quickly climbed up and over. Rick landed on his feet with a grunt. Immediately Rick tossed the crossbow aside and climbed the supporting horizontal pillars on the inside of the fence, reaching a hand over the top of the tall fence.

Rick heard a loud crack and saw the door across the street start to buckle. Fingers and arms snaked out between the gaps. Groans reverberated around the street. Not only from the walkers in the house, but Rick could hear the walker’s from the sheriff’s station getting closer.

Daryl backed up and then ran at the fence, using his momentum to get a step up the fence and latch onto Rick’s hand. Daryl grabbed the top of the fence with his other hand and together Rick and Daryl got Daryl up the fence. With Daryl’s weight at the top of the fence, Rick felt himself teeter backwards and before he knew it Rick hit the ground, with what would have been a grunt, had the wind not been crushed out of him by all of Daryl’s weight landing on top of him.

Though Rick was slightly stunned by his landing he still heard the chunks of the door hitting the porch.

Daryl swiftly rolled off Rick and hopped back a few steps from the fence pulling out a few small metal bolts as he did. Daryl pegged the bolt over the fence, it hit the roof of a house on the opposite side of the street with a light tink. Daryl followed that bolt up by a couple of others. Daryl stopped and listened, and Rick could hear the walkers shuffling towards the sound of the bolts.

Seemingly satisfied that the walkers had taken the bait Daryl crouched over Rick who was still sprawled out on the overgrown yard grass. Rick had managed to draw in a few breaths after all his air got crushed out of him.

Daryl offered Rick a hand up.

Rick took in another breath and then mouthed the word ‘sit’ before he took the hand. Daryl eased him into a sitting position and Rick had to bite back a groan. He knew he had bruised something, probably a couple of ribs.

Daryl tilted his head and his brows pinched together.

Rick nodded and held up a single finger. He would be ok, he just needed a moment.

Chapter Text

After a few moments, Rick raised his hand and Daryl helped him to his feet. Rick clenched his jaw to hold back a groan and clutched his side. Daryl didn’t let go of his hand and looked directly into Rick’s eye. Rick waved him off as he let go of Daryl’s hand.

               “I could have used the bold cutters,” whispered Glenn from only a metre away.

               “Wasn’t sure I could distract them,” Daryl whispered back.

Glenn gave a slow nod.

Rick looked over at Shane whose brow was pinched in thought as he stared at Rick and Daryl.

               “Whatever you’re thinking Shane save it for when we’re back with the others,” said Rick quietly before turning to Glenn, “Glenn what’s the best way to the edge of town?”

Glenn turned and pointed behind him, “We go through that yard and go down that street to Johns Street if it’s clear of walkers. If it’s not, we fence hop in that direction and end up on Johns street. As long as we’re on that street we can head straight to the outskirts of town.”

               “Let’s go then,” said Rick with a nod.

Shane cast a wary glance to the street they just came from where they could hear the sound of the walkers from the sheriff’s station getting closer. It sounded like they were almost at the street.

Daryl had been woken up a while ago by the sound of the group driving off in the jeep. He saw no point in doing nothing so he checked his weapons and cleaned them. Daryl then scared, or more accurately shooed the teenage Carl from the back of his truck so he could give Merle’s bike a once over. The kid had obviously hung around his older self enough to know what was a threat and what was not. Big Carl left with a smile and a wave before meeting his younger self in the middle of their camp setup.

Giving the bike a once over didn’t take as long as Daryl would have liked. But everyone was well and truly up by then.

Rick was up on the RV keeping an eye out, having swapped with T-Dog not long after Daryl started to check Merle’s bike while T-Dog had gone back to his van to sleep. The kids were all sitting together in a group at a fold out table, going through some school work. Lori, the teenage Carl and the older Mrs Peletier were with them. Amy and Jacqui were in the RV with the older folks. Andrea was wandering around the camp pacing the edge of it. Mrs Peletier was in the middle of the camp where the chairs and a cold box had been dropped.

Daryl looked around the camp and decided that he had worked on the bike long enough to almost classify as a watch shift. A short watch shift. He would get some food and then swap with Rick. Daryl needed to do something and there wasn't much to do around this camp except keep an eye out for the dead freaks.

With something decided Daryl hopped down from his truck and walked over to the cold box. Mrs Peletier, the younger version of her, was already there putting some dried food into plates. She saw him and handed him a plate.

               "Thanks," said Daryl as he accepted the food.

               "How did you sleep?" asked Mrs Peletier.

Daryl shrugged, unsure of why this conversation was still continuing, "It was alright, Mrs Peletier."

               "Please, call me Carol," she said with a small soft smile.

Daryl frowned at her, "Ya don't have to talk to be just 'cause our older selves do."

               "You're right," said Carol simply, "But my older self wouldn't be talking to you if you weren't a person worth talking to."

Daryl froze for just a moment. He was about to thank Carol again for the food and just leave but Andrea walked up to them and started talking.

               "This is all so weird," said Andrea as she looked over at where Lori, the older Carol and the teenage Carl were teaching Sophia and little Carl maths.

Daryl was willing to stay a little longer since the topic had changed from whatever the hell Carol was trying to say. Which didn’t matter. Daryl didn’t want to hear whatever she was trying to say. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to know what the others thought about having future versions of themselves running around.

Daryl snorted, "At least you don't have an older you walking around."

               "That's true. I don't know how I'd feel about that," said Andrea, "Did future you give you your fortune?" asked Andrea with a cheeky smile.

Daryl grunted, "He told me enough."

Andrea looked disappointed like she wanted the details.

               "What about you Carol?" she asked as she accepted a plate of food from Carol.

Carol took in a shaky breath and held a new plate of food tighter, "She hasn't told me where Sophia is," said Carol quietly as she looked at her older self carefully helping her daughter, "I'm, I'm worried about what happened. She's been sticking close to us since we stopped."

               "Oh Carol, I'm so sorry," said Andrea, her eyes full of sympathy.

               "She ain't dead yet and she ain't gonna be," said Daryl harshly. He wasn't letting any kids die on his watch.

               "Did your future self say something?" asked Andrea.

               “About Sophia? Nah, I didn’t ask. But if I did I’m sure he’d tell me,” said Daryl taking a bite of food as he looked over at the kids.

               "Can you trust him?" questioned Andrea as she raised an eyebrow.

Daryl shot her a scowl, "You'd trust future you wouldn't ya? And no offence but he's the only one I trust out of all of you. Half of you left my brother on a roof. And I don't know the rest of you that well."

               "Rick, Glenn and T-Dog went back for him with you. Doesn't that give them some trust?"

               "One act doesn't right that wrong," said Daryl bitterly.

Andrea turned to face Daryl and he saw her eyebrows droop and her posture slump, “I am sorry that we left him,” she started quietly and gently, “But he was out of control.”

               “Don’t,” Daryl snapped, giving her a vicious glare, “If your sister was left on that roof you’d feel the same!”

               “Amy is nothing like Merle!” said Andrea, her voice getting closer to a shout.

               “Doesn't matter!” barked Daryl, “Family is family.”

               “The family you’ve got is crazy!” retorted Andrea flinging her hands out to the side.

Carol grabbed Andrea’s sleeve and gently tugged on it, staying well away from Daryl as she did, “Andrea please, that’s enough,” she said in a small voice.

Daryl’s gaze flicked to Carol and she flinched. Daryl clenched his jaw and looked back at Andrea, getting up in her face and jabbing a finger into her collar.

               “See, you say you’re sorry but ya don’t mean it. You wanted Merle gone. I ain’t gonna sit back and pretend I don’t hear your lies. If you were really sorry you’d do more than say it,” said Daryl as he continued to crowd Andrea.

In the corner of his eye, Daryl could see teenage Carl and older Carol stand up. But Daryl was done. He stepped back from Andrea giving her a cold look as he turned and stomped over to his truck.

               “I’m taking over watch!” he called out, not looking back at the camp.

Daryl was standing on the roof of his truck keeping an eye out for anything that moved. He'd been there for a couple of hours at this point letting the sounds of the forest and the camp wash over him.

He’d calmed down since the argument with Andrea. He meant what he said when one act didn’t fix things, but Daryl knew that an act was a start. T-Dog and Rick owned up to the mistakes and went back for his brother along with Glenn. They had all done something to try and make it right.

Daryl knew that Merle was fine, and according to his older self just doing what he does best, falling in with the wrong people.

Supposedly this camp of people were people Daryl could stick with. If he took his older self at his word.

Movement from inside the camp caught Daryl’s eye and drew his attention back to his surroundings. Rick and Lori were walking together towards the edge of the camp. They passed through the open space where Shane’s jeep used to be and started walking out of the marginal safety they had in the camp.

               "Hey, where you guys going?" called Daryl.

He really hoped they weren’t going to fuck in the woods. Daryl knew Lori did that with Shane. Rick didn’t quite seem like the kind of guy to do that, but Daryl had only known him for a few days so he could be wrong.

They both stopped at Daryl’s words and he saw their postures. Rick seemed more cautious and uncertain while Lori looked uptight and wary.

               “It’s none of your business,” responded Lori with a harsh tone.

               “Fine. If you get caught I won’t come and save your asses!” retorted Daryl waving a hand at both of them.

He was on watch and was supposed to keep an eye on the camp and its people. But if they wanted to go into the woods and get themselves bit that was fine, as long as he didn’t get bit because of it.

Rick held up a placating hand, “We’re just gonna talk, we shouldn't be long. We won’t go too far.”

               “Ya better not.”

They weren’t long at all. Less than ten minutes later Rick came stomping back towards the camp. When he reached the treeline he stopped, closed his eyes, took a breath, then half turned to face the forest and waited with his jaw set. Daryl could hear Lori crashing through the undergrowth and a few seconds later he saw her emerge from the trees. Her eyes were wide and her expression was imploring. As soon as she emerged Rick continued walking back to the camp again.

               “Rick please-” started Lori.

Rick stopped walking and cut her off, “No. Lori, I can’t. I need, time. I need to think.”

               “What’s there to think about? It's already happened,” said Lori.

Rick spun to face her so fast Daryl thought he might get whiplash, “What’s there to- Lori our lives are crazy at the moment. Dead people don’t die, I can talk to an older me because of some insane time stuff, and now this on top of all of it. I need time to think, Lori. I can’t just accept it and move on. I need time. Logically, I understand. But for everything else to have a chance to catch up to that logic I need to think.”

Lori seemed to visibility deflate and Rick took a step back from her and took a breath. His shoulders were drawn tight and his stance was rigid.

               “Ok, I, ok,” said Lori quietly enough that Daryl only just managed to catch it from his spot on the truck.

Rick’s shoulders sagged then he turned and walked into camp.

It was almost another hour later when Rick climbed onto the back of Daryl’s truck. Daryl turned a sharp eyed look at him.

Rick just held up a plate, “Got you some food.”

Daryl squinted at the sky, it was still a couple of hours or so away from noon, but he wasn’t going to say no to food. Daryl crouched down on the roof of the truck and accepted the plate, “Thanks, but why?” It was a small portion of food, more like a snack than a full meal.

He hoped Rick wasn’t being nice to him because their older selves were chummy.

Rick sighed and picked at the food he had on his own plate, “I just needed some space. Everyone keeps looking at me with pity, or something of the like,” he said, then after a beat of silence he spoke up again, “Did everybody know?”

Daryl shrugged, “I don’t think Andrea, Glenn and T-Dog knew. And the kids didn’t.”

Rick scoffed, “Well big Carl definitely does.”

               “Kid’s old enough to know that,” said Daryl, “Older you could have even talked about it before.”

Rick ran a hand through his hair, “Yeah, you’re right.”

There were a few moments of silence before Daryl spoke up.

               “Wanna take watch?” asked Daryl.

Rick shook his head, “No. I don’t think my head’s clear enough for that.”

Daryl grunted.

               “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your time,” said Rick, adjusting his grip on the plate and turning to leave.

               “I ain’t gonna turn away an extra pair of eyes,” said Daryl before Rick got more than a step.

Rick turned back to Daryl, “You sure?”

Daryl just shrugged and turned to look at the other side of the road. If Rick chose to stay, that was on him.

After a few moments, Rick stepped up to the roof of the truck and sat down on it, his boots dangling off the back and his eyes towards the trees. Daryl knew that Rick wasn’t really looking but he had no clue what he was thinking.

Fortunately for Rick, they only had to hop the fence to the house behind before using the streets to quietly make their way to the edge of town.

They managed to find a couple of abandoned cars right next to each other and Daryl and Rick quickly got to work transferring the gas from the car to the gas cans.

Glenn opened the doors and boot, rummaging around inside for anything useful while Shane kept watch.

It was a slow process of them slowly walking around the edge of town and stopping every time they came across a car to drain it and loot it. Occasionally there would be walkers inside the cars and they would be quickly put down with a hatchet to the skull or a knife through the eye.

Rick’s ribs ached and he tried to hide a wince or two but he knew that everyone saw them. Daryl continued to stay by his side while they walked and continued to side eye him.

Finally, they reached the jeep and after shoving all the gas cans in the back Rick all but collapsed into his spot. He let himself breathe out in relief once Shane started the jeep and it rolled into motion.

Shane glanced back at him in the rear-view mirror with a slight crease on his brow before he turned back to the road.

A foot tapped his own and Rick didn’t need to glance down to know it was Daryl’s foot resting against his.

Rick gave Daryl what he hoped was a small reassuring smile. But Daryl’s eyes narrowed slightly, so either he failed or Daryl knew him too well. It was likely the latter.

               “You holding up alright?” asked Glenn as he turned around to face Rick.

Rick waved him off, “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.”

               “That’s not as reassuring as you think it is,” said Glenn with a frown.

               “It’s not even in the top five,” said Rick.

               “Still not helping,” replied Glenn.

               “Glenn, it’s bruised ribs at the worst. I’m not going to die from it,” responded Rick, giving him an almost tired look.

Glenn’s eyes widened, “That’s what you measure by?” he said, his voice raising in worry.

               “It is now,” said Daryl.

Glenn sighed and ran a hand over his face, “I know I’m going to regret this, but what are the worst injuries you’ve received?”

               “I’ve been shot twice and stabbed once. It’s not something I’d recommend,” answered Rick.

Rick saw Shane’s eyebrows raise in the mirror.

Glenn turned to Daryl, looking almost fearful.

               “Shot twice and stabbed. First shot was just a graze,” said Daryl ending with a shrug.

Glenn dropped back in his seat and looked forward at the road for a solid moment, then he turned back to face them, “Ok, how? How did you get shot and stabbed? Can we stop it?”

Daryl and Rick glanced at each other and Daryl nodded for Rick to go first, “Younger me’s already been shot once. It happened before we got here. It’s why Lori and Shane thought I was dead. I was in a coma because of it,” explained Rick.

               “Ok, alright. What about the rest?” tried Glenn.

               “Well, I won’t get stabbed if we bring Morgan back to the farm with his kid. As for getting shot again,” Rick thinks back to the Governor's second attack, when he brought a fucking tank and was determined that either he had the prison or no one did, “We’re going to work on a plan for that after we get settled at the Greene’s farm.”

               “Ok. Well I guess that’s a start,” said Glenn before he turned to Daryl, “What about you?”

In the mirror, Shane glanced back at them.

Daryl shuffled in his seat, “Make sure Andrea doesn't think I’m a walker, stop myself from getting stabbed with my own arrow, and stop some basterds from coming after us,” said Daryl counting them off on his fingers.

               “How did you get stabbed with your own arrow?” asked Glenn cautiously.

Daryl snorted and leaned back into his seat as he folded his arms, “Was on a horse looking for someone. The horse got spooked and threw me off. Landed on one of my arrows.”

               “Ok,” said Glenn, seemingly thinking about that for a moment, “And why did Andrea think you were a walker?”

               “Cause I was stabbed with one of my own arrows an’ limping back to camp.”

Glenn let out a breath and collapsed back into his seat, “It sounds like we can stop some of that. What about the people out to get us?”

               “We’ll sort something out when we get to the prison,” answered Rick.

               “Sounds like you have a lot to figure out,” said Shane, his voice levelled. It was the tone he used with perps. Not accusing, but not sympathetic.

               “A lot has happened in four years. We’re just taking it one step at a time,” replied Rick evenly.

Rick knew Shane was just worried they were going in half cocked. He was surprised at how well he could read him after all this time. There were absolutely pieces he was missing, but he'd known Shane for over half his life. That kind of familiarity didn’t disappear easily.

               “How long are you planning on sticking around for?” asked Shane.

               “Honestly, I don’t know. We don’t know how we got here, so we don’t know how to even try to go home or how to stop it if it comes at a bad time,” Rick ran a hand through his hair and he knew Shane saw the action, “We don’t even know if we will be going home,” his voice was quiet.

Shane’s gaze through the rear-view mirror was sharp.

Daryl shoved his foot against Rick’s harder, offering silent support.

               “I’m so sorry guys,” said Glenn, glancing over his shoulder, “It must be so hard to be away from Lori and Merle.”

Daryl flinched and Rick stilled.

               “Yeah, it’s hard being away from our family and friends. But we know they can handle things,” said Rick smoothly avoiding mentioning any names.

               “I hope you guys can get back, and if you can’t, you’re welcome here,” said Glenn with a small comforting smile.

The remainder of the ride was quiet and it didn’t take too much longer to reach the camp. Shane reversed into the jeep's previous spot, but without putting it back into the barricade position. Now that they were back they would be packing up camp and getting ready to move out while Dale changed the hose.

Once the Jeep stopped Daryl jumped straight out and Rick followed, wincing slightly and clutching his ribs. He quickly straightened up and grabbed a couple of cans from the back to feed the other cars.

Daryl had grabbed some cans too and was walking close to Rick when the other members of the camp came up.

Carol took one look at them and her gaze zoned in on Rick, “What happened to you?”

Rick and Daryl both cringed at the same moment.

               “I fell on top of him,” confessed Daryl, not looking at Carol.

               “Pookie,” said Carol, sounding both harsh and exasperated.

               “Not his fault, I overbalanced us when we were trying to hide,” said Rick.

               “Wait what? You’re hurt?” asked Carl as he came up from behind Carol, his voice laced with worry. Carl stepped closer like he was about to check Rick over.

               “I’m fine,” said Rick.

               “He thinks he has bruised ribs,” said Glenn as he walked past Carl over to Dale and handed the older man the hose, “Here you go, one new hose. Please don’t ask us to get another any time soon.”

Carl watched Glenn go by, then turned a glare onto Rick, “Carol?”

Carol hummed, “Put those down and follow me, Rick, we’re going to the RV.”

Rick sighed but complied and put the gas cans down at the base of the jeep.

               “Oh wait!” said Glenn before they could walk off.

               “I found a couple of things in the cars while we were getting gas,” said Glenn pulling a few items out of his bag and grabbing a few things out of the back of the jeep, “And Rick found a first aid kit.”

Glenn grabbed the first aid kit and handed it to Carol. One of the other items Glenn took out was a rolled up tent.

Carl’s eye lit up, “Is that a single person tent?” he asked.

               “Yeah, I thought that since both Carols are sharing that, uh, that the older Daryl might want it?” said Glenn glancing between the two Daryls and stumbling over Daryl’s name.

               “I’m calling it!” said Carl reaching for the rolled up tent.

Glenn still had a loose grip on the tent as Carl gently started to pull it away, “Wouldn’t it be better if the older Daryl had it?”

               “Glenn, this is the equivalent of my own room. Please don’t take this from me,” said Car looking straight into Glenn’s eyes, sounding almost desperate.

Glenn glanced at Daryl, “Uh.”

               “Does it look like I give a shit? He can have it,” said Daryl waving at Carl.

Glenn’s gaze briefly flicked between Daryl and Rick before he looked at Carl and let the tent go.

Carl clutched it to his chest and spun to face Daryl with a beaming smile, “Thanks Daryl!” he said before rushing over to the car to load his new prize in the back.

Carol smiled as she watched Carl go, then she turned to Rick and raised an eyebrow, “Off to the RV you go. We’re going to check your injuries,” Carol turned to look at Shane, Glenn and Daryl, “All of you, if you have any scrapes, bruises or anything else come to me, I’ll look it over.”

Chapter Text

Rick walked past Mr and Mrs Palmer in the RV and gave them a wave as he headed towards the back.

               “Did your trip go well?” asked Mrs Palmer.

               “It did,” replied Rick, stopping to talk to the elderly woman.

               “Don’t let him fool you he got hurt on the run,” said Carol as she put a hand between Rick’s shoulder blades and pushed him towards the back of the RV.

Once he got to the back he slowly eased himself down on the bed in the back of the RV.

               "Shirt off, let's see what you've done," said Carol as she set down the first aid kit and started looking through its contents.

Rick didn't hesitate in unbuttoning his shirt, having lost most of his sense of privacy when they were trying to make their way to DC. He put his shirt to the side, folding it loosely while he waited.

When Carol turned back around her gaze immediately zoned in on the bruises that were forming on the bottom left side of his ribcage and she tisked.

Carol sat next to Rick and started slowly pressing on the bruised area.

Pain flared up his side and Rick let out a hiss of pain on the first touch but managed to bite back the rest.

Slowly and as gently as she could Carol felt around, her brows were furrowed in concentration.

Rick found the corner ceiling of the RV and focused on that spot to distract himself. The panelling was slightly warped from water damage and the ceiling had some discolouration.

               “It doesn't feel like anything's shifting, so I doubt you have broken ribs, and it looks like just two are injured,” said Carol, drawing him away from his analysis of the RV ceiling, “Do you feel short of breath? Does anything seem to be pressing against your lungs? Does it feel like there’s a crunch when you breathe?”

Rick looked back at Carol, “No. It hurts when I breathe, but not because something is pressing on anything. And no crunching,”

               “Well, I can’t tell if anything is fractured or just bruised. But if you feel a shortness of breath you tell me right away,” said Carol looking Rick directly in the eye with a warning gaze.

               “You know I will. I think it’s just bruised. I’ve had bruised ribs before and this feels like that,” said Rick.

Carol held Rick’s gaze for a long few moments then she finally nodded, “Then I’m sure you remember what to do. Take it easy but don’t reduce your movements. Take in regular and deep breaths even if it hurts. Don’t bind your ribs. I think we have some ice in the freezer,” said Carol gesturing to the RV’s freezer, “We can use that to reduce the swelling and manage the pain. If you need to cough then do it, don’t stifle it. We have pillows to help ease the movement if you need it. If you’re in pain while lying down you can sleep sitting up. I’m sure if you ask nicely Dale will let you sleep here.”

Rick shook his head, “If I need to sleep upright I’ll use a car seat," Rick said then he gave Carol a cheeky smile and said, "How long am I going to take to heal doc?”

Carol raised an eyebrow at him, “Four to six weeks if you're lucky."

Rick let out a groan at how long he was going to be stuck on the sidelines.

               "Be more careful next time," said Carol, looking the epitome of unimpressed, "I’ll get you that ice,” she said as she headed to the kitchen of the RV.

After a couple of minutes, Carol returned with ice wrapped in a cloth. Rick had slipped his shirt back on but had left it undone. Carol passed him the ice and Rick gently placed it against the bruised area.

Rick stifled a sound of discomfort as the cold ice was pressed against his side. Rick forced his breath to be as normal as possible despite the pain and after a few moments, he managed to more or less relax against the back of the RV.

Carol nodded approvingly, “Rest here, we’ll pack everything up and make sure everyone eats something before we head off again. We’ll make another ice pack for the drive.”

With that Carol left Rick in the RV.

Trying to maintain a steady pattern with his painful breaths Rick closed his eyes and listened to everyone pack up camp and prepare the vehicles for the move.

It had been what Rick guessed to be about ten minutes when he heard someone with unfamiliar footsteps enter the room. Rick opened his eyes, his fingers twitching for his hatchet, but he relaxed when he saw who it was.

Mr Palmer stood in the doorway, looking a bit tense.

               “Sheriff,” greeted Mr Palmer when Rick’s eyes focused on him.

               “Mr Palmer,” replied Rick with a nod.

Mr Palmer took a careful step into the back room instead of continuing to linger in the doorway.

               “I realised that neither my wife or I got the chance to thank you for saving us the other night,” said Mr Palmer, his eyes locking with Rick’s and showing the sincerity behind his words.

               “You’re welcome. It’s what anyone would have done,” responded Rick.

Mr Palmer gave a soft smile, “It’s not what anyone would have done, son.”

               “It’s what we do around here. We don’t leave family or friends for the walkers,” said Rick with conviction. He had no intention of leaving anyone behind. Ever.

Mr Palmer looked Rick in the eye and Rick could see fear creeping into the older man’s expression, “I think I’m right when I say that my wife and I wouldn’t be here unless you and your people came into camp,” said Mr Palmer, “I need you to know just how grateful I am for that Sheriff.”

Rick gives Mr Palmer a soft expression full of sympathy, “I understand. Thank you for telling me, Mr Palmer.”

Mr Palmer took a step forward and gave Rick’s knee a quick double pat, “If you need anything Emma and I are just a shout away,” said Mr Palmer as he stepped back and thumbed over his shoulder to where his wife was sitting at the RV table.

               “If I need anything I’ll let you know,” said Rick with a small smile and a nod.

With a small smile of his own Mr Palmer left the back room and went to sit back down near his wife. Rick could hear the quiet tones of a conversation start up.

Rick was watching people move around the camp from the back window and half listening to the Palmer’s debate about which Hitchcock movie was the best. Mrs Palmer was debating for Psycho while Mr Palmer was debating for Vertigo. The camp had been packed up and most people were stopping for lunch before they all headed out.

The sound of the RV door opening caught Rick’s attention and he turned his head and tried to peer through the hallway from his position against the wall of the RV. As soon as Rick heard the footsteps in the RV he knew who it was before they even spoke.

               “Hi Mr and Mrs Palmer, I’m just here to give my dad some food. Mrs Peletier has some dished for you two as well in the middle of camp,” said Carl stopping in front of them and receiving a greeting in return.

Carl walked down the hall and as soon as Carl came into view Rick gave him a warm smile, “Hi Carl.”

               “Hi dad,” said Carl grinning back, “Got you some food.”

               “Thank you, Carl,” said Rick as he pushed himself up further against the wall and accepted the plate of dried food.

               “We’re leaving soon. Everyone’s just having some food and doing their business,” said Carl.

As he said that the RV door opened and Rick saw Amy step in. She gave them both a small wave before she stepped into the RV’s bathroom.

               “Sounds like it’s going to get real busy in here soon,” said Rick with a small smile. You might want to jump in the line now.”

               “I’m fine with the forest dad. No lines out there,” replied Carl with his own smile.

Rick let out a snort, “Your mother would be horrified.”

Carl shrugged, “You’d horrify her too then.”

Rick chuckled, but it turned into a groan of pain that he tried to breathe through. Nope, his ribs did not like that.

Carl hurried to his side, his hands stopping just shy of touching him, “You ok dad? Do I need to get Carol?”

Rick shook his head, “No, I’ll be fine. But laughing is going to be painful for a while.”

               “Can I see?” asked Carl quietly.

Rick lifted the ice pack to show the deep bruising colouring his lower left ribs.

Carl’s face looked grim and his eye seemed to bore into the injury as if he could wish it away.

               “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse,” said Rick gently pressing the ice pack back into place.

Carl’s eye flicked up to meet Rick’s and he could see how sceptical his son was.

               “Carl, I promise it’s fine. It’s hardly even going to slow me down.”

Carl frowned at Rick for half a moment before he huffed out a, “Fine,” then he stood back up, “But I’m telling both Carol and Daryl you said that.”

Rick gave a half shrug as a response to that.

After half a moment more of looking at his son, Rick frowned, “Carl, when was the last time you changed your bandages?”

Carl’s demeanour immediately changed and he looked out the window of the RV rather than at Rick, “Before the run.”

It took Rick a moment to think what run Carl was referring to since he was the last one on a run, not Carl.

               “You mean before we got here?” asked Rick with a firmer tone.

Carl glanced at Rick then looked past him through the other window, “We’ve been busy.”

               “Carl,” said Rick, his tone both despondent and concerned.

Carl shuffled his feet and fiddled with his knife sheath.

               “Pass me the first aid kit, we’ll do it now,” said Rick gesturing for the first aid kit that was on the other side of the back room.

               “No, we need the bandages for you,” said Carl looking at the ice pack Rick held to his chest.

Rick shook his head, “I’m not supposed to bind it. I’m not using them. Come on,” said Rick waving Carl over.

               “I’ll do it myself dad,” said Carl then he spoke quietly and looked behind himself at the bathroom door, “When Amy gets out.”

Rick looked into Carl’s eye and Carl looked back for a moment before he turned to grab the first aid kit.

               “You know clean bandages are important Carl.”

               “I do,” replied Carl softly.

               “I’m just trying to look out for you Carl. If you need things you can take them,” said Rick quietly.

               “I know,” said Carl so quietly that it was practically a whisper.

As soon as Amy left the bathroom Carl handed Rick his hat and went in with the first aid kit held tightly in his hands.

When Carl came back out with fresh bandages over his eye Rick was quietly eating some of the food he was given. Rick gave Carl a small smile and held up his hat. Carl put down the first aid kit and took his hat with a small smile that didn’t reach his eye.

               “I’ll come to get you when everyone’s ready to go.”

               “See you soon Carl.”

With a fresh ice pack held against his ribs, Rick stood next to the driver’s side of the car waiting for the others. Carl was over by Lori, Grimes, little Carl, Sophia and Mrs Peletier. He was chatting and smiling with them and Rick felt a smile creep up his face as he watched the interaction. Carl put a hand on little Carl’s head and ruffled his hair. A second after he finished Grimes put his hand on little Carl’s head and ruffled his hair as well, at the same time he put a hand on Carl’s hat and pressed it down, twisting it a little as he did.

Rick let out a soft chuckle when he heard both Carl’s cry out, “Dad!”

Soft footsteps stopped at the back door to the car and Rick turned to see Carol holding her writing equipment.

Carol looked at him, looked at the driver’s side door, then back to him and raised an eyebrow. Rick just gave a half shrug. Carol frowned at him but said nothing.

A minute later Carl gave the others a wave as he started walking over to the car. The others started loading into their car behind Carl.

Rick nodded at Carl and received a small smile in return.

When Carl got closer he frowned slightly, “You driving dad?”

               “Yeah, I-” started Rick.

               “No, he ain’t,” interrupted Daryl as he came storming closer from the direction of Dixon’s truck.

               “I’m fine, Daryl,” said Rick, trying to be reassuring.

               “You ain’t driving. Move,” ordered Daryl with a gesture to the other side of the car as he stopped right next to Rick.

               “It’s just some bruised ribs, it’s not like I have a broken leg,” tried Rick, still standing exactly where he was before.

               “Don’t care. Injured is injured and you have an ice pack,” said Daryl, his voice still firm.

Rick sighed and walked around to the passenger door. Daryl immediately opened the driver’s door and sat down. Rick received a pointed look from Daryl when he sat in the car. Rick gave Daryl a winning smile back.

Daryl huffed and looked away. Rick heard Carl’s fake gag from the back and Rick managed to catch the tail end of Carol’s eye roll in the rearview mirror.

               “This is why I now have a single person tent,” said Carl quietly.

Rick gave a quiet laugh and he saw Daryl's lips curve into a small smile.

A moment later Daryl was steering the car slowly onto the road. In the side mirror, Rick could see the rest of their caravan slowly drive into position behind them. From there they slowly built up to a steady speed and maintained it.

Rick tried to stay awake but he was hurt and it had been a long day. He was surrounded by his family and the car would stop if there were any problems. So after less than half an hour into the trip, Rick drifted off to sleep as he leaned back against the car seat.

Rick felt the car roll to a stop and he jerked awake grabbing for his hatchet. A hand landed on his knee and patted it gently a few times.

               “We’re fine. Just stopping for a break. The kids could use a stretch,” said Daryl as he kept his hand on Rick’s knee.

With a deep and painful breath, Rick let himself relax back into the car seat till they stopped.

They were at what looked like a picnic spot at the side of the road. There were fields around them and a thick wooden posted fence that fit the country aesthetic. A few park benches and tables were scattered on a couple of acres of grass.

Everyone got out of the car and Rick ran a hand over his face then put what remained of the ice pack aside and buttoned up his shirt, “How long was I out for?” he asked over the roof of the car.

               “Three hours or so. We’ll only be able to travel another couple of hours before it starts to get dark. We need to plan a place to stop for the night. I’d rather not stop on the side of the road again,” said Carol.

Rick hummed, “We’ll look at the maps. Dale has some street maps, they have more information than the road map we have.”

               “I’ll get the others,” said Carol, “Then I’ll keep watch.”

               “I’ll look after mini me and Sophia after I do a perimeter check,” said Carl with a happy smile then he spun around and headed towards the outskirts of the fenced off picnic area.

The area was flat and open with only a few trees dotting the area and the fields. If anything went wrong they’d be able to see it easily.

               “You go sit down, I’ll get the maps,” said Daryl as he thumbed behind him at the park benches and tables.

               “I’ll stand. I’ve been sleeping for three hours,” responded Rick.

               “No. Sit,” said Daryl as he pointed to a bench.

Rick looked Daryl in the eyes, “I’ll sit, if I can drive after.”

Daryl’s eyes narrowed.

               “Last I checked we’re out of ice. It’ll take time to make more and the ones we made before we left aren't going to be solid enough yet,” said Rick.

               “Fine. But only if Carol gives you the ok,” said Daryl maintaining eye contact with Rick, “And if I don’t like anything we’re swapping.”

Rick tilted his head from side to side as if weighing up the options. After a moment Rick stuck out his hand.

Daryl immediately took it and they shook twice with a firm grip.

               “Deal,” said Rick.

               “Good, now go sit,” said Daryl as he let go and put a hand on Rick’s shoulder, gently pushing him towards the closest benches and table.

Rick did as he was told and strolled over to the table, trying his best to not wince or walk any differently from normal. Rick knew that Daryl was watching him looking for any signs that he shouldn’t drive. He had no intention of letting him find any. Daryl had been awake since dawn and had completed a run, packed up camp, and then driven them for three hours. He needed a break. Daryl wasn’t the kind of person who napped, but he could still relax in the car for a few hours. So Rick acted as normal as he could. However, he couldn’t stop the small wince when he sat down on the bench. Rick gritted his teeth and got himself as comfortable as he could. He put both hands and elbows on the table, being slightly more careful with the left side, so he wouldn’t jar his ribs.

Taking a measured breath Rick let himself relax a little as he watched his son walk around the inner edge of the fence.

People started exiting their vehicles and wandering the area. Just about everyone came over to where Rick was sitting. Only the kids, Carl, Grimes, Mrs Peletier and Carol didn’t come over.

Rick wasn’t quite sure if something happened but Grimes and Lori seemed a little tense around each other before they left and that didn’t change when they got to the picnic grounds. His suspicions were confirmed when Grimes and Lori had a short few words by the car before they went their separate ways.

Rick could read the expressions and posture well enough to guess that Lori talked to Grimes and that Grimes needed some time to deal with it. In his own time, Rick hadn’t figured it out by this point. He guessed that there might have been something when they got to the C.D.C. and it was further confirmed when they got to the farm. Rick knew Grimes would be fine, and that he just needed to wrap his head around it.

The kids started wandering the area with Grimes and Mrs Peletier nearby. Carol took up watch on the RV and Carl was still scouring the edge of the picnic area. He briefly stopped by a chunk of broken fence that left a gap large enough for someone to walk through. After a few moments of checking it and the area around it, Carl continued his circuit.

Daryl placed the maps on the table and stood at Rick’s side while Mr and Mrs Palmer took up seats across from Rick. Everyone looked at Dale, and Jacqui gestured to the vacant seat next to Rick.

Dale shook his head, “I’ve been sitting and driving all day. Some standing will do me some good,” he said, stepping back slightly and motioning for Jacqui to take the seat.

Jacqui glanced at everyone else and when no one seemed to contest it she shrugged and sat down, “Thank you.”

Rick looked at the large road map and quickly located where they were, “We’re here,” he said, pointing and tapping the spot, “We need to find a good place to stop for the night, then we’ll find a good spot to stop near the farm and do some hunting.”

Daryl rocked on his feet, his posture tight, “Beth mentioned a vehicle shed on their neighbour’s property that she and Maggie would ride by. I think it was somewhere around here,” said Daryl as he pointed to a vague area near the Greene’s farm on the side they were approaching from, “She said it had a dirt track that connected to the road.”

Rick wanted to squeeze Daryl’s hand and reassure him. Mentioning Beth always made him mournful. But Daryl was too far away to discreetly reach and Rick hadn’t been given the ok on public affections with the camp around.

Instead, Rick nodded, “That sounds like a good destination. Farm vehicle sheds are big enough to store farming equipment and vehicles so we should be able to fit the RV and a few vehicles in there at least. That’ll be a good place to hold up while we hunt and get ready to meet the Greenes.”

Rick paused for a moment looking at everyone to see if they agreed. No one voiced anything against it. Shane was looking at the map, following the roads with his eyes and Glenn was diligently studying the map. Andrea, Dixon and Dale looked over the map too.

Eventually, Dale shrugged, “It sounds like a good spot. If you think it’s close enough and a good place to hunt then I see no issues.”

               “Lots of woodland around there. It should be good hunting,” said Dixon.

Daryl hummed, “It is. There’s deer there. Plenty of other critters too.”

Dixon grunted his understanding.

               “You also want to find us a place for tonight?” asked Lori.

               “It’s better to find a place off the road,” said Rick with a nod.

               “To get away from the hordes?” asked Amy.

               "It's not walkers we're worried about," said Rick.

Amy frowned, "You're worried about people?"

               "Walkers can only kill you when you get close. People have more options," replied Rick.

Shane looked up at that, his eyes sharp with some worry behind them. Lori looked alarmed, and so did Dale and Amy. The rest of the group had tight expressions.

               “You’ve fought other people haven’t you?” asked T-Dog, “More than just the ones in Atlanta.”

               “We’ve fought a few,” said Rick calmly, “But they’re not a problem right now.”

Randell’s group soon might be though. They would need to deal with that as soon as they got settled enough at the farm. They would need more firepower to deal with them and potentially better defences at the farm, unless the group stuck to the town like last time.

Glenn pulled out the street map book and flicked quickly through the pages, he seemed to be only half listening to the conversation.

               “Are you going to tell us everything? Or are you going to keep hiding things?” asked Andrea with a sharp tone.

Rick raised a brow and looked at Andrea. Daryl took half a step closer to Rick and folded his arms.

               “When you can deal with it,” said Daryl looking directly at Andrea.

Andrea smacked her hands on the table and leant forward to glare at Daryl, “Don’t pull some Colonel Jessup, ‘You can’t handle the truth’ bullshit. I’m telling you now we can handle it.”

Putting up a placating hand Rick tried to regain control of the conversation, “We’ll tell you at the farm.”

               “Rick, I keep hearing a lot of ‘when we reach the farm’, ‘when we reach the prison’ and not a lot of actual explanations,” said Shane with the beginning of a frown forming.

               “Because the farm is relatively safe. It’s not safe out here, no matter how nice it looks,” said Rick, his hands sweeping to encompass the soft rolling grass and the bright sunny day, “We all agreed that when you were all safe at the farm we would tell you everything we know.”

Daryl nodded, backing up Rick’s statement.

               “We’re holding you both to that,” said Jacqui.

               “We need some answers, but if you want to wait till we’re safe then that’s ok. I can help with that,” said Glenn lifting his head from the street map book, “I think I found a place for the night. Some of this is actually parkland,” said Glenn pointing to an area on the large map that looked to be about an hour away in the direction they were heading.

Glenn then pointed to a spot on the street map, “This is a rangers station, it’s probably thirty minutes out of our way but it’s likely to be secluded and potentially even stocked with food, first aid kits and maybe tools or even a rifle. I doubt many people would go there, and you said that hordes are usually found in more populated areas or on roads. There’s a lot of trees and not a lot of roads out there.”

Beside Rick, Daryl let out an impressed grunt, “Good work, I say we go there.”

               “I agree-” started Rick.

A scream pierced the air and all eyes snapped to Sophia who was stumbling back from a table. She tripped and fell just as a walker stood and loomed above her. Sophia scrambled to her feet and bolted. The walker lumbered after her.

Rick started to go after Sophia. Other people could take care of the walker, he needed to stop Sophia from getting lost. But Daryl was already sprinting after Sophia, who was heading towards the break in the fence.

The ring of a gunshot stung the air and the walker dropped in a heap. Rick turned to see Carol standing on the RV lowering her rifle and spinning to hurry down the ladder.

Daryl scooped up Sophia just before she reached the fence and held her close.

               “We got you, we got you. You’re ok,” said Daryl.

Rick reached Daryl and Sophia and caught her eye over Daryl’s shoulder, “Hey,” he said softly, “You ok?”

Sophia nodded, “I wasn’t bit,” she said quietly.

               “Sophia, Sophia!” cried Mrs Peletier who reached them first. Immediately Daryl handed Sophiea over to Mrs Peletier who sobbed in relief.

               “I’m fine mom,” said Sophia who was shaking like a leaf, “I’m not hurt.”

               “Sophia!” said Carol as she hurried up to Sophia and her younger self. Carol cupped Sophia’s face with one hand and put the other on her younger self’s shoulder.

               “I’m ok,” said Sophia softly just before Carol embraced Mrs Peleiter and Sophia.

Letting out a shaky breath in relief Rick clapped Daryl on the shoulder. He could feel how stiff Daryl was under his grip and Rick glanced over at Daryl. He was staring wide eyed at Sophia and his hands were in a white knuckle grip. Giving Daryl another gentle pat, Rick managed to draw Daryl’s attention away from the girl. Daryl looked so alarmed and Rick gave Daryl a small reassuring smile and squeezed his shoulder. Daryl looked at Rick for a moment longer before he looked back at Sophia whose shaking had died down. Slowly Rick felt the muscles under his grip relax. Daryl took a step back and Rick dropped his grip and stepped back with him.

Carl slowly approached the Peletier’s, “Are you all ok?” he asked softly.

Carol lifted her head from the hug, “I think we are, thank you, Carl.”

               “Carol I’m so sorry I didn’t clear out the walker in the middle-”

But Carol cut him off, “It’s fine Carl, you were checking the perimeter first. You were doing what you were supposed to,” said Carol in a soothing voice.

Carl gripped his knife handle, “If you want I can take the rifle and keep watch?”

With a small smile, Carol slipped the rifle off her shoulder and handed it to Carl, “Thank you, Carl.”

With a nod, Carl turned around and practically flew up the RV ladder.

               “I’m gonna check the other tables,” said Daryl trudging off to the next table over with his knife at the ready.

Rick took out his hatchet and did the same. It looked clear, but they should have checked the picnic grounds first. Walkers could hide anywhere.

They scoured the picnic grounds but it seemed that was the only walker.

Rick stopped by the picnic table with the maps on and waved people over. When everyone who was part of the previous talk was close enough Rick spoke.

               “Are we all in agreement about staying at the ranger’s station tonight?”

               “I am,” replied Dale.

               “Sounds good,” said Shane.

               “Yes,” answered Lori.

               “As long as we make sure to clear any walkers,” said Andrea.

It continued till everyone voiced their agreement and it was unanimously voted as the place for the night.

               “Can you direct Glenn?” asked Rick.

               “Yes, I can do that,” said Glenn, sounding confident.

               “Good, when we get close give us directions through the C.B.,” said Rick, “Let’s get going everyone, we want to get there before dark.”

Rick headed towards the car and stood by the driver’s door. When Daryl got there he frowned.

               “Keys,” said Rick making a ‘pass it’ motion.

Daryl’s frown turned into a deep scowl, “You’re injured, you ain’t driving.”

               “We made a deal, remember? And you’ve been gripping your knife since we saved Sophia,” said Rick pointing to the hunting knife that Daryl was still holding on to.

Daryl glanced down at the knife, looking at it like it had done something wrong, then quickly shoved it into its sheath.

               “As I said before, I used the last of the ice and we won’t have more ready till tonight,” said Rick.

Daryl glared back at Rick.

               “You know that Carol shouldn’t be driving and neither should you. So I have to drive since Carl still doesn't know how to.”

Daryl’s face twitched as he continued to try and stare Rick down, but Rick continued to look back.

After a few moments Daryl chucked him the keys, “We better hurry up and teach Carl how to drive.”

Rick caught the keys then hummed and smiled, “No such thing as road rules at the end of the world. He just needs to learn how to handle a car.”

Daryl scoffed as he and Rick sat in the car, “Ain’t he got it easy.”

               “Did you even listen to the road rules?” asked Rick knowing full well how Daryl drove on his motorbike.

               “Of course I did, they told you how not to get caught,” retorted Daryl.

Rick chuckled, wincing slightly at the end, which didn’t go unnoticed by Daryl.

               “Whatever works for you I guess,” said Rick.

The two back car doors opened and Carl and Carol quickly got seated. Rick gave them both a nod and then looked out the windows and mirrors to see that everyone else was in their vehicles. Turning the key the car started up and Rick slowly drove over the gravel and then picked up speed once he hit the road. He checked in the rearview mirror that all of the vehicles were following him. Once he saw all of them turn onto the road he focused his attention on the drive ahead.

Chapter Text

Carol was doing an excellent job of not looking anxious, but to the people who knew her best, they could tell. It just so happened that everyone who knew her well was in the car with her. Her spine was too stiff and her eyes darted around a bit too fast, observing for non-existent threats.

Daryl bounced his knee for a few seconds before he spun in the car seat and leaned over the centre console to face Carol.

               "Here," he said as he presented Carol with his hunting knife.

Carol's gaze snapped to it and she frowned, "I already have a knife."

               "Yeah, but it's a small knife right?" asked Daryl, still keeping his sheathed knife in front of her.

Carol’s frown turned into a deep scowl, "You know that doesn’t affect anything."

               "Are you saying size matters Daryl?" said Carl with a grin.

               "Carl," said Rick with a slight warning in his tone.

               "Ha, ha Carl," said Daryl, throwing the teen a venomless glare, "And it does. Carol can use my knife and Sophia can use Carol’s. Sophia can't use mine, she's too small and she doesn't know what she's doing."

               "I can give Sophia my knife without needing to have yours," said Carol, her scowl lifting to a confused furrow.

               "You need to protect them," said Daryl like it was obvious, "So you can use mine."

Carol looked at the knife, "What about you?"

Daryl shrugged, "I can handle myself."

Carol looked at the knife for another few moments before she almost reluctantly took it, "Thank you, Daryl," said Carol with such genuine gratitude it could be felt throughout the entire car.

               “There should be a small road coming up on your right. It might have a national park sign next to it?” said Glenn through the radio startling Rick from the quiet drive.

In the rearview mirror, Rick saw Carl jolt awake from his nap. Carol’s eyes flicked to the front, momentarily leaving the notebook in her lap. Daryl looked at the radio and eased his boots off the dashboard and sat up a bit straighter in his seat.

Rick kept his eye out for the road and saw it when Daryl pointed it out. Rick slowed and turned into the park. Its sign was clear to read but the road was half hidden by a thick forest. ‘The Ridge Nature Preserve’ was carved and painted into a wooden sign with bold yellow text.

Rick kept the pace slow on the narrow windy park road. He kept half an eye out for walkers, knowing that Daryl, Carl and Carol were also keeping an eye out as well.

               “Keep following the road. It leads to a car park then there should be an ‘employ only’ or a ‘ranger only’ section. We’ll be going in there,” informed Glenn, “There should be a place where the rangers stay. If not then I’m sure there’s an office or something.”

They drove up the road and hit the car park like Glenn said they would. Rick followed the direction of the signs, driving almost a complete lap around the car park that was broken up by bushes and small trees. Just before he was about to complete the lap he saw a gated road with the sign ‘authorised personnel only’.

Rick eased the car to a stop and Daryl hopped out and went over to the gate. Daryl shook his head as he stood aside and held up the chain looped through the gate to the metal fence beside it. The metal fence didn’t extend far and they could walk around it, but it would be better to get the vehicles closer to where they were staying.

               “The gate’s locked,” said Rick into the radio.

The radio crackled and Glenn’s voice sounded through the C.B. again, “I’ll be right there.”

A few moments later Rick saw Glenn hop out of the RV with the bolt cutters in hand. Giving the bolt cutters to Daryl they made quick work of the chain and Daryl ushered Glenn back while he opened the gate himself.

Daryl walked back to the car and sat down in the passenger seat again still holding onto the bolt cutters

Once Daryl was seated Rick eased the car forward up the track. This road wasn’t as well maintained and had an incline to it. Part way up the road turned to a dirt track.

At the slow steady pace Rick was driving it took them another ten or so minutes to reach the ranger’s station which was in a clearing. It was a small two story building with a wrap around balcony on the second floor. The second floor also had large windows that gave a view from every angle. A small shed was on one side of the station and a septic tank was on the other. There was a car park out the back with spaces for four vehicles. Only one four-wheel drive was sitting in the car park, seemingly untouched with only old mud splatters up the sides.

Rick parked the car next to the four-wheel drive and waited till the RV was parked as well as it could in one of the parking spaces before getting out of the car.

               “The sight lines aren’t that good, but at least we have a building,” said Carl as he stepped out of the car and looked over the area. The clearing gave them some breathing room and the top floor of the ranger’s station looked like it had a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view, but the sightlines could be better.

               “I’ve got this one,” said Carl to his dad, looking determined.

His dad gestured for Carl to continue.

               “T-Dog, Dixon, dad you’re with me. We’ve got inside,” said Carl pointing at the younger versions of the two men so there was no confusion, “Shane you’re with Daryl and dad, you’re clearing outside,” Carl pointed to the older version of the men this time, “Glenn, Andrea and Dale, you’re helping Carol keep everyone safe here. We don’t know how many walkers are in this forest and we don’t know if they heard us roll up.”

The camp seemed a little surprised by Carl giving the orders, but Carol, Daryl and his dad started moving and the rest of the camp followed.

Carl glanced at Daryl, his dad and Shane as they started to check the parking lot then he moved towards Grimes.

               “You need a knife right?” asked Carl.

               “Yes I do,” replied Grimes.

Carl pulled out his knife, “Here.”

Grimes took half a step back and shook his head, “I can’t take that. It’s your knife, you need it.”

               “I don’t need it. I have a silencer,” said Carl with a smirk as he patted the handle of his beretta with his other hand, “I can use my gun.”

Grimes hesitated for a second before he took the knife.

Now that everyone had a silent weapon Carl turned to the rest of the group, “Let’s go. Dixon, you bring up the rear, T-Dog you’re behind me.”

Carl went up to the ranger station’s door and tried turning the handle. It was locked. Carl let out a hum as his eye quickly scanned the area. He spotted two pot plants by the door and a welcome mat under it. One of the pot plants looked like it had been shifted a lot. Carl lifted up the pot plant and turned to face the group with a smile as he showed his find. The keys glinted in the late afternoon sunlight and Carl gave them a spin before he tried the one that looked like it would fit the keyhole best. Sure enough, it slotted into the lock perfectly and unlocked the door with a soft click. Carl drew his pistol and then quickly pushed the door open taking a step in and sweeping his gaze over the front room.

The room looked like a living room with a couple of well loved old sofas around a fireplace, a bookshelf nearby, a kitchen in one corner and a table with two chairs in another. To Carl’s left was a set of stairs and at the back of the room, near the table and chairs, was a door. Windows around the room kept it well lit, and the dust particles shone in the light.

Carl slowly stepped in, keeping his eye out for any movement. Carl peered over his shoulder and pointed at Dixon and Grimes, then he pointed to the stairs.

After both Grimes and Dixon nodded Carl turned to T-Dog and pointed at him and himself then at the door.

T-Dog nodded and they both walked forward at the same time as Dixon and Grimes started to climb the stairs.

Carl and T-Dog stood at the ready, then Carl pulled the door open in one smooth motion and T-Dog stepped through it.

Carl rushed forward after T-Dog, his gun up as he looked down the opposite end of the hallway. There was a window at the end of the hall and Carl caught a glimpse of Shane walking by outside. Carl turned to look down the other side of the hall, which also had a window at the end of it. The hallway had three doors and a couple of landscape paintings hanging from the walls. Carl nodded to T-Dog and went to the door at the end of the hall on his side. T-Dog went to the other end of the hall.

Carl took a breath and flung the door open. Carl registered that the room was a bedroom the same second he heard the growls. The walker slowly started to sit up from its place on the bed. Before it was even fully sitting Carl shot it clean through the forehead. The soft shot sounded throughout the room and less than a second later the walker dropped back down on the bed with a muffled thump.

The sound of heavy footsteps from down the hall started towards where Carl was, but he ignored them in favour of scanning the rest of the room and crouching down to check under the bed. Carl turned and was about to check the standing wardrobe when he saw T-Dog appear in the doorway.

               “I heard a shot, you ok?” asked T-Dog, he looked worried.

Carl thumbed behind him to the bed, not looking away from T-Dog, “Didn’t even get a chance to get up,” Carl responded, “Did you clear the other rooms?”

               “One. The bathroom. Then I heard the shot and came to check on you,” confessed T-Dog.

Carl raised an unimpressed eyebrow, channelling Carol as much as he could, “I’m sixteen, not twelve T-Dog. I can handle myself.”

               “Yeah but, you’re just a kid, man,” said T-Dog as he shifted his weight.

Carl softened his expression, “I know my limits. Trust me, if I need help I’ll call.”

T-Dog took a few moments to accept that information, and then he nodded.

               “Let’s clear that last room together,” said Carl, “I’ve just got to check the closet in here.”

               “Alright,” said T-Dog, backing up slightly from the doorway.

Gently Carl opened the wardrobe doors and searched inside. There was nothing but clothes, shoes and a couple of boxes. No walkers. He left the room with T-Dog and scanned down the hall again.

Carl heard his dad’s footsteps, which were louder than they usually were when they cleared out a building, and saw Grimes in the door to the hallway with Dixon standing behind him.

               “Are you alright? We heard you shoot something,” said Grimes, his eyes wide.

Carl let out a soft scoff and smiled, “I’m fine dad. The walker didn’t even get close.”

Grimes’ eyes were still wide with distress.

               “It’s on the bed if you want to see,” said Carl pointing to the bedroom.

Grimes walked over to the bedroom Carl cleared and peeked inside.

Carl grabbed the door handle of the middle room and swiftly pushed it open. T-Dog stepped in and Carl was just behind him, beretta up.

The room was another bedroom. This one didn’t have a walker lying in the bed. Carl once again crouched to check under the bed, while T-Dog checked the wardrobe.

It was clear.

Both rooms had the same layout, a bed in the back corner with a side table, a chest at the foot of the bed, a window in the middle of the back wall, a desk to the side and a wardrobe near the door.

Carl checked the chest. It was filled with blankets and sheets.

               “We can use these to cover the windows in the main room and have a fire for the night,” suggested Carl, stepping aside and letting everyone see the blankets.

               “Good thinking Carl,” said Grimes looking impressed and proud.

               “Did you guys clear upstairs?” asked Carl.

               “Yep,” said Dixon.

               “Any problems?”

               “It was empty,” replied Dixon.

Grimes nodded, “It’s one room up there, a workspace for the rangers. There’s a map of the park on a table, some equipment and a couple of desks.”

               “Gun lockers?” asked Carl.

               “Not upstairs,” said Grimes, shaking his head.

Carl grabbed a handful of blankets and walked into the living room, “We have time. We can pick this place clean. We’ll take the blankets with us. It’s getting colder now and we’ll need them.”

Carl placed the blankets onto one of the sofas and looked up when T-Dog spoke.

               “You think that’s the gun locker?” asked T-Dog as he pointed to a green metal locker hidden under the staircase.

Carl’s face lit up and he practically ran over to it to get a closer look, “I think it is! Good spotting T-Dog,” he said, turning a beaming smile onto T-Dog.

Carl tried to open the cabinet but it was locked so he pulled out the keys he grabbed from under the pot and tried the second key. It didn’t fit in the inbuilt lock for the cabinet. Carl tried the door key and it was the same thing.

               “Of course not. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it? We’ll have to find another way to unlock it. But if it’s locked then there’s probably something in there. Let’s take the walker outside and let everyone know it’s clear in here then we can search for the keys. Or we can ask Glenn for a crowbar,” said Carl.

               “Uh, I don’t think Glenn has a crowbar, man,” said T-Dog.

               “We better find him one then. They’re very useful,” said Carl before he started making his way back to the walker.

Everyone followed him back to the room and Carl was about to shoot them all a look when T-Dog opened up the chest and grabbed an armful of blankets out with Dixon doing the same. Grimes looked over the walker, a ranger by the look of the uniform. He patted the walker down and surfaced with a multi-tool and a chain of keys.

Grimes gave Carl a small smile, “You reckon one of these might be it?”

               “If he had it on him then I bet one of them is,” replied Carl, taking the keys from Grimes.

               “Let’s get him out of here first then we can check that,” said Grimes, “You get the legs I’ve got the rest.”

Carl nodded and shoved the keys into his own pocket before he grabbed the walker’s feet. Grimes grabbed under the armpits and together they shuffled out of the ranger’s station.

They needed a good spot to bury the walker. The tree line near the car park looked like a good spot. The dirt looked soft enough and it wasn’t too far from the station. Carl nodded in that direction and he and Grimes started moving there.

               “You can all head inside, it's clear,” called Carl as they approached the car park.

               “There was just one walker,” added Grimes.

Andrea and Amy were the first to go inside, followed by Jacqui, then Mr and Mrs Palmer.

Carol was sitting on the top of the RV with Mrs Peletier, Sophiea, his younger self and his mom.

Dale and Glenn came over to see the walker once they set him down in the space near the car park.

               “I’ll see if the others found any walkers,” said Carl as he pulled out his pistol, then Carl turned to Grimes, “Can you find anything to help bury it?”

               “Dale has a shovel. I’ll get that,” replied Grimes as he looked at Dale.

Dale nodded, “It’s at the back under the bed.”

               “Thanks, dad, thanks Dale!” said Carl, then he turned to Glenn, "Oh! I think these might be keys to the car?" said Carl as he took a loop off the key chain he had and handed it to Glenn.

               "Thanks, Carl," said Glenn looking down at the keys and back up at Carl.

Carl smiled at him then he gave a wave to everyone on the roof of the RV. They all waved back.

Carl went around the side of the building to where he last saw Shane from the window. From there he looked around but couldn’t see anyone in view. They probably did a wide circuit to make sure there were no nearby walkers. Looking down at the dirt Carl tried to remember the bits and pieces of tracking Daryl had taught him. It was easy enough to pick up on Shane’s tracks, the soil was on the softer side and Shane wasn’t trying to hide them.

Carl let out a high to low tone whistle, calling for people to head back to camp. Carl then made two very deliberate steps in the dirt before he went after Shane. It was likely that Shane had heard the whistle and while he wouldn’t understand he'd probably come to investigate. But in case he didn't, Carl decided to go after him. His dad was probably with Daryl and they’d be able to find both him and Shane quickly.

Carl needed to get them back. There were probably no walkers close by but it was starting to get dark.

Carl held his gun loosely by his left side and kept an ear out for walkers while he followed the tracks. Shane had travelled a decent way into the forest and his tracks became harder to follow the more leaf litter there was.

A short, almost bird like sound drifted through the forest. That was Daryl checking his location. Carl replied with the same whistle. They were close.

A twig snapped and Carl spun to face the sound gun up. He couldn’t see anything. Carl knew he heard something. He stepped slowly and deliberately towards the sound. Carl’s steps were just shy of silent as he walked through the trees. Making sure to keep himself hidden by the foliage Carl continued to step towards the origin of the sound.

There was a good chance it was just an animal. It could have even been Shane. But Carl wasn’t sure. Whatever made the sound had hidden itself.

The sound of footsteps from someone that was trying to be quiet moved through the trees. The footsteps were getting closer to Carl’s location where he had hidden behind a tree. Carl held his pistol up and tracked the person by sound.

Crushed leaves sounded right behind the tree Carl was hiding behind.

The footsteps walked right by.

As soon as the person had walked past Carl’s hiding spot Carl went around the tree to come up behind the person. Beretta up, Carl stepped out behind cover. As soon as Carl saw the person he sighed and lowered his weapon.

Shane heard the sigh and immediately spun to face Carl with his shotgun raised.

Carl’s heart rate spiked as he raised one hand in surrender and brought his pistol back up with the other, “Shane!” Carl warned.

Shane lowered his gun when he saw it was Carl, then lunged forward and grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him down and pushing him behind the tree before turning his attention to the forest around them.

               “Stay down. I heard some people in the forest. They were communicating with each other,” said Shane in a hushed tone.

Carl scowled, “It wasn't whistling was it?"

Shane glanced back at him before turning back to scan the trees, keeping his shotgun levelled, “Yeah, they tried to disguise them as bird sounds. I may not know a lot of bird sounds but I know what a whistle sounds like.”

Carl’s head hit the tree behind him with a soft thunk and he put his pistol in its holster. After a moment Carl lent forward, adjusting his hat then patted Shane on the shoulder.

               “It’s fine Shane,” said Carl.

Shane’s head whipped around showing off a strong scowl and Shane opened his mouth to say something, but before he did Carl let out the same whistle he did before.

               “It’s just me and Daryl.”

As soon as Carl said that Daryl’s response sounded through the forest. He was really close now. Carl stood up, dusted himself off and stepped out from behind the tree. Within a second Carl spotted Daryl’s dark shirt moving through the trees. Carl brought up his hand in a wave.

Daryl lowered his crossbow and waved back. Behind Daryl, Carl caught a glimpse of his dad. Carl smiled and waved to him and his dad waved back. The two of them quickly walked over to him.

Shane had come out from behind the tree and was standing silently beside Carl. Shane had stopped right in Carl’s blind spot. Carl took a breath and tried to not let it annoy him. Carl would rather have Shane where he could see him.

               “Any walkers?” asked Carl as soon as his dad and Daryl got close enough for more hushed tones.

               “One,” replied Daryl.

               “It had almost torn itself apart in a thorn bush,” added his dad.

Carl turned his head to look at Shane.

Shane shook his head, “No, I didn’t see any.”

               “Then it's as safe as we’ll get. We cleared the ranger’s station. There was only one walker. A ranger. There’s a gun locker too, and I think we have the keys,” said Carl with a smile as he pulled out the loop of keys and spun them on a finger.

               “Good work Carl,” said his dad with a proud smile.

Daryl gave an approving nod and had a hint of a smile.

               “Let’s head back,” said Carl as he took a step back towards the station.

               “Wait,” said Shane.

Carl stopped and turned to look at Shane, and so did his dad and Daryl.

               “So those whistles, they were you?” asked Shane as he looked at Daryl.

               “Me and the kid, yeah,” responded Daryl.

Shane let out a harsh breath and scrubbed a hand through his hair, “Don’t scare me like that, man. I thought there was someone in the forest with us.”

Daryl’s eyes narrowed slightly and Carl’s dad winced.

               “Sorry about that, Shane. It’s how we communicate on runs and in open spaces,” said Carl’s dad, “We really do need to teach you guys them.”

Shane sighed and looked at Daryl and Carl’s dad, “Just warn me next time.”

               “We’ll teach you them, so you’ll know,” reaffirmed Carl’s dad.

Shane nodded, then they all worked their way back to the ranger’s station.

The first thing Carl saw when he got back to the ranger’s station was Glenn half sticking out of the four wheel drive and Andrea doing the same.

Andrea was the first to turn around and halted her search of the glove box. A couple of seconds later Glenn turned around and waved before continuing his search.

Andrea walked over to them and spoke, “Did you find any more walkers?”

               “Just one,” replied his dad.

               “So it’s safe here?” asked Andrea.

               “As safe as we can make it for tonight,” answered Carl’s dad.

Andrea looked over Carl’s dad and Daryl for a moment, “That’s good,” said Andrea before turning to Shane, “How was your patrol?”

Shane shrugged, “I didn’t see anything. As far as I can tell it’s clear of walkers.”

               “I’m glad to hear it,” said Andrea as she looked Shane over in a very different way from how she looked over his dad and Daryl.

Carl wrinkled his nose. He was not staying while Andrea was making that face at Shane. What they got up to in their own time was their own business, but Carl didn’t want to know about it.

               “I’m going to talk to my other dad,” said Carl, hurriedly excusing himself from, whatever was happening between Andrea and Shane.

Carl made his way over to Grimes who was digging a grave for the ranger with Dale nearby keeping an eye out.

Grimes paused his digging as he saw Carl, “Any more?”

               “One, but they were caught in a thorn bush. It’s probably too hard to get out,” responded Carl.

Grimes hummed, “Then we’ll just bury the ranger.”

Carl leant over the ranger and gave him a thorough pat down. He’d scavenge the jacket, but it was worn by a walker and it would take ages to get the smell out, no matter how thoroughly they washed it.

               “Find any ID?” asked Grimes.

               “No. Nothing useful either. There might be an ID inside though. Do you want me to look?”

               “Please. See if you can find anything to make a cross or mark the grave,” replied Grimes.

               “Ok,” said Carl as he stood up with a nod, “I’ll be back soon.”

Chapter Text

Rick and Daryl made themselves scarce from the conversation between Shane and Andrea just after Carl did, and headed inside.

Most of the group was in the main living space, with Carol and Amy raiding the kitchen and setting food on the table for Mrs Peletier to sort through. T-Dog and Jacqui were shuffling the furniture around to the edges of the room. Mr Palmer was starting a fire in the fireplace, and Mrs Palmer was sorting through several piles of blankets and sheets. Lori was sitting off to the side with the kids, who looked like they desperately wanted to explore the station. Dixon was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t a surprise.

               “What needs to be done?” asked Rick, looking between T-Dog and Jacqui.

               “We’re all going to sleep in here tonight, so we need to make space and cover the windows. I think the food sorting is under control and Daryl, our Daryl, is searching the top floor,’ said Jacqui.

Rick nodded, “We’ll help get the room ready.”

               “You better not be thinking of pushing the furniture around, Rick Grimes,” said Carol, sending a stern look over her shoulder.

Rick wisely kept his mouth shut. He turned to look at Daryl, who was giving him a similar look. Rick gave Daryl a sheepish smile, and he heard Carol scoff before she turned back to raiding the cabinets.

               “I’ll move the furniture, you find a hammer and some nails,” directed Daryl, and punctuated his instruction with a finger to Rick’s chest.

               “Alright, alright, I’ll do that,” replied Rick as he put his hands up in surrender.

Daryl glared at Rick until he walked through the door at the back. Looking down the hall, Rick picked the door on the right. It turned out to be the bathroom. The instinct to scour the bathroom top to bottom was strong, but the sun was going down, and they needed the blankets on those windows to hide the firelight. He could come back later.

Rick moved on to the next room, which was a bedroom. While it was unlikely to find what he was looking for in here, Rick had found tools in a bedroom before, so he did a quick search. Under the bed, in the wardrobe, the chest, the nightstand, and the desk drawers. There were some good clothes and a pair of shoes, but no tools.

The final door turned out to be another bedroom. So Rick did the same search as before. There were more clothes and shoes along with some medication, a wallet on the nightstand, and a few sweet snacks in the nightstand drawers. Rick swiped a Big Cat for both Carl’s to split and left the remainder with the medication and wallet on the top of the nightstand.

Rick stood up and looked over the room, making sure that he didn’t miss any spots. Satisfied that he’d checked all the main spots, he moved to walk out of the room. He stopped short when he saw Carl turn into the room.

               “How’s the digging going?” asked Rick.

Carl gave a half shrug, “Not bad. Other you wants me to see if I can identify the ranger and to find stuff to mark the grave.”

With a couple of quick steps, Rick was beside the nightstand. He picked up the wallet and tossed it at Carl. Carl caught it and flipped it open.

               “Huh, this looks like the guy. Thanks, Dad,” said Carl before he shoved the wallet into his pocket, “I better find something to mark the grave.”

               “Carl, one more thing,” started Rick as he threw Carl the Big Cat, “Share that with little you. There’s other chocolates on the nightstand here. See if Sophia wants one.”

Carl’s face lit up, “Yes! Thanks, Dad! When I’m done with this and the gun safe, I’ll get mini me and Sophia.”

Carl walked away with a small smile, and Rick was glad for it.

Rick exited the room and headed upstairs, walking past everyone in the main room. Daryl glared at him as if asking him to dare to try to touch the furniture. Rick gave him a small smile and just pointed to the stairs. Daryl glared at Rick the entire time, even while he moved a sofa with Jacqui and T-Dog.

The sounds of objects being shifted and draws being pulled open could be heard halfway up the stairs. So Rick wasn’t surprised to see Dixon rummaging through the workspace with a battery powered lantern, lighting the room.

Dixon looked up when Rick entered the workroom.

Rick gave him a nod, “By any chance, have you seen any tools?”

With a grunt, Dixon pointed behind himself towards a green cabinet.

Rick was about to say his thanks when he spotted the handheld radios on the counter next to it.

               “Are those radios?” he couldn’t help but ask, his tone one of pleasant surprise.

Dixon looked up at Rick, then at the radios, then back towards Rick, “Looks like them.”

               “Do they work?” Rick asked even as he was stepping forward.

Dixon just shrugged.

Picking up a radio, Rick switched it on. The radio instantly crackled to life. A smile stretched across his face, and Rick hurried to text the next one. It also crackled to life, so did the third. Rick wasn’t sure how much charge they each had. They all looked to be sitting on charging stations before Rick picked them up. He’ll just have to see if they have any spare batteries around for them.

He was getting distracted. He could look at the radios later, for now, he needed to get the tools. Rick left the radios where they were and checked the green cabinet that Dixon had pointed out. It held an entire set of tools you would usually see for home repair, along with useful pieces like nails, nuts and bolts. That would do.

Rick grabbed the hammer and a pack of nails before giving Dixon a nod and started to walk down the stairs. Then he stopped and backed up a couple.

               “Make sure you switch that off when you're done,” said Rick, nodding to the lantern, “We don't want to attract any unwanted attention.”

Dixon grunted and turned back to the cabinet he was rifling through.

Knowing that was as good a confirmation as any, Rick walked downstairs. When Rick looked around the room, he saw the sofas and a chair pushed against the wall. The only pieces of furniture not pushed to the side were the table that was currently being used to prepare dinner and the chair Mr Palmer was on. Someone had switched on the lights, and the darkening room was lit up in a warm glow.

Jacqui was pulling sheets out of the pile while Carol, Amy and Mrs Peletier were discussing what they could make for dinner with the supplies they had. It sounded like it was going to be some kind of pasta. Mr Palmer was still tending to the fire, which was burning strong. Lori was pulling out board games from the cabinet and showing them to the kids. There was no sign of Daryl, T-Dog or Mrs Palmer.

               “Found a hammer and some nails,” declared Rick to Jacqui, “I’ll help you pin them up.”

               “Oh no, you’re hurt, you’re not doing that. Sit down before you strain yourself, Sherif,” replied Jacqui, pointing to one of the sofas.

               “I’m fine, really,” insisted Rick.

               “Yes, and the bruises that cover half your side are normal,” remarked Carol dryly, looking up to give him an unimpressed look before turning back to Amy and Mrs Peletier, “We have enough game meat that we can use. It’ll go better than the fish with the red pasta sauce we have.”

               “Sit your ass down, Grimes, there's enough of us here that you don’t need to help,” said Jacqui.

               “There are some radios upstairs, I’m going to see if there are any batteries for them,” started Rick, placing the hammer and nails on the sofa next to the sheets Jacqui was sorting.

Mr Palmer stood up out of his chair, “Come here and sit down, you will take care of this fire, young man.”

               “Oh no, I-” but Rick didn’t get to finish his sentence.

               “Don’t make me use this," said Mr Palmer as he held up the hot poker.

His tone indicated that he wouldn't actually jab him with the poker, but Rick raised his hands in surrender with a nod in his direction, “Alright.”

Once Rick was close enough, he was passed the poker and Mr Palmer watched him sit, then headed on upstairs.

The fire was already burning well. It could use a little more quick burning fuel to get it going more, but it would get there with or without it. Rick poked at a log and pushed it back slightly so it would start to burn more. This job was clearly more to give Rick something to keep him busy rather than something that actually needed to be done.

After another minute of analysing the fire and adjusting another log, Amy left the table and opened the door to the station, only to almost run into Glenn, who had an arm full of things and a stuffed backpack.

               “Have you seen my sister and the others?” Amy asked Glenn.

               “Andrea and Shane are talking near the cars. Dale’s keeping an eye out while Rick and Big Carl bury the ranger,” he replied.

Amy nodded, then held the door open for Glenn before heading out herself. Glenn then dropped everything in the middle of the floor, then went back outside for a few moments and came back in with a shovel in one hand and a first aid kit in the other.

               “I got a bunch of things in the ranger’s car and the shed. Did you want to see what I found?” Glenn asked, looking directly at Rick.

Rick nodded, “Let’s see what you got.”

Glenn moved all the items over to Rick and sat down next to him.

               “First things first, I found a knife so you can have yours back,” said Glenn as he passed Rick’s knife back to him and patted the new knife strapped to his belt. It was a little smaller than Rick’s and sleeker, but it was hard to tell anything else while it was in the sheath.

               “If you need that sharpened, take it to Daryl, he’ll show you how to do it.”

Glenn nodded, “This is what else I found.”

He then started to unload the backpack and spread out what he had put down. Along with the first aid kit, shovel and knife, Glenn had wire cutters, a torch, wire, rope, a set of vehicle repair tools, a pickaxe, a machete and an axe.

               “There’s also a lot of stuff in the shed,” Glen brought up a hand and started checking it off, “Fuel which we can use for the generator or the cars, a bunch of gardening tools, a chainsaw, extra wood for the fire, and tarps.”

Rick felt himself sit up a little straight, which pulled on his ribs, he thought he managed to keep a straight face, but Glenn's pressed lips and wary gaze said otherwise.

               “Glenn, show Jacqui the tarps. It'll be better to hang up than blankets, and people can use the blankets for warmth,” instructed Rick.

Glenn’s eyes flicked down to Rick’s ribs before he stood up with a nod and turned to Jacqui, who was approaching them, “Come on,” he said with a wave at Jacqui, “I'll help you bring them in.”

The door slapped shut after them, and Rick took a moment to check the fire. It was growing hotter by the second and really didn't need his minding at this point. Rick stood from the chair, then crouched on the ground, trying to keep his posture as straight as possible. He picked up the axe and then settled back in the chair. Under the sheath, it looked sharp and well kept. It was larger than Rick’s hatchet and with a longer handle, but he's sure it'll work well.

Picking the poker back up from where he leant it against the fireplace, Rick absentmindedly poked the fire.

               “I still think we could dismantle the bed frame and bring it out here. Then someone could have a real bed for a night,” said T-Dog from what sounded like the hallway.

               “If you want to do it, then you can do it alone. I ain't wasting time on that shit,” replied Daryl, his voice echoing behind T-Dog’s.

Rick craned his neck to see the opening to the hall and saw T-Dog backing out of the hall, trying to guide a mattress through the door. As the mattress was curved and squished through it Rick caught a glimpse of Daryl at the other end.

               “Don’t you want to sleep in an actual bed again?” asked T-Dog.

They had been sleeping in actual beds till they showed up at the quarry. Rick did miss his bed, but he was more attached to waking up in the arms of the man he loved in a safe home, knowing that his children were safe and just down the hall. Their home hadn’t been that for a while. Not since Negan came to it.

Daryl grunted in response to T-Dog’s question.

               “We can definitely put it together,” said T-Dog.

               “You spent ten minutes trying to figure out how to take it apart,” replied Daryl. He was pushing the mattress through the door, grunting softly as he tried to make it curve through the doorway in the narrow hall.

T-Dog was trying to pull it through. It took about a minute, and Rick was about to stand to help, even if it would get him a glare from both Carol, and Daryl, and likely his son, too, when they started making headway. The mattress started sliding out of the hall and into the living room. T-Dog guided it all the way to the middle, then at the same time, he and Daryl let the mattress flop to the ground. It let out a dull smack, and a fine layer of dust and dirt on the floor went flying.

Daryl looked down at the mattress, then around the room. His eyes stopped when they landed on Rick, “You get the tools?”

Rick pointed to where Jacqui left them, “Glenn found some tarps we can use for the windows, he and Jacqui are getting them.”

Daryl nodded and scooped up the hammer and nails before inspecting the window frames.

T-Dog slid the mattress closer to the side of the room near the sofas.

               “If we’re using tarps for the windows, then we can take the pillows off the sofas and use blankets to pad out the bottom. Then we can put the other pillows on the floor for people to sleep on. The less people who sleep on the wooden floor, the better, I think,” said T-Dog.

               “Let’s do it,” said Daryl.

T-Dog and Daryl started removing the cushions off the sofas and padding the frames with blankets.

Part way through that, Amy, Andrea, Shane and Carl came back through the doors with their arms full of sleeping bags, closely followed by Jacqui and Glenn with the tarps.

Glenn, Jacqui, T-Dog and Daryl started quickly pinning the tarps over the windows, doubling them up so less light would leak out.

Rick found himself watching Daryl for a few moments as he put some nails between his teeth and gently hammered a nail through the tarp and the wall. The sight brought a small smile to Rick’s face.

He looked away to see Andrea, Amy, and Shane starting to lay out sleeping bags.

Carl came over to Rick after dumping all the sleeping bags he was carrying on the floor, “I got more ice for you, but you need to move away from the fire. It’ll melt,” he said, holding up the bundled up rag Rick used earlier that day to hold the ice in.

               “I’m on fireplace duty,” said Rick, amusement in his eyes.

Carl glanced at the fire, “Fire looks good now. Stand up.”

Rick let out a put upon sigh and stood. As soon as he did, his son snatched the chair he’d been sitting on and took it over to the corner that Lori, Little Carl and Sophia had been occupying. Carl and Sophia had been quietly playing Connect Four. They’d pulled out the coffee table to set up their game on, and Lori was sitting on the chair that was against the wall.

               “Got room for one more?” Carl asked.

Little Carl looked up, his eyes hopeful, “Are you joining us?”

               “Nope, but my dad is,” replied Carl.

Little Carl’s eyes lost a little of their shine, “Oh, ok.”

               “I’ll be back later. I’ve just got a few more things to do first,” said Carl, ruffling Little Carl’s hair.

               “Hey!” Little Carl cried out, smacking his older self’s hand away.

Carl smiled as he snatched his hand out of reach. He was so focused on keeping his hand away that he didn’t see the hand coming for his own head till Rick’s hand squashed the hat down onto Carl’s head.

               “Dad!” Carl cried, smacking his hand away in a very similar manner to what his younger self just did.

Rick took his hand away with a chuckle, “You better be, they have Scrabble, and I believe I owe you an ass kicking.”

               “You’re not going to beat me,” snarked Carl.

               “You wanna bet?”

Carl put the ice in Rick’s hand, “No,” he said with a happy smile, “You’ll just be a sore loser.”

Carl walked away, and Rick let out something between a disbelieving scoff and a laugh at his son.

Rick sat down across from Lori and gave her a small, soft smile before turning his attention to the kids in front of him. Little Carl was pouting and watching his older self set up the sleeping bags while Sophia was watching her mums quietly chat as they made dinner.

               “So, what are we playing?” asked Rick, clapping a hand on his thigh.

That got their attention.

               “Connect Four,” said Sophia, “You need to get four in a row or diagonally to win, and they need to all be touching.”

Little Carl nodded, “Sophia’s really good.”

               “Do you think I stand a chance?” asked Rick.

Little Carl snorted, “No,” came the response without a second of hesitation.

Rick’s eyebrow rose as he looked from Little Carl to Sophia, “I guess I'd better not then.”

               “We can play something else?” asked Sophia.

Rick waved her off as he sat back in the chair and shucked up his shirt to slip the makeshift ice pack under.

               “I’m happy to just watch.”

               “I don’t want you and Mrs Lori to sit out,” said Sophia and in an even quieter voice, she said, “I want to play with you two,” as she hunched in on herself and kept her eyes on the table.

Rick and Lori locked eyes over Sophia’s head, and he understood everything Lori was thinking at that moment. It was almost like before she had died. When they were first married, they both agreed to get greasy burgers from a semi popular diner after a hard day at work, without having to exchange a word.

Lori looked down at Sophia with a gentle motherly smile, “Alright, Sophia, what do you want to play?”

               “I-I don’t know.”

               “What about Monopoly? That way everyone can play,” said Little Carl, gesturing to the whole room.

               “Carl, not everyone can play. There aren’t enough pieces,” said Lori.

               “Yeah, we can. If we play in teams. Then, if people are busy or have to go on watch, the other team members can play for them.”

Sophia’s eyes flicked over to both Carols, “I think playing in teams is a good idea. I want to play with my moms.”

               “They’re a little busy now, Sophia, but they may be able to after dinner,” said Lori softly.

               “Ok,” came the quiet reply.

               “We can start setting up now if you want, or we can pick another game to play while they make dinner?” said Rick, gesturing to the pile of games they pulled out.

Sophia thought about it for a few moments, looking over the pile of games available.

               “Can we play some Uno?”

               “We sure can. Did you want to shuffle the cards?” asked Rick.

               “Yes,” said Sophia with a little smile.

That one word and that small smile melted his heart and at the same time sent a pang of sorrow through him. Rick didn’t see Sophia smile much last time. She would smile more this time, though. He’d make sure of it.

Lori passed the pack over to Sophia, who shuffled the deck with a look of concentration. In no time at all, Rick had his cards in hand and was studying them and reordering some. Lori pulled a card from the top of the pile to act as the starting card, and Little Carl went first since Sophia shuffled.

Soft shuffling from the hall had Rick glancing to the side to see Mrs Palmer walking into the main area.

               “Good news, the water system in the bathroom is working. The shower too. I’m not sure how much hot water this place has, but maybe a few of us could take hot showers,” announced Mrs Palmer.

               “The station has solar panels. Could they be used for heating? Is there a water heater?” asked Carl from where he was laying down Rick’s sleeping bag on a couple of sofa cushions.

               “There is. I saw the switch near the bathroom. I’ll flick it on when we use it,” replied Mrs Palmer.

               “Is the water drinkable?” asked Mrs Peletier.

               “At a station like this? It should be. I’ll know for sure when I check the system,” said Mrs Palmer as she walked closer to the kitchen area.

               “That’s outside, yeah?” asked Shane, coming over to Mrs Palmer.

               “Yes, to the side, I believe.”

               “It’s getting dark now, I’ll go with you. Best to be in pairs at this time,” said Shane, scooping up his shotgun.

               “Shane, here,” called Glenn as he tossed Shane the torch he found.

               “Looks like we’re all set. Let’s go,” said Mrs Palmer, not wasting a second and walked out the door.

Shane quickly followed her, clicking on his torch and closing the door on the way out.

It didn’t take long for all the sleeping bags to be placed and the tarps to be hung. Glenn, Amy, Carl and T-Dog went down the hall to raid the bedrooms and the bathroom. Jacqui and Andrea sat on a couple of chairs and chatted after Jacqui got shooed away from the kitchen by Carol.

Daryl came over and put a hand on the back of Rick’s chair, leaning over his shoulder, peeking at his cards. Rick leaned back to look up at Daryl, who was intently looking at his cards. He looked at the cards in the pile and at the number in everyone else’s hands.

               “Hnnn,” said Daryl, “Better luck next time, Rick.”

               “If you’re so good, then why don’t you play?” Rick shot back.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed at Rick’s hand, then he looked at the large pile of cards on the coffee table.

               “Fine,” he said just before he walked around Rick and sat on the ground between Rick and Sophia with a hand hanging over one knee. Daryl looked to Sophia, “You gonna deal me in next round?”

Sophia shyly nodded.

Within two turns, the round ended in Rick’s utter defeat.

               “What did you have? Blue?” asked Little Carl.

Rick sighed and laid his cards on the table, four blue cards and one yellow skip.

               “You might need to shuffle better next time, Carl,” said Lori with a smile.

               “Whoops,” said Little Carl, not sounding sorry at all.

Sophia shuffled their cards and handed them all out. Daryl gave her a quiet thanks and started analysing his cards.

Rick leant forward, peering around behind Daryl.

               “Hey! Eyes on your own cards,” exclaimed Daryl as he pulled his cards into his chest and glared at Rick.

A warm chuckle made its way out as Rick leant back in his chair.

               “That’s cheating, Mr Grimes,” said Sophia quietly but with confidence.

               “Only sometimes,” retorted Rick with a sly smile.

               “It’s cheating all the time, Dad. You’re always so obvious when you try to look,” said Little Carl, rolling his eyes.

Daryl’s eyes narrowed further as he glared at Rick, likely thinking of the times they played poker. He’d wiped the floor with Aaron, Eric, Michonne, Abraham, Rosa, Sasha and Daryl multiple times during their time in Alexandria. He knows that Aaron, Michonne and Daryl knew he was cheating somehow, but they never caught him and couldn’t call him out for it.

But Rick wasn’t going to use those tricks against twelve year olds. Not that many of the tricks translate to Uno anyway.

               “I see some things don’t change,” said Lori, looking amused by the whole thing.

Rick had done the same thing to her and Carl many times on their occasional game nights. Unless it was poker or Scrabble, Rick tended to be comically bad at games. Half of it was intentional, the other half wasn’t.

Lori went first this time, then Sophia, then Daryl, who was quick to put down his card. Rick debated for a second, and as he was putting his on the pile, Carl walked into the room from the hall. He held some medication and a few hygiene items.

Daryl nodded his head at Carl, then turned back to his cards. Carl nodded back.

               “Hey, Dad?”

Rick turned to his son, “Yes?”

               “I’m going to open up the gun case now and see if they have anything.”

Rick gave Carl a nod, “Don’t load it inside.”

               “Ok,” Carl said and spun the keys around on a finger.

               “Rick!” Lori hissed, “Aren’t you going to supervise or something?”

Rick locked eyes with Lori, “Carl knows how to handle a gun. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have one.”

               “He’s sixteen,” Lori continued, leaning forward in her chair, her eyes hard and serious.

               “And he’s been handling guns for years. He knows how to be responsible with them.”

               “Years? Rick, he shouldn’t have to handle one at all,” replied Lori.

Daryl lowered his cards and had a wary eye on Lori.

               “Lori, I know you want to protect him, but the rules of the world have changed,” said Rick gently, trying to convey how much he would rather that his son didn’t have to deal with guns and the threats they posed.

Daryl shifted, looking like he was about to stand, his head snapping over to the other side of the room. Rick followed his gaze.

               “He shouldn't- Carl,” Lori’s words cut short as she looked to the other side of the room.

Little Carl stood on the right side of his older self as Carl picked up the rifle inside the cabinet.

Rick stood up. He was perfectly comfortable with Carl handling guns, but Little Carl didn’t know anything about gun safety yet.

Both Carls’ turned, but while Little Carl turned around to face Lori, Carl turned his head to the right.

               “Other side, please,” he said to Little Carl.

Little Carl’s eyes widened as he looked up to see the right side of Carl’s face.

               “Sorry!” Little Carl said quietly and rushed to Carl’s other side.

               “That’s ok. I know it takes a bit to get used to. Just approach from my other side so I can see you, ok?” explained Carl as he looked down at his younger self.

               “Yep.”

               “I’m going to need you to back up, Carl.”

Little Carl tilted his head, “Why?”

               “Because I’m about to check a potentially loaded gun and we take gun safety very seriously, ok,” said Carl with a patient smile.

Little Carl looked a little sheepish, “Ok,” he said quietly as he started to back up.

               “The other side of the room, please,” said Carl as he watched Little Carl back up till Lori got an arm around him.

               “What were you doing going up to him?” asked Lori as she crouched in front of Little Carl.

Little Carl looked away, “I just wanted to watch.”

               “You don’t need to watch, you’re twelve. You don’t need to know how to use a gun,” said Lori, her tone firm.

On the other side of the room, Carl looked over the rifle, checking the safety and looking down the scope briefly. He released the mag, his hand waiting to catch all the bullets as they fell out. Carl put them on a shelf in the gun rack next to the ammo boxes.

               “Empty,” said Carl as he checked the chamber, looking down it to be sure. Carl closed the chamber and opened it again, double checking that nothing was inside, then he made sure the safety was on and put the gun back on the rack in the locker. He started counting the ammo boxes and checking the cleaning equipment.

Rick had sat back down again while his son was checking the gun and noticed how Lori was quiet as she also watched Carl.

Lori ushered Little Carl over to the corner he was sitting in before, “Sophia, I think it was your turn?”

               “Uh, yeah,” said Sophia, her gaze snapping back to her cards.

They managed to make it another round before the front door opened and Mrs Palmer came back in.

Once Mrs Palmer reached the middle of the room, she spoke up, “All the water systems seem to be working. The water should be good for drinking and showering. I’ll get the heater up and running, then we can all take showers.”

               “There’s supplies in the bathroom we can use,” added Carl, briefly looking away from the gun locker.

               “I would love to have a hot shower. If no one else is going first, then I will,” said Andrea, leaning forward in her seat.

               “I think the kids should have showers first,” said Lori.

               “As long as they don’t use up all the hot water,” replied Andrea with a light tone.

               “You heard that, you two, quick showers for the both of you. Now who’s going first?” asked Lori as she looked down at the kids.

               “I will,” said Sophia, standing up and brushing herself off.

Sophia headed off to the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes from her bag that was brought in with her sleeping bag.

               “Can you teach me how to use a knife?” asked her younger self.

Carol looked at Mrs Peletier, who was currently wielding a knife to crush and chop up the nuts she had found the other day. They had both commandeered the table for the dinner preparation, and shooed everyone else away from the kitchen while Carol got the water boiling. Two of them were more than enough to get dinner ready, even for a group of nineteen.

               “You already know the basics of knife safety. We’ve made plenty of stuffed turkeys before,” said Carol.

               “I know how to deal with poultry. Walkers and humans, not so much,” replied Mrs Peletier.

Carol gave her a small smile, “There are two ways to hold a knife. For making dinner,” said Carol, holding the knife out a little further in front of her, showing off the grip, “For killing someone,” she said as she changed grips and held the knife up higher, “Either work well as long as you aim for the right spots. You have more leverage with the second and more reach with the first.”

Mrs Peletier nodded, her eyes fixed on how Carol held the kitchen knife.

               “For walkers, the best spots to aim are their eyes, ears, or the base of the skull,” said Carol as she pointed them all out, “All those spots work for people too, but so does the liver, kidneys, heart, and for men, a particularly good spot is the groin. It’s usually vulnerable, and it bleeds out fast. There is no fighting dirty when you’re fighting for your life or the life of those you love.”

Mrs Peletier frowned, but nodded.

               “We can teach you proper stances later. For now, we have to finish dinner,” said Carol as she went back to chopping the dried squirrel into better sized pieces for the pasta, “If you ever need any more advice about knives or you want someone to spar with, come to me or Daryl. Either Daryl.”

               “Thank you for that,” said Mrs Peletier.

Carol smiled, “Any time.”

               “You and he seem very close. But I,” started Mrs Peletier, her voice growing quieter as she glanced over at the older Daryl as he handed Sophia, fresh back from her shower, a stack of cards, “I’m not as sure.”

               “He looks meaner than he is. That man is one of the softest you’ll ever meet. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to keep this family safe. That’s the same for all of us,” said Carol, turning away from Daryl to look her younger self in the eye, so she could convey just how much these people meant to her, and how much they would all do for each other, "One of the other softest men I've met is a man with a tiger."

Her younger self tilted her head and shot her a disbelieving look, "A man with a tiger?"

Carol sent a delighted smile back, "Yes."

               "It sounds like a fairytale," remarked her younger self.

Carol gave a soft laugh, “In a way, it is.”

Chapter Text

               “What did you find?” Dale asked Carl, stepping up next to him after walking through the door alone and pulling on a light jacket.

               “A rifle with almost three full boxes of ammo for it.”

Dale raised an eyebrow, “That’s pretty lucky.”

               “Yeah, it is,” said Carl, then he frowned, “Where's dad?” asked Carl, nodding his head towards where Grimes last was.

               “Outside,” replied Dale.

Carl’s eye narrowed slightly, “And where’s Shane?”

               “Keeping watch while Rick finishes up.”

Carl’s eye widened, “I’m going to load this gun upstairs on the balcony,” Carl announced as he snatched the rifle and a box of ammo, not even waiting.

Dale’s brow pinched, and he suddenly looked far more serious.

               “You know the drill, don’t test it here. We can do that when it’s safe,” said his dad, glancing over his shoulder as he sent Carl a wave.

Daryl sent Carl a nod.

Carl nodded back, “I know, Dad,” he said when he was practically at the top of the stairs, almost colliding with Mr Palmer as he was making his way down.

               “I’ll help keep watch. It’ll be better from up there,” said Dale as he followed Carl up the stairs, “Steven,” said Dale to Mr Palmer as he passed.

               “Dale,” Mr Palmer responded, “We now have more radios.”

               “Oh, that’s good. I need to go and help keep watch, but tell me about it later, ok?” said Dale, gesturing loosely up the stairs.

               “You know it,” replied Mr Palmer before making his way down the rest of the stairs and greeting his wife with a hug and a light peck on the cheek.

Daryl had scoured the top level of the ranger’s station from top to bottom. There were a few good things, but less than he expected from a room of this size. There were mostly tools and maps, but he did find a fully stocked first aid kit. He also managed to find a packet of cigarettes stashed away. It was almost a full pack, only two were gone. He put all of the good things he found on the large square table in the middle of the room, which obscured the map nailed to it. The map was of the whole park. He’d have a better look at it in the morning with proper light.

Mr Palmer had just been sitting quietly at the table and fiddled with the radios for a while, testing them and putting one in the corner of the room and speaking in another from the opposite side.

When Daryl had finished searching every nook and cranny he could, he shook a cigarette to the top of the carton and pulled it out with his teeth. He slipped outside, slid his crossbow to the ground, leant against the corner of the station and lit up his cigarette. He let out a breath and tried to let go of the image of Sophia’s terrified expression as she ran away from the walker. Daryl tapped his fingers against his thigh. He was half considering doing laps of the balcony. The tapping on his thigh became more rapid.

Fuck it.

Laps of the balcony it was. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out.

Daryl scooped up his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder. He took it slow, squinting in the dying light to see anything beyond the trees. His steps were quiet and rhythmic. At the end of his first lap, he noticed Dale and Rick near the cars. Rick was digging a grave, and Dale was keeping a watchful eye on the treeline. There were snippets of a conversation being carried by the cool, silent air, but Daryl didn’t pay much attention to it.

On his second lap around, Rick was pulling the body into the grave with Shane’s help, while Dale glanced over at them.

On his third lap, Daryl felt a little looser and not wound as tight. He leant against the station again, propping his crossbow next to him. His first cigarette was practically gone. Daryl finished it off and lit up another. He would usually try to extend the cartons as long as he could, but this was a two smoke kinda day. Daryl lit up the second and leant his head back against the wall behind him, closing his eyes, shutting out the faint edge of light let in by the sky and blowing smoke into the air. He let the sounds of the quiet forest wash over him. He could hear the chatter of Dale, Rick and Shane, and if Daryl opened his eyes, he knew he would see them from here.

The tension in his shoulders began to unwind, and he started to feel the bite of the cold. Daryl knew he’d need to start putting on sleeved shirts soon. He had a few of them in his pack. Some of Merle’s, too. He could give some of them to his older self. The time travelling lot only had the clothes on their back, and they’d need more since it was getting colder now. There’d be something they could use here. The walker they found looked about the same size as Grimes, Sheriff, whatever they were calling him. Anything too long could be rolled up till the right size was found, so Big Carl and Mrs Peletier should be able to get something out of it too. A jacket or something warmer, at least. Everyone else should have warmer gear. If they didn’t, they were idiots.

               “We’re right from here, Dale. You head on inside,” came Rick’s voice, carrying clearly up to where Daryl stood.

               “Are you sure? It’s no trouble for me to stay till you’re finished,” replied Dale.

               “We’ll be done shortly, but there’s no need for us all to be out in this cool weather. If we need help, we’ll give you a shout,” responded Rick.

               “Well, alright then.”

Daryl heard the crunching of dirt and rocks and cracked an eye open to see Dale disappear under the balcony. As soon as the sound of the door clicking shut rang through the clearing, Daryl heard the sound of a shovel being forcefully planted into the dirt. He looked over to see Rick standing by the freshly filled grave, looking directly at Shane.

               “We need to talk,” his voice didn’t waver.

               “What about?” asked Shane, and Daryl saw Shane shift onto his back foot.

               “I know about you and Lori.”

Shane’s spine straightened.

               “When I found out, I was so angry. I am still so angry,” Rick closed his eyes for just a moment and let out a breath. When he opened his eyes, his face was set as he locked eyes with Shane, “But older me told me to hear you out, so I’ll give you a chance to talk.”

               “I- we thought you were dead, man. I never looked at her before, but we both needed each other, and it just happened. Believe me, if I knew you were alive, I never would have done it. I kept Carl and Lori safe for you, because I care for them, because you’re my brother. I kept them safe, and they kept me alive, man. I wouldn’t be here in this fucked up world if it wasn’t for them,” said Shane as he struggled to meet Rick’s eye and only really managed to at the end.

               “A month, Shane,” Rick hissed as he stepped right up to him, “I was gone for less than a month, and it’s clear this wasn’t a recent thing. Everyone knows. Everyone knew that my best friend and my wife were sleeping together before I did. And I understand you thought I was dead, but just because I understand that, it doesn't mean that it doesn’t hurt Shane.”

               “Brother-”

               “Don’t,” Rick said sharply, cutting off Shane, “Don’t call me that. Maybe another day, but not today.”

Shane’s jaw swung shut.

Daryl glanced behind him when he saw movement. Mr Palmer stood up and gave him a wave from the top of the stairs. Daryl nodded, then saw Big Carl almost collide with the older man. Big Carl’s eye locked onto Daryl, and he quickly made his way onto the balcony with a rifle Daryl hadn't seen before and a box of ammo. He was quiet as he slipped out and he took up a spot near Daryl and clearly kept Rick and Shane within his sights as he started to slowly load the rifle. Dale appeared on Daryl’s other side and had a wary gaze on Rick and Shane. Dale had slipped on a jacket since Daryl last saw him.

After a long moment, Rick spoke again, his voice firm, “That is my wife and those are my boys, are we clear?”

               “Crystal,” replied Shane.

Rick leant back and let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples. After a moment of silence, Rick spoke again, “Do you have my back, Shane?”

               “Always Rick,” Shane replied with no hesitation.

               “Good. ‘Cause I think I need your help,” Rick said softly.

Shane’s expression shifted to confusion.

               “Big Carl was shot, and I think I was ther- I think older me was there for it. I don’t want it to happen again to either of them. But I- this time thing has shown me that I can’t do it by myself. I want your help to keep them safe, Lori and both Carl’s. I am still furious with you right now, but I want you here, and I want you to have my back.”

Shane’s shoulders lost a little of their tension, “Yeah, yeah, I can do that. I’ll make it up to you, Rick.”

Rick seemed to deflate slightly, “Thanks, Shane. And thank you for getting them out of there.”

               “Oh, Dad,” said Carl with a note of sadness. It was said so quietly it wouldn’t have travelled beyond Daryl and Dale’s ears.

               “You know, the other Rick and long haired Dixon have been shot too. It sounds like it’s something that’s not as easy to avoid as we’d like,” said Shane.

               “How?” asked Rick, a frown settling on his face.

If Daryl didn't think he’d be noticed, he would have leant forward, but as it was, he was shrouded in darkness with the only thing standing out being the faint glow of his cigarette. His older self had been shot?

               “Didn’t get the story for other you, the travellers are pretty tight lipped on details. But Dixon got grazed by Andrea when she thought he was a walker. Which means I clearly need to teach her how to shoot better,” said Shane with the slightest of a smile.

               “Shane,” Rick scolded.

               “What? If she can’t hit her target, then she shouldn’t have a gun. If he had really been a walker, then it would have been bad news.”

Rick sighed, “I see what you’re saying. But I’m glad she missed. He’s been an asset these past few days, and it’s clear that older me trusts both Daryl’s. Neither of them have given me any reason not to.”

               “Rick, he tried to stab you!” Shane shot back.

               “After we left his brother on a roof. If someone said they did that to you, I wouldn’t exactly be happy about it either,” Rick reasoned, “I ain’t going to be angry with him for worrying about his family.”

Shane scoffed, “I don’t trust any Dixon.”

Daryl narrowed his eyes, and anger bubbled up in his chest. Before he knew it, he dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his heel as he stepped closer to the railing.

At the same time, in the corner of his eye, he saw Carl’s eye go wide, and he dropped and flattened himself against the floor of the verandah. Placing his hat next to his head made it so no one would have been able to see Carl from below.

Daryl ignored the movement. If there was trouble, then Carl would have said so.

               “I don’t trust you either, you fuck,” Daryl called, loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to wake up the whole forest.

Both men seemed to startle.

               “What are you doing up there, Dixon?” Shane retorted with a bit of bite and a glare.

               “Keeping an eye out for you lot, asswipe,” Daryl said, his words coming out harsh and rough.

Rick rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground and let out a chuckle. His hand dropped, and he put it on Shane’s shoulder, “That’s enough, Shane,” Rick turned his gaze, and looked up directly at him, “Anyone else up there, Daryl?”

               “Just me and Dale,” replied Daryl with a head nod to the man as he very much avoided looking at Carl, who was lying next to his feet.

Carl gave him a surprised look, but Daryl ignored him.

Dale raised an eyebrow at Daryl but quickly turned to face the men on the ground.

               “Officers,” said Dale, stepping forward more into view and inclining his head to them.

               “Keep warm up there, ok? We’ll be heading in now,” said Rick as he picked up the shovel and started moving towards the door with Shane.

Rick clapped a hand on Shane’s shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Shane made eye contact with Rick and patted his shoulder twice before they continued to head in.

Daryl looked down at Carl, “Run.”

Carl’s eye went even wider, “Here,” he said, his hand hovering over the reloaded rifle and the ammo box on the ground next to him.

Daryl nodded, and Carl scrambled up and practically skidded through the door, keeping low as he did. Daryl saw Rick and Shane’s heads disappear under the balcony a second after he saw Carl’s head vanish down the stairs.

Andrea had just come back into the room after a shower when Carl came practically rushing down the stairs.

               “Is anyone else in the bathroom?” Carl asked Andrea.

               “Nope, it’s all yours,” she replied as she continued to scrub her hair dry.

               “Great!” he said, and with that rushed out the back.

Rick watched his son go, wondering where he got all his energy from.

A few moments later, the front door opened with Shane and Grimes walking through. Rick’s amusement died for just a second as he looked both of them over. Neither seemed worse for wear, other than the fresh dirt on their clothes.

               “Rick,” he called out and pointed to the pile of items Glenn found, “There’s an axe if you want it.”

               “Ah, your walker fighting wisdom,” replied Grimes as he scooped up the axe.

               “That’s right.”

               “I reckon I need to keep my deputy uniform on, otherwise we’ll start to match too much,” said Grimes as he spun the axe in his grip, testing the weight.

               “As long as I’m the only one with a beard, I think we can call it even,” replied Rick.

Grimes laughed at that, and damn was it strange hearing your own laugh echo back at you.

               “What are you all playing?” asked Shane as he stepped up.

               “Uno,” replied Little Carl, “Want to play?”

               “Sure, I need to brush up on my Uno skills, so you kids best go easy on me,” replied Shane as he sat on the floor between Carl and Sophia, who had been sitting next to each other since they’d both had their showers.

This seemed to earn him a glare from Lori and a long look from Grimes.

It looked like Grimes and Shane had talked then. Hopefully, it went better than the talk he had with his Shane when they had driven Randal out.

Grimes looked away and smiled at Little Carl, who looked at his dad expectantly, “I’d join you, but I think I’m losing well enough as is,” he said, looking at Rick and his hand of fifteen cards.

               “Don’t you start too,” said Rick as he shot his younger self a mildly annoyed look.

               “It really isn’t your day for card games, Rick,” said Lori.

               “I think I figured that out when everyone put down a plus two and I ended up with all the cards,” Rick replied.

               “I’ll leave you to it then,” Grimes said as he gave Rick a light pat on his shoulder.

               “Wait, Dad,” said Little Carl, stopping Grimes in his tracks.

               “We’re playing Monopoly in teams after dinner, are you gonna join?”

Grimes smiled back at Little Carl. It was a warm, loving smile, “I sure will, Carl.”

Grimes started to walk away, then turned back, “Would any of you happen to know where any maps of the park are?”

               “I saw a few upstairs,” replied Rick.

               “Thanks,” said Grimes with a nod and headed straight for the stairs.

They played another couple of quick rounds of Uno until Sophia put down the cards when it was her turn to shuffle.

               “Can we get set up for Monopoly now? I think my moms are almost ready with dinner,” Sophia asked softly.

               “Yes, we can,” said Lori, pulling out the box.

               “Sure, I was losing too badly anyway,” said Shane, “Here, give me the cards, I’ll put them away,” said Shane, wiggling his fingers at everyone still holding cards.

The Uno cards got passed to Shane while Lori opened up Monopoly. She scooped out the cards and the board and started to pass the box to Rick to divide the money. Daryl snatched the box and took out the pieces before passing it along to Rick.

               “Alright, what piece do you kids want to be?” asked Daryl as he held out all of the Monopoly pieces in his hands.

               “I want to be the car!” exclaimed Little Carl.

               “Good pick,” said Daryl as he passed it over.

               “Thanks!”

Daryl turned his hands towards Sophia.

               “Can I be the iron, Mr Dixon?”

               “Only my old man was called Mr Dixon. Call me Daryl or something.”

               “Ok, Something,” retorted Sophia, quick sharp.

Daryl sent Sophia a scowl with no heat while Rick let out a bark of laughter, Little Carl sniggered, Lori chuckled, and Shane tried to hide a smirk.

               “Alright, smarty pants. You can have the iron. Just thought you would have gone with something cool like the ship or the dog.”

               “The iron is cool. My mom uses an iron all the time, and she's cool.”

               “You're right, your mom is the coolest person I know,” replied Daryl, seemingly surprised by her response but instantly grasping the situation.

               “Even cooler than you?” asked Sophia quietly.

               “Ha, easy!”

               “Even cooler than my dad?” asked Little Carl.

               “Oh, definitely,” replied Daryl with a small shit eating grin.

Rick kicked at Daryl from his seat, but really, it was more of a nudge. Daryl swatted his boot away.

               “I'm second, though,” said Rick with full confidence.

               “Nope, that's Maggie.”

               “Third?”

               “Glenn.”

               “Fourth?”

               “Big Carl.”

               “Daryl, what is this? Fifth?”

               “Sasha.”

Rick flopped back on his chair, careful of his ribs and let out a groan, “At this rate, just bury me with the walker.”

               “Eh, you'll live.”

Rick let out another groan. It was more for show than anything because the kids were laughing at his misery of being so low on Daryl’s list.

               “Everyone, line up and grab your dinner,” Carol called out.

Everyone except Dale, Dixon, Grimes and Glenn were in the main room, and they all started to line up. Carl slipped upstairs to tell Dale, Dixon and Grimes when asked by Carol, while Shane went to get Glenn from the shower.

               “Shouldn’t someone be on watch?” asked Dale as he came downstairs following Carl, Grimes and Dixon.

               “Were there any problems up there?” Carol asked.

               “No.”

               “Then we’ll be fine for ten minutes while one of these two,” Carol pointed to Daryl and Dixon, “wolfs down their meal. We need to talk watch shifts.”

               “Need two up there,” said Dixon between bites.

               “The area’s too big for one person to keep a good eye out,” added Dale.

               “Two per watch it is. Everyone from the run is out. They need to rest. You especially, Rick,” said Carol.

Rick put a hand up in surrender as he sat back down on his chair with his bowl of pasta.

Half their group were sitting on the sofas and chairs, while the others sat on their respective sleeping bags, all taking bites of the steaming hot food.

               “I can still take watch,” said Shane.

Carol shot Shane her, ‘don’t even try it’ look.

               “I’ll take the last watch and rest up now,” bargained Shane.

Carol thought about it for a moment, “Ok then, we have one person for third shift, anyone else?”

               “I’ll do it,” said Carl.

               “Second shift?”

               “I can,” said Dixon.

               “Pookie, you were on watch most of the day, you need to rest too,” said Carol with a raised eyebrow.

               “Pookie?” Dixon responded.

Daryl just gave Dixon a mournful pat on the shoulder.

               “What?” Dixon asked as he looked between Carol and Daryl, then his gaze hardened and he looked back at Carol, “I’m taking watch an’ you can’t stop me.”

Carol rolled her eyes, “Fine, anyone else?”

               “I’ll join,” said Grimes.

               “Two for second watch. First watch?”

               “I’ll head back up,” said Dale.

               “I can help,” said Andrea.

               “You can’t shoot,” said Daryl.

               “Do I need a gun to use my eyes?” retorted Andrea as her head swung around to Daryl’s, “Dale will be up there, if we need to shoot something, he can. I can shout the alarm with or without a gun.”

Daryl, Carol and Carl looked to Rick, and he shrugged.

               “Just use the binoculars,” he said.

Andrea gave a victorious smirk.

               “Watch is settled. We’re leaving as soon as we can in the morning, but I want everyone who went on a run or who handled walkers today to have a shower before we leave. It can be tonight or it can be tomorrow morning, I don’t care,” said Carol, looking at Grimes.

He’d brushed some of the dirt off before he came in and made sure to wash his hands before dinner, but he still had streaks of dirt on his uniform and stuck to parts of his skin.

Everyone who received a look from Carol nodded.

People ate their dinner content with the warmth. Carol’s cooking was always a blessing.

               "How are you?" asked Dale, turning to Rick.

               "It's just some bruised ribs," replied Rick.

               "Is it Tommy Sinclair bad?" asked Grimes.

               "Oh no, not that bad," said Rick with a smile.

               "Who's Tommy Sinclair?" asked Carl, tilting his head as he looked between Rick and Grimes.

               "He was the biggest kid in school when we were juniors," said Shane.

Rick and Grimes both chuckled.

               "When I was a junior, I wanted to be on the football team. So I went to tryouts. Tommy Sinclare tackled me at the tryouts. And when I say tackled, I mean this kid put everything into it,” said Grimes.

               “My whole torso looked like a blueberry for weeks,” added Rick with a grin.

               “Six bruised ribs,” said Grimes, holding up six fingers, “The doctor said I was lucky that nothing was cracked or broken.”

               “I stuck to track after that,” said Rick.

Grimes nodded as he smiled, clearly remembering, while a few others chuckled at the comment.

               “You were better at track anyway,” said Shane with a half smile.

               “Says the football star. They took eleven years to beat your record,” said Grimes.

Shane let out a huffy laugh, “The only reason I was anywhere near that good was because I went on runs with you every morning.”

               “You could hardly keep up,” said Rick and Grimes, completely in sync, laugh and all.

Rick and Grimes both looked at each other, surprised by how in unison they were. Rick gestured for Grimes to continue.

               “You did get better, though. But you never managed to beat me in a race,” said Grimes with a smirk.

               “Yeah, you can keep giving me that look, Rick, but it only took them four years to break your record,” said Shane, smiling back.

               “You had a record, Dad?” asked Little Carl.

               “I did. Fastest time for the one hundred metre sprint at our high school,” answered Grimes.

               “That’s so cool!” said little Carl with a huge smile.

               “It’s quite a few years out of date now,” said Grimes with a small smile.

               “If you want real running tips, talk to Glenn, he’s the fastest here,” said Rick.

Glenn, who was halfway through a gulp of water, spluttered, “What, no I- I’m decent but not good.”

Rick leant back, slowly, with a hand holding his ribs, “Don’t be modest, you can outrun me with a backpack on.”

               “He’s right, you’re the fastest runner we have. I’ve seen you outrun Rick easy,” said Carol.

Daryl grunted in agreement.

               “Yeah, Glenn, you and Ma-uh, another member we have, are the fastest and the smartest,” said Carl.

Glenn’s eyes narrowed at Carl’s slip, but he didn’t say anything.

After a few more minutes of quiet chatter, Andrea spoke up.

               “I’m all finished if you’re ready to head up?” said Andrea to Dale as she stood up with her bowl.

               “Leave the dishes in the sink. I’ll clean them up,” said Rick.

Daryl gave a quick nod. He’d help.

Andrea looked mildly surprised, “Thanks,” she said and left her bowl in the sink.

               “You head on up, I’ll be just a minute,” said Dale as he scraped together the last couple of bites of food left in his bowl.

Andrea grabbed the binoculars and disappeared up the stairs. Dale finished the last of his meal, thanked both Carol’s and put his bowl in the sink.

Once Rick was done, he went around collecting bowls from people who were done while Daryl filled up the sink. Rick dumped the other bowls and cutlery in the hot soapy water and got to work on scrubbing then passing them to Daryl to dry.

Sophia and both Carol’s walked over carrying their bowls and a couple of others.

               "Hey, Mom, and older Mom?" started Sophia quietly as she passed her bowl to Rick.

               "Yes, sweetie?" responded both Carols in sync.

Daryl snorted behind them at that. Carol shot him a sharp look, and he slowly turned back to drying the dishes.

               “We’re going to play team Monopoly, can you please play with me on a team?” said Sophia.

               “Of course, Sophia,” said Mrs Peleiteir.

Carol smoothed out Sophia’s hair, “How could I say no?”

Sophia beamed at them, “We’re the iron! Because you’re cool and you use an iron.”

               “I think that’s a very smart choice, Sophia,” said Mrs Peletier as they walked over to the coffee table where everything was set up.

Between the two of them, it didn’t take long before the dishes were washed and dried.

Everyone sat down to play Monopoly. The teams all grouped up, and Rick divided out the money to each team. Car team consisted of Little Carl, Lori and Grimes. Iron team had Sophia, Mrs Peletier and Carol. Ship team contained Shane, T-Dog and Glenn. Hat team just had Jaquie and Amy. Dog team had Mr and Mrs Palmer, having somehow also roped Dixon into their team. Though it looked more like he was sitting and cleaning his knives rather than actually planning on participating. The final team was the Boot team, which had Carl, Daryl and Rick.

With the number of teams they had, it took a long time to complete a round. Everyone stopped to whisper a strategy to their other team members, pretending that no one could overhear them. It was all worth it to see the kids light up and turn to their team members and whisper what they had just heard.

People took advantage of the fact that they were in teams and tagged out to have showers. Rick managed to shove Daryl towards the door to have the first one before Grimes, then Shane and finally Rick had one. The warmth of the water was waning when Rick got in, but he made do. He let everyone know when he came back, but everyone else who didn’t get a chance was willing to try in the morning or when they got to the farm. The most important part was to have all of the people who handled walkers to wash, and that had been accomplished.

At one point, Carl pulled out the Big Cat, split it with Little Carl, and shared some of the other treats with Sophia. The kids had beaming smiles at the chocolates, but they saved the rest for another night. Rick had a bitter smile as he watched them. The kids were already learning to ration their supplies. He couldn’t help but want better for them. A world where they didn’t have to ration. Where they weren’t scraping by. Where they didn’t have a dark presence looming over their head. The constant threat of the dead and of people willing to make more of them to get what they wanted.

They didn’t get far in the game, everyone was stocking up on properties. Only Jaquie and Amy had started putting houses down.

               “Alright, I think that’s enough for one night. Carl, mark down where everyone is. Sophia, record how much money everyone has, and I’ll record everyone’s properties and houses. We’ll be moving tomorrow, but we can bring the game with us and continue it another night,” said Lori

Little Carl and Sophia both grumbled about not wanting to go to bed, but dutifully recorded the information they needed for the continuation of the game.

Amy made her way towards the bathroom, and so did T-Dog and Mrs Peletier. Everyone else started to head towards their sleeping bags. Shane had his sleeping bag closest to the door and slipped in so his back was to everyone, and he was facing the door.

Rick made his way to his sleeping bag, which had the couch pillows stacked underneath. It wouldn’t be as comfortable as an actual bed, but it was better than the floor by far. Daryl dropped next to him and shuffled inside his own sleeping bag, his back to Rick. To anyone else, it looked as though Daryl was halfway to sleep already, but Rick could see the tension in his shoulders.

It was probably three quarters of an hour later, when everyone was finally asleep, that Rick gently nudged Daryl’s back. Daryl, who Rick knew for a fact wasn’t asleep, let out a soft grunt.

               “Hey,” he said softly, “Look at me.”

There was a moment when there was no movement, no sounds, just the silence of the room and sleeping breaths. But Rick was patient. Daryl curled his body tighter, staying like that for a little while, then he slowly rolled over.

               “What’s wrong?” asked Rick as he reached out and brushed the back of Daryl’s hand.

Quick as a viper, Daryl snatched his hand and clung to it.

               “I, we,” Daryl closed his eyes, swallowed, and tried again, “We almost lost her.”

Rick’s eyes widened, and his other hand reached out to grab the back of Daryl’s neck and put their foreheads together, “She’s safe. She’s fine. Sophia is ok. You got her in time, Daryl. You and Carol got her in time.”

               “Yeah,” Daryl said with a croak, “We did.”

His partner tightened his hold on Rick’s hand and pressed his forehead more firmly against Rick’s.

To Rick’s estimate, it took another thirty minutes for Daryl’s breaths to even out into something just before sleep. At that point, Daryl pulled back and put a minute distance between them, but he didn’t roll over. It took only a few more minutes for Daryl’s heavy eyelids to flutter shut and stay that way. Rick kept watching him, until he was sure that Daryl was firmly asleep, then and only then did he let himself sleep.

               “Daryl,” came the quiet whisper from Dale and a gentle nudge. Daryl was sitting up before he was fully aware why he was being woken from sleep.

It came to him quickly enough. He was on second watch along with their Rick.

               “Anything happen?” he asked, his voice low, very aware that he was surrounded by sleeping people.

               “No, it’s quiet. Saw a dear pass through, though, gave me a fright for a moment there,” replied Dale.

Daryl nodded and got out of his sleeping bag, grabbing his knife and crossbow as he did. He could hear Andrea’s whisper for Rick. Daryl waited for his shift partner to get up. His hair was pushed up at odd angles, and he rubbed his eyes, then scrubbed a hand over his face.

               “I’m up,” Rick said in a hushed sleep cracked tone, “Sleep well, Andrea.”

               “Thanks, I’m exhausted. See you tomorrow,” said Andrea as she stood up from where she was crouched over Rick and slipped into her own sleeping bag.

Dale had made his way to his own bed and was smoothing it out.

Rick grabbed his gun and the axe he got from Sheriff today. He carefully picked his way through the people over to where Daryl was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

Movement caught Daryl’s eye, and he saw his older self with an eye cracked open, and Sheriff, also had one open. They were both lying much closer than anyone needed to in this room, even as packed in as they were. Daryl purposely moved his gaze away and saw Big Carl’s eye shut as he shuffled in bed. Mrs Peleiter shifted slightly, too, her eyes keen on the movement around the room.

Daryl turned his back on them and started up the stairs.

               “Your head clear enough for watch?” asked Daryl once both of them were outside in the cold air.

Rick let out a large yawn, “It will be, once I’ve had another minute to wake up.”

Daryl let out a snort. It was clear that the man wasn’t used to waking up at odd hours yet.

Rick rubbed at his eyes and scratched at the stubble that was steadily growing.

               “About what you heard before, how much did you-”,

               “All of it.”

Rick scrubbed a hand over his face, “And how much did Dale hear?”

               “Half of it.”

His whole body leant back as Rick put his hands on his hips and looked to the sky, “That’s just great,” he said in a tone that indicated it was anything but.

At least he sounded awake now.

Rick stood there for a second, and Daryl was about to move to the other side of the station when he moved again and looked at Daryl.

               “I’m sorry you had to overhear that, and I’m sorry for what Shane said.”

Daryl sneered, “I don’t want your shitty apology. Your buddy fucking meant it.”

Rick let out another sigh and looked down at the metal panelling beneath their feet.

               “You’re right. But I meant what I said as well. I trust you, Daryl,” said Rick as he met Daryl’s eyes.

               “Then you’re an idiot,” replied Daryl just before he turned and started walking away, pretending not to hear the quiet ‘Am I?’ that came from behind him.

               “Daryl, wait!” Rick called out quietly enough that it didn’t ring through the forest, but loud enough to be clearly heard by the only other person on the balcony.

Daryl kept walking.

               “Is your brother alright?”

That stopped Daryl in his tracks. He turned and looked over his shoulder at Rick.

               “You went off with the older you the night we got back from trying to get your brother, the night they appeared. I assume you talked? I know, older you said he was alive but-” Rick trailed off.

Daryl let out a scoff. He couldn’t believe that the first person to ask him about his brother had been the man who cuffed him to a roof.

               “As good as he can be with one hand,” snapped Daryl.

Rick flinched.

               “I’m sorry-” started Rick.

Daryl cut that sentence off, “Say it to Merle when we get him back.”

Rick nodded, “Do you know where he is?”

               “Where he usually is, with a bunch of pricks.”

               “Do you know who?”

               “The Governor or some shit, old me said we’ll find him once people are settled. Merle ain’t going anywhere for a while.”

               “I know the other travellers said they’d help, but let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’ll do my best to help get your brother back to us,” offered Rick.

Daryl looked Rick dead in the eyes, his face illuminated by the moonlight that shone through the clearing. Rick looked very much like he’d honour that promise.

After a few moments, Daryl said, “Ok,” and continued his walk to the other side of the station.