Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everyone always said that we must be good for the Lord God to come back and make us all come back after death, so that we will live forever even when we are gone. I spent all day praying to him so that he would surely hear my requests. I looked to the sky thinking what it would be like when it happened.

It turned out that I didn't have to wait too long. I just didn't think that the dead would rise from the grave when I was twelve years old and everything would fall down with it.

No one expected something like that.

Friday morning in May was the same as always, my sister Blair made sure I was ready for school although there was plenty of complaining on her part during the process, because if our parents hadn't left to visit our grandparents then she wouldn't have had to do it, we had breakfast together and then she drove me to school saying she would pick me up at half past four in the afternoon.

I smiled at her, throwing a brief see you later before running to school with the other children to run to my classroom before the bell rang.

I quickly found my friends Betty and Marley, we always stuck together, and that day was no different. We found each other almost immediately and went to our class. The first class was biology. I always found these lessons interesting only when we actually did something in them, so I counted down the minutes until the next bell. At the break we started talking about how we should do another sleepover for the weekend and we could do it at my house, since Blair would probably be busy with her boyfriend, Beck, who would surely come to our house. We laughed remembering how annoyed they got when we disturbed them by sitting in her room and doing nothing. I don't even know when half the day passed, I never had to pay attention to how the day was going, now I regret it.

The next lesson started faster than we wanted it to. Art class, we were supposed to finish the work we had started that week on the theme of our family.

Mine was almost finished, missing only the last few additions, so I thought it would take me a few minutes and the rest of the time I would sit and be bored, possibly helping others, which happened often, because I didn't like to leave my work to finish for several times.

That didn't happen.

The world actually decided to listen to our prayers and made the dead come to life at four in the afternoon on an ordinary May Friday.

At least for me, the world stopped then.

The world came to a complete standstill during art class. We didn't even know it at first, and most likely wouldn't have known if it weren't for the alarm sounding throughout the school drowning out every thought that could come to mind. Everything happened in the space of a few minutes. The teacher in charge of the class in which twelve-year-old Jane Reyes was, herself, was confused at first. All the students were immediately anxious. They looked at the woman in anticipation of an explanation, because she had said nothing to them about the test fire alarm, and she always informed them about such things.

- Ma'am! What's going on?- asked one boy named Matt, although he was only one of a dozen stressed voices in the room.

- Everything is fine, stay calm, it's definitely a mistake- Assured the teacher reaching for her phone wanting to make sure she got some message from another teacher. However, she must have seen something else, because her face turned from worried to stressed and terrified leaving her completely paralyzed until her phone went off by itself.

- Ma'am!- began to say the others seeing her reaction, as they themselves didn't know what was going on, but guessed that it was nothing good. Jane felt anxiety from her stomach spread throughout her body.

- Please be quiet, we'll stay here, barricade ourselves in, someone will come for us- she said quickly approaching the classroom door to look out the small window outside and make sure it was safe. Everyone could see from her that she was panicking, but she tried to keep her cool.

- What's going on! Is there a fire?- asked another girl, Riley, getting up from her seat.

- No, it's not a fire, but everything will be fine. We'll be out of here soon.- She assured, thinking about something for a while before turning to face the whole class. She didn't want to say something. Just then the shouting and audible commotion outside began. Voices were shouting at each other.

- We have to manage somehow, it will only take a moment. I'm going out to see what's going on outside, stay here, okay? I'll be right back- She said almost shaking, which did not help to calm a group of children. Her hand trembled as she grabbed the door handle.

- please don't leave us- Someone spoke up from the crowd, and Jane felt her heart speed up.

- I have to go out to see what's going on. Stay here. Barricade the door after I leave- she replied, smiling nervously at them as she said goodbye and left the classroom, closing the door behind her. Only then did real panic begin to show throughout the class.

- what do you think happened?

- will she come back?

- It's definitely a fire.-

- why don't we run away if there's a fire? -

- What did she mean by the barricade?- they all started shouting at each other without being able to understand what it was all about.

Jane turned to her classmates, who were sitting on the bench behind her. Seeing that they were somehow not concerned about all this, she tried hard to remain calm. Screams spread throughout the corridor.

- What do you think happened?- someone asked nervously, trying not to run nervously with his eyes to the door from the hall, which was still simply closed. No one moved to follow the teacher's instructions through the commotion.

- Probably nothing like that, again someone played a prank on the teachers, or someone fell into the toilet and the alarm had to be sounded- Marley responded and was still coloring her mother's dress in a drawing. Jane knew that her words could be true by how many strange situations had already passed through the building, but now it was different. She felt like she was watching a horror movie and waiting for the jumpscare. You always know it's going to happen eventually, but you still feel fear on the way to it.

- Yeah, probably Mrs. Walms will come right back and say it's a false alarm.- Betty admitted her right leaning her head against her hand out of boredom. She hated art lessons, so this sudden break was something wonderful for her. Jane wanted to feel the same way. She didn't understand why they could stay calm when everyone else was one step away from peeing their pants.

- Maybe we should barricade the door after all, as she said?- she heard Effy ask, who, like her, did not feel very optimistic about being in those four walls unattended.

- What if Mrs. Walms wants to come back? It will be easier to just wait, even if she told us to do the barricade. What a stupid task- Replied Troy in response, who probably felt most of all that it was all one big stupidity without a purpose.

His words, however, blurred as quickly as something hit their door, making everyone scream, only now finally starting to get scared.

- What was that!-someone shouted, weeping moving away from the door as far as possible.

- I don't want to be here, we have to get out of here.- said Effy, starting to hyperventilate, which affected Jane as well.

- We can't leave here!-she said, recalling the teacher's words, too scared to do anything.

- I don't want to be here anymore.- said Betty, and Jane saw her for the first time in such a state. Her reaction changed quickly and her movements were impulsive. She was the first to reach for the door handle.

- stop it, I don't want to go out there!- shouted Daphne sobbing when Betty opened the door, showing before them the bloody handprint reflected on their door. Now the sounds became even more pronounced. Not only could screams be heard, but also scuffling on the floor, people running all over the building. It was impossible to stop Betty from running outside.

- we can't do this!-

- is that blood!-

- I want to see my mom- everyone was shouting at each other. The door stood open in front of them, and they couldn't bring themselves to take steps. The classroom they had just been in was one of the more distant ones from the main entrance.

- I want to see my parents- Troy spoke up again, now more agitated, and also ran out into the hallway.

Then, instead of footsteps moving away, they heard footsteps approaching, and very quickly.

Everyone shouted again when Daphne's father appeared in the doorway, out of breath and with a trail of blood on him.

- We all have to run!-He shouted, reaching for his daughter, who could not walk because of the way her legs were shaking.

This time Jane moved.

She felt as if she had partially lost her sight. She could only see what was in front of her, which was a corridor where there were a lot of elderly people. They were running all around. They were pushing her, almost running her down. She saw other children, but she also saw something else.

The entire floor was in bloody boot marks, and the liquid came from bodies lying on the ground in various places. Some people were bending over them eating their entrails and blood was trickling down their hands and out of their mouths.

She associated from sight most of the people no longer moving, and the dizziness in her head only made her realize that she was having trouble breathing. She couldn't focus enough now to remember where she had left the inhaler. Maybe it was in her backpack, maybe in the sweatshirt she had also left in the classroom. She couldn't answer. Instead, she ran.

She tried to run after Daphne's dad, but he quickly disappeared from her sight, as did the others. That left her running simply to the exit.

She felt as if she heard every mouth opening, every bone cracking. The image in front of her eyes began to blur through her tears.

On running down the stairs, she wobbled, barely stopping herself from falling all the way down.

Constant screams and sobs crept through her head without giving her peace of mind.

Someone pushed her, she fell to the ground soiling her shirt from the blood that was still warm.

Her breaths wheezed and it seemed to her as if she could take less and less air into her lungs every second.

One of the people bent over Betty's body turned toward her because she had fallen and made a noise. She didn't pay attention to it because of how her ears were ringing.

- please don't- she whispered, raising herself with her last strength from the ground to run on. She could hear behind her louder and louder rustling.

She didn't pay attention when she bumped into walls or stumbled. She only begged in her mind to see the main exit from the school

When she felt hands grabbing her arm she was sure it was over.

- PLEASE DON'T!- she wanted to scream, but it came out as a weak whisper. Trying to break free until she heard a familiar voice.

- Jane it's me! It's me!- Said the man she recognized immediately. Beck. Only hearing her name from his mouth did she turn her head to look at his face. It expressed almost as much fear and stress as hers, but he was better at dealing with it. It didn't change the fact that there were traces of blood on his face, and his eyes scanned her face in a frantic way.

- It's me, we have to go!- He said, grabbing her shoulders to turn her completely in his direction. He had to be bent over by the height difference between them, and his eyes which she saw mostly from afar now expressed great concern.

- They, they attacked them- She choked out, returning her gaze to the floor. The growling and moaning spread incredibly close, which also interrupted their conversation.

- Let's go, now.- He announced lifting her from the ground, because he could see that she was in a nightmarish state not only physically, but also mentally.

As soon as she was in his arms and her fingers were holding his red T-shirt it started running towards the parking lot. Jane's head was pointed at the school the whole time, which made her see the same monsters she had seen just seconds ago start coming out of the front door, along with others running out of there to their cars. These monsters moved toward them, slowly, but were not stopped by the scattered objects on the ground. One of the figures looked straight into her eyes. The woman's eyes seemed white and empty, without any life.

A shiver ran through her body making her shake.

Their blue Toyota appeared faster in sight than she would have expected. Beck opened the back door and, being careful not to hit her head on the ceiling, put her inside while slamming the door with a loud slam, himself then running to the seat in front.

- is she okay?- Blair spoke up immediately, while sitting behind the wheel turning her head towards the back before Beck stopped her with a loud shout.

- DRIVE, JUST DRIVE- he shouted looking at her almost ready to drive the car instead of her despite being in the seat next to her.

The reason was the increasingly short distance from the monsters who were stretching their arms towards the car. Jane moved away from the windows trying to stay still in the middle of the seats.

Blair didn't answer anything but took off with a squeal of tires, almost driving into one of the posts standing in front of the school, fortunately she managed to brake at the last moment, and her hands began to turn the steering wheel at once allowing them to drive out of the cursed place. She tried to do her best not to run into another car, but to get out of there, which was not so easy, but she had to do it.

Despite driving, her gaze fell on the mirror to look at Jane, who had her mouth slightly parted and was beginning to have an unconscious expression on her face.

- Give her the inhaler, it's in my bag- she instructed Beck, although she didn't have to, because he immediately grabbed the bag himself and started searching its contents until in his hands was practically the same item thatcisz had in her backpack at school, but in green.

- Jane try to calm down and take this, we are not able to do anything else right now- He spoke to her in a calm voice putting the object in her hand and grabbing her wrist so she wouldn't drop it if he didn't then she wouldn't be able to shake it. A click spreading with a quiet sound let them know that she had applied the drug, which didn't help that her eyes were completely scared. But it was apparent that there was at least one less wrinkle of worry on Blair's face. She herself looked as if she had just stood up, and her face expressed a million emotions.

- Where are our parents? What's going on?- Jane finally asked quietly, being able to speak only after a while. On the seat next to her was her other backpack packed to the brim; it looked like they had quickly moved out of their own home. She was lost.

The cars began to thin out going to different places.

- We have to leave temporarily, but we'll be back when things calm down.- Blair replied briefly, still visibly unprepared for the question, compared to Beck, who looked almost dramatically amused by her answer.

- stop lying to your own sister. Nothing will be the same again, you saw what happened at school- He reprimanded her for what they would normally have argued. This situation as you can see was really different since Blair instead sat in silence.

- The world had decided to turn upside down. Those beings you saw are not people. They used to be them, but they are no longer. You can't let them get you. - he began to explain choosing his words in such a way that he was sure to explain the situation to her, but at the same time not to put her into another state of hyperventilation, because they will use up all the inhalers with a speed they cannot afford.

Jane's face, besides fear, was almost frozen in shock. If not for the screams of her friends still reverberating in her head she would not have believed his words.

- But where are our parents?- she asked because it was the only thing on her mind. They weren't in town because they went to their grandmother's, however, they had to come back right? Blair swallowed her saliva loudly and this time she answered.

- They haven't returned yet. We will go after them. We are going to Atlanta.- She replied to which Beck looked at her with uncertainty.

- Stop for a moment.- He asked in a quieter voice turning his head away from Jane so that she would not feel more fear.

- You won't stop me- Blair reminded him immediately and her hands clenched tighter on the steering wheel. Beck did not look agitated, just spoke up again in a calm voice.

He spoke up again just after they passed the sign indicating they were leaving Mariette.

- I know, but stop. Let me at least check the map, let's think it over.- He repeated, looking at her gently through which, despite her reluctance, she actually stopped. Here the road was mostly empty. Everyone was taking Route 34, which was the exit to the other side of Atlanta.

They stopped on the road without paying attention to anything and Beck got out of the car first, leaving his sisters inside. Blair looked at Jane in the reflection of the mirror and their gazes met, only then really making something sink in their hearts. They both looked terrible, but were relieved that at least they were together.

- It's not wise to stand here. Someone might be driving this way, we're certainly not the only ones- Blair finally spoke up by unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door, leaving Jane alone. At first she wanted to follow them out, but the possibility of seeing those monsters again discouraged her enough. However, she watched Beck and Blair spread the map on the hood of the car and talk about something.

- if they have a brain they will get past us, I don't think anyone is going to trust strangers from now on.- replied Beck squinting to read the small letters written on the map. Jane looked around distrustfully, because they were still not far from the city, and there were a lot of people living there. All of them couldn't die.

- We have ten minutes left to Atlanta. If we get into the city it will certainly be worse there than here. Everyone will try to leave or enter. We won't pass, we will have to leave the car at some point. You'll have to think carefully about whether we're taking a risk.- Beck announced, pointing to the place with his finger, and raised his eyes to look at Blair seriously. He knew he wouldn't change her mind, however, he wanted her to be sure. This could have been a huge danger, and they still had Jane to protect. If they were alone it would be different. Blair thought about it, it was clear to see her battling with her thoughts in her head for a few seconds before she returned to her determination again.

Two cars drove past them, accelerating even more when they saw them.

- We have to go after my parents. They must have survived, but they will definitely want to look for us. There's nothing else left anyway. Either we sit in Marietta and wait to die or we have a purpose.- She muttered rubbing her knuckles. She now had to think for everyone and make it so that she was sure everything would be okay, it wasn't as easy as before. Just a week ago she had to figure out how to hide from her parents the fact that Jane didn't go to school on one day because she overslept herself and forgot to wake her up. Now? She had to wonder if they would be torn to pieces.

- Do you think it happened...before? Or after?- Beck Asked in a whisper feeling a little awkward about asking this, but it was an important aspect of whether they had someone to go back to.

- I don't know. When they were leaving, they said it was Grandma Lily's last moments. They were supposed to be with her in the hospital, but now I don't know if they even got there.She replied, already missing the phones. Since the coverage was cut off, they were useless, she felt like she was isolated from the world.

- We will not drive up to the hospital. Everywhere but there will be a lot of people and even more of these chumps. I'm sure everyone who was treated there is already dead. We can only see for now how awful the condition is.- Beck announced, starting to fold the map back to put it in his pocket. He was almost sure that hell awaited them in Atlanta, but now it was his family too.

- Next we'll think about what we're doing. Let's just go- Blair said in conclusion and was already ready to get into the car when the familiar sound of another car started approaching them faster than they would have expected. It wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary if not for the fact that it started to stop.

- I don't like it- Beck spoke up, closing the car door which he had already managed to open
A small red car began to stop right behind them. This immediately raised the alertness in them. Beck reflexively reached into his pocket for his pocketknife, while Blair retreated to the back so that he could quickly enter the car in case of danger.
Surprisingly, the figure exiting the car had his hands immediately raised in the air and turned to show that he had no weapons.

- Are you guys going to Atlanta?-

Chapter Text

In the bright light of the early afternoon, one could immediately see the black hair of the boy who stood in front of his car waiting for their answer.

- what do you want? We don't want trouble- Beck called out to him still holding his pocket knife, but he didn't make any sudden movements. He hoped they could part ways in harmony, without unnecessary fighting. If he pulled out a gun they would be screwed.

- Me neither! I don't have any weapons, you can search me if you want- He started in a quick nervous voice and Jane moved closer to the glass so she could see what was going on. None of them associated with the boy, so they did not trust him, but it did not seem as if he had any bad intentions. They weren't even sure if he was older than nineteen because he looked so young.

- We don't need to do this, what do you need? You didn't stop here for anything did you? - Beck called out looking at him carefully. Another car passed them, and the man behind the wheel looked at them as if they were crazy, most likely knowing that it was better not to interfere.

The stranger was a young Asian man with a simple T-shirt and cap suggesting that he worked in pizza delivery. Jane had to admit that currently it was the stranger who looked much nicer than Beck who looked at him with a sharp look.

The boy looked like he couldn't even try to hurt someone, but everyone knows how appearances can be deceiving.

- listen. I know this is going to sound stupid, I know you may not believe me, but I'm running out of gas, in fact I've already made it here on fumes, I need to get to Atlanta. You guys are going that way right?, please could you help me out? I promise to repay you in some way. I know it's asking a lot, but I really need to get there. You can take what you want, but I don't have much I warn you- the stranger began to explain while reaching into his car for a backpack which he then threw on the ground. Beck looked at him with raised eyebrows.

- you can check my things or hold them until we are in Atlanta.- He repeated sounds almost pleading, which caused an internal conflict in Blair who looked first at Beck then at Jane who was still looking out the window at the boy.

It didn't take her long before she moved over to her boyfriend to exchange her observations on the subject.

- What do you think?- Beck spoke up first, as he himself was confused.

- We can't trust him, we have a child sitting in the back seat, but we can't leave him to die.- Blair muttered, feeling the seeds of remorse at the mere mention of doing such a monstrosity to another human being, but still. Jane.

- That's why taking him is a risk, can we afford it?- he asked, nodding towards the Asian boy who only smiled awkwardly. He looked as if he had no evil trait in him, this was the main reason why Blair felt uneasy about the situation.

- Probability calculus. Check the car, if he is telling the truth let him drive in the back with you, and Jane will be in the front. You'll have his things, in Atlanta we'll part.- She suggested tilting her head to the side after seeing Beck's reaction. They had no reasonable argument for not trusting him except that the world had decided to kill itself and be born again.

- He'd better not do anything stupid.- Beck muttered turning towards the boy, starting to walk towards him with a quick step. The boy did not stop him just stepped out of his way so that he could approach the open door and look inside. His face was emotionless until he sighed closing the door.

- You will sit in the back.- He called out to him while Blair transported Jane to the front seat telling her that everything Is okay and they will help someone in need, because that's what their mother always told them to do. This was also one of the reasons, if they set such an example for her then what would happen later?

The boy's reaction to this news was as if he hadn't drunk in a week and they gave him a bottle of water. He immediately grabbed his backpack and with a smile on his face headed for the car.

- But I keep your stuff all the way.- Beck added opening the door for him, which the boy did not complain about.

- No problem, thank you, I promise to return the favor.- he assured vigorously and slid into his seat. Jane could not help but lean out of her seat to look at the stranger, who only by looking at her face remembered something and looked extremely embarrassed by this fact.

- Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Glenn Rhee- he quickly made up, not wanting them to take him for some unschooled person. His voice inadvertently mingled with the engine firing up again, but Beck and Jane heard it perfectly. It was the boy who spoke up first in response.

- I'm Beck Flos, this is Blair Ryess, and this is Jane.Ryess- He said pointing his finger at them, and Glenn nodded as a sign of understanding.

Jane, hearing her name, withdrew her head and hid from Glenn's sight with tears still drying on her cheeks, now looking at the road they were traveling.

- Nice to meet you all.- He announced still a little nervous by the fact that the atmosphere was so tense. It was supposed to be a short ride, but the silence was too thick to ignore.

- Do you live in Marietta? I don't think I've ever seen you there- Blair spoke up catching his eye in the mirror. She needed more information to trust him.

Jane, although no longer looking at Glenn, she listened to their conversation.

- I'm from Atlanta, I mean I moved there to become independent and try a new life, you know, new perspectives.- He explained And Beck relaxed a little more although he still had his pocket knife in hand.

- I left for a few days to visit friends in Marietta and I was supposed to come back today, and I was even supposed to have a shift at the pizzeria today, but you can see how it ended- He finally finished on his own, turning his head toward the window where they were quickly passing more evidence indicating that things were only getting worse in the atlenate. Cars were beginning to appear abandoned on the side of the road. Fortunately, it seemed that they were all really empty, because next time they might not be so lucky as a hitchhiker.

- What friends? Maybe we know them- Beck asked, treating this a bit as an interrogation, but he didn't seem to care enough to change his tone and be more discreet.

- Brook and Matthew Llin.-It was immediately clear from their faces that they recognized the name. Jane also seemed to recognize them, but she could not match the name itself to any face she remembered.

- We know them. They lived nearby.She said Blair, feeling anxious when they drove past one of the monsters walking on the side of the road. When he saw the car he immediately looked more animated than he was and started moving his slow (compared to their car) step to catch up with them.

- Do you have a specific destination? You don't have anything to go back to work for, so what do you want to do?- she asked him wanting to get even more information, because she really wanted to trust this boy. He seemed innocent.

- I want to get to my apartment, that's where I have all my stuff, and then? I don't know yet. I'm afraid of what I'll see in the city- He said now without taking his eyes off the picture outside the window at all. They had already passed the sign welcoming them to Atlanta, and the very sight that greeted them was not too optimistic. Here they immediately began to be passed by a lot of cars, and not in a very safe way. It seemed as if everywhere was full of people and the streets were jammed with people who wanted to get out of here at any cost.

The first thing they heard was a tremendous amount of shouting and gunshots being fired in the distance. Blair's eyebrows immediately furrowed and she moved restlessly in her seat.

- Let us through! Be human!- Shouted a random man in a pleading tone, but the people around did not listen through their own desire to survive.

- We will not pass.- Blair said immediately stopping the car a moment before hitting someone who ran in front of the hood. The noise was so loud that you could barely hear your own thoughts. This wasn't even the center, but merely an entrance. It did not promise to be colorful. It would take a while to walk to the center, and at least an hour's walk to the hospital.

- We can't run between them, if we get separated we won't find each other anymore- Beck replied leaning forward so Blair could hear him.

- We can't stay here- She replied wanting to mention Jane, but refrained from doing so, instead looking at Beck significantly.

- We can try to get to the Dilos Hotel, it's about ten minutes away, but I know the shortcut, I know these roads, before I was driving I only had a bicycle, so I know these streets. Now it is unlikely that there will be a lot of people there. We will wait there for a while until everything calms down. - Glenn spoke up, swallowing saliva through the sight of the nightmare happening behind the windshield. People who ran past their car or accidentally bumped against it were like a reminder of how little time they had for such conversations.

Blair tried to think of something better than the words of the still stranger, but the sight of the gushing blood and screaming elderly woman by the fact that one of the monsters bit into her neck and tore tissues was like an icy shower of reality.

- let's get our stuff, we'll share the supplies later.- she ordered unbuckling her seatbelt, almost falling as soon as she set foot on the asphalt by the fact that another person ran past their car.

- What is going on? Why are they here?- Jane asked as she watched a helicopter fly overhead, starting to panic again, and someone falling on their hood by being pushed didn't help calm her down.

- Don't look at it, we'll be out of here in no time. - Beck ordered, exchanging glances with Glenn until they both exited the car. They had to act together, and although Glenn could leave them here now, he ran with Blair to the trunk to get the other bags out.

- Be careful with this bag, there are medicines for Jane, we can't lose it- she instructed him while pushing the aforementioned bag into his hands. There were three in total, plus Jane and Glenn's backpack. Glenn took two, while Blair held one.

- You have to run after me, stay close- He replied in return, looking around quickly to be sure to guide them well. Which was a little difficult, but he wasn't going to give up.

- I don't want to leave- Jane said again starting to cry even though her eyes were still red from earlier crying.

- Nothing is going to happen to you, is that clear? I won't let them get you- Beck Assured seriously while pulling her out of the car, catching her so that she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hands gripped his shirt so tightly that for a moment he couldn't breathe, but he didn't stop. Her backpack dangled from his hand.

- Let's go!-he shouted to the rest, and Glenn only nodded, starting to run in the opposite direction to the crowd. Blair was right behind him, and Beck ran last with Jane holding her head close to his shoulder so she wouldn't have to look at what was happening.

- No please no!- shouted some girl who was running away from the monsters alone, as her mother was already lying on the ground torn to pieces. If he could, Beck would have helped her, but sacrificing Jane's life for the strangers was not an option, especially since she was shaking in his arms trying to stop the screams of fear. They couldn't take any chances in such a situation.

- watch your feet!- shouted Glenn to them, speaking only when he shouted something related to navigation.

- They're coming! We need to speed up!- shouted Blair, allowing Beck to run past her and overtake her to pick up the crowbar lying on the ground already having traces of blood on it, which were now on her hands as well.

- Blair move!- Glenn shouted to her right back knowing that she could not stop. Again she quickly picked up the pace hitting only the nearest monster in the face, not hard enough to kill it, but enough to make it fall to the ground and not get Beck.

The bags bumped against their bodies and rustled unpleasantly through their movements, and the first signs of fatigue were starting to become apparent after only a few minutes, but Glenn didn't stop, so neither did they. The hotel wasn't far, but when you have someone bumping into you all the time, or a car stopping almost in your face, it wasn't easy.

However, Blair quickly began to recognize the surroundings. The hotel building was not far away. They ran straight to the back where the fire exit was.

- wow wow wow, Quick!- Glenn scream suddenly stopping so abruptly that he almost fell, because in front of them in the alley stood several of those monsters who, hearing them, immediately tore away from the man's body which was lying on the ground with its abdomen ripped open and guts lying around, starting their way towards them, blocking their front exit. Behind them, more groans and growls could also be heard.

- Door! Door!- shouted Blair running up to the door, which was laying on the ground with its hinges blown off. Her face stiffened with terror.

- we need to block them with something!- she shouted, pushing Beck to get inside, as Jane's cries only made the monsters start moving faster towards them. The bag that she held in one hand was immediately thrown under his feet so she could have better mobility.

- We don't have time!- Beck shouted immediately, looking around as he ran inside. In front of them were stairs leading upstairs and a white corridor. On the stairs were a dozen bloody boot prints of people fleeing in a hurry, and their stuff.

- Container!- Shouted Glenn after a quick scan of his surroundings with his eyes. Garbage containers were the only thing here besides a concrete wall.

- I don't want to die- muttered Jane sobbing into Beck's shoulder, causing Blair to act on instinct as she hit another dead man in the head with a crowbar.

Blood splattered all over them, and the already rotting body fell to the ground beneath their feet. Others, however, did not stop for a moment.

- I will cover you!- she assured

holding the crowbar in a steel grip.

Glenn did not think twice,he threw his bags inside too, leaving only his backpack. Just to dodged the hands of the dead and ran towards the black container. Beck acted quickly, helping Jane put on his backpack that he had previously carried in his hand, and grabbed one of the bags so they could get out of there faster.

- It'll be over soon- mumbled Beck at the time, holding Jane's head the whole time, trying to ignore how her pink and white blouse now wore blood on the back. Even more blood. He couldn't get rid of the feeling of remorse, by the fact that he was glad it wasn't her blood but someone else's.

- more and more of them are coming down here!- Blair warned Glenn, starting to push some of the dead, because she couldn't even swing to hit them.

- Back off!- called out Glenn thus pulling the container behind him to press it against the door, which was small enough that they could put a crowbar through the handles of the dumpster and hook it through the hole of the door. An unstable solution, but effective.

- The barricade won't last long- Glenn was the first to speak up after catching his breath by running up the stairs into the hallway, where the first rooms such as the cleaning lockers and laundry room began. That's where they looked first.

- Without a gun, we can't get out of here. - Beck answered him, lowering Jane to the floor so Blair could calm her down, and so he could help Glenn.

Jane, being in her sister's arms now, was taking such deep breaths that the latter was particularly worried about her. Because her inhaler bag had been left in the car. It was already the second one that had been lost. She felt like banging herself.

- People definitely left more of their stuff in their rooms. We'll check it.- he added, checking the shelves in the storage room, but nothing but cleaning supplies and a broom were there. After further consideration, however, he reached for the broom to pull out the cleaning tip and there was the stick itself.

- the main entrance may be open if the door hasn't been smashed already. We need to make sure we can stay here overnight-now it was Glenn who spoke up, still catching his breath while Beck then opened the laundry room, which unfortunately had nothing but dirty things and carts to carry them in.

- We need to find the nearest room, leave things there and calm Jane down. - Spoke Blair still holding Jane in her arms, fortunately, was in such shock that she did not even hear what they were saying just trying to process what was happening. Adrenaline worked on her as well.

- The nearest room should be right by the stairs. I don't know if you won't need a key.- Said Glenn trying to remember what security looked like in this place. The scratching and moaning still coming from the bottom of the stairs, however, reassured them that it wasn't such a big problem comparing it to that.

- I'll unscrew the lock if I need to.- Beck answered him, reminding him that he still had his pocket knife. It was a good enough light that they finally moved up the next staircase.

There was silence between them, but only to listen for any suspicious sounds.

Blair held Jane's hand without even noticing how it was soiled with blood. She, of all of them, had the most of it on her, but her mind was still switched to survival only.

The staircase and corridor of the first floor looked as if a huge tragedy had occurred here. The white floor had bloody drag marks of something on it. Some of the doors had traces of being hit by something sharp in them, and other doors were completely knocked down.

- I have a bad feeling about staying here.- Said Glenn stopping in front of one closed door. They looked undamaged, but this looked even more suspicious.

In front of them was the main entrance as well as the reception area. The glass doors were indeed mostly destroyed and behind them one could see people still running ahead along with the dead trying to get them.

- Everyone is trying to get out of the city, we will be trampled in the end if we try to get through with things.- Blair muttered as she looked at the stairs, trying to see what the second floor looked like, but she couldn't see anything except more stairs. The entire building had three floors.

- The dead won't be able to climb the stairs, or at least not so fast. We can go to the top floor.- suggested Glenn, starting to climb the stairs, as the unpleasant feeling in his stomach did not leave him.

- We will be limited in our escape. We will stay on the second floor. We will barricade ourselves from the inside. No one will be desperate enough to break down one door in the middle of another open door- ordered Blair following him, and Beck handed her a pocket knife so they would have more security.

The second floor was no better, still full of blood, but more doors were closed.

- The middle or the end- Asked Beck in a whisper waiting for her answer.

- Second from the end on the left. They have traces of blood on them, people will want to avoid them.She explained exchanging weapons with Beck, who as he said began to exemplify the door lock.

Grabbing the handle it was certain that they were locked.

The bags were on the ground momentarily waiting until they could go inside.

- I feel like hating people who lock rooms with keys- Mumbled Beck leaning over to start working on undoing the lock.

- But maybe no one was there. I don't think anyone would have found the key, and there were no signs of forcible opening until now- He said gaining appreciation from Glenn who was looking intensely at the lock trying to find traces testifying to his words.

- I hope no one gets the same idea as we did.- Blair choked out, still looking toward the stairs. All the time she had the feeling that someone was about to run up that way, even though it wasn't happening.

- We've all seen what's happening on the streets. Even if it's everyone heading to the stores for supplies and useful things.- assured Glenn while correcting the bags he was still guarding.

- We should, too. We won't last long- Beck muttered and the lock rattled making him immediately grab the handle again, which this time allowed entry inside.

He stepped forward to take a look around. It wasn't much luxury, but there was a bed and a bathroom, so it was enough.

Next to the bed was an orange armchair, and opposite it was a dresser with a small TV that was off.

First, however, he went to the window to close the black curtains and no one noticed.

- It's not so bad- muttered Blair letting go of Jane to put her bag down as well and repeat the bathroom door, which was a big mistake.

As soon as the door swung open, the first thing she saw was pale hands reaching toward her.

- fuck!- she shouted, resting her hands on the shoulders of what turned out to be an older woman who was no longer human.

- Blair!- shouted Beck while Glenn immediately moved forward in an attempt to hold the deceased. She had a wound on her neck and looking inside the bathroom you could see that she had decided to end it. The shower was full of blood and a razor.

Jane screamed, backing away from them, almost toppling over when Beck ran past her to plunge a pocket knife into the side of the thing's head.

Only then did she stop moving and they were able to let go. Blair let out a breath trying to recover.

- Are you okay?- asked Beck, immediately grabbing her cheek to make sure she didn't have any scratches on her face.

- I'm fine.- she muttered, not wanting to start crying from stress. Her heart was beating so fast.

- Let's get her outside. I don't see myself being here with a corpse- She added wanting to focus on something other than such a close encounter with death.

As she said so they did.

She sat with Jane on the bed stroking her head while Glenn and Beck carried out the old woman's body.

- She wasn't infected?- Jane asked quietly, still pulling her nose from crying. She had already calmed down a bit, but she was still unstable, as any child would be in such a situation.

- I do not know, she may have been bitten somewhere under her clothes.- replied Blair not even wanting to think that it was otherwise. The thought that any of them would end up like this no matter how they died was too stupid.

-We left her in the hallway. Maybe it will sufficiently deter people who will try to get in here- Beck said wiping sweat from his forehead, although it was not the end of their work yet.

- Let's get on with the dresser.-She said letting go of Jane to get up and approach the furniture.

- Did she had any bites?- asked Glenn in a whisper as Beck pulled down the TV so as not to make any additional problems with moving it.

- Nowhere in visible places. There were no scratches either.-he replied and the tone of his voice made it clear that he was thinking about it too.

- Is it possible?- he asked when they lifted the dresser, because jostling it was too risky.

- It would have to be some kind of parasite or virus, bacteria, whatever, but it's impossible for it to spread throughout the world- Beck replied this time turning red in the face from the effort.

- Suppose people catch the virus, someone had to die for it to start. No one has had any symptoms, no tests have shown anything out of the ordinary?- Blair said, feeling that she was getting stupid from just trying to find the answer.

- Maybe they thought it was a form of cancer? And didn't have time to examine- Suggested Glenn almost faintly as they put the dresser under the door barricading it.

- If we all have it then we're screwed- Blair sighed, not even knowing what to put her hands into now. Finally, however, she walked over to the bag that contained the medicines to pull out an inhaler for Jane.

- Hey, listen, thank you for your help, I really appreciate it- Glenn suddenly spoke up, making all three of them look at him like an idiot.

- It was you who helped us. If you hadn't suggested coming here, we'd be on the street right now fighting both the dead and the living.- said Beck, sitting next to Jane on the bed, answered him.

- We will have to think about what to do next and when we will split up, but thank you for everything.- added Blair reminding that each of them had their own plan. Glenn looked a little sadder when she said this, but quickly hid it.

- Somehow we have to survive together. Tomorrow we will go through the rooms. If the situation outside is better we can move on- He announced, walking over to the window to look out at the street as well as the sky slowly starting to turn dark orange.

Even the gunshots still coming from various places could not change the fact that at least now, for a while, they were safe.

And aside from the fact that the bathroom was covered in blood it still works. Yes, Blair had to blindfold Jane, but at least they could use the toilet in a civilized manner.

Looking around the room, only a small mirror made her notice how she looked.

Her brown hair was in disarray and some strands were stuck together with blood and drops were still running down her face in various places. She felt disgusted with herself, and the cold water running from the tap was not a good way to wash it off. Only after rubbing her skin with a towel for a few minutes could she see the effects.

- Drink up, you need to hydrate- Beck said right away after they left the bathroom and handed them water.

It was a little more comfortable when they could eat, drink and think things over in peace.

Adrenaline began to leave their bodies, and the first victim of this was Jane who did not take long to fall asleep on the bed. Not wanting to disturb her they moved to the floor near the bed where there was more space as the dresser was under the door.

At first there was silence between them due to the fact that no one wanted to wake Jane, but as time passed, her breathing evened out and she slept enough to give them some freedom to talk. Then Glenn spoke up sounding even more awkward than before.

- It uhh, it must be hard for you to be parents these days- He said shifting his gaze from Blair to Beck, which only made them more confused. Before Beck started trying to explain it with a nervous smile.

- We, uhhh- He started almost as awkwardly, not knowing exactly what to say, although he was flattered to look like a father. Luckily, Blair saved all three of them from hearing his stupid answer, which she knew he could have said.

- I'm her sister, he's my boyfriend.- She said reaching for a bottle of water to occupy her hands with something.

- oh, sorry.- Glenn immediately chuckled, scratching his neck awkwardly, feeling like a fool. Now that they were not at full alert, he and Beck had a lot in common. At least, that's what Blair noticed.

- It's nothing like that. Currently we only have each other, so it comes out to one thing anyway- she added, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to look nonchalant, although a slight pain could be sensed in her words.

- Now there are four of us. You have to see the positives- Beck spoke up eating the crackers that were replacing their lunch and dinner, since none of them had the strength to wrestle with the cans. Glenn smiled slightly at his words before returning to a more serious topic.

- We had to come up with a plan for what we were doing. Were you heading somewhere specific?- he asked, reaching for his own bottle of water. And Blair only now remembered that they had not told him.

- Hospital. That's where our parents were supposed to be, but seeing what's going on I don't think it will be very safe there. At least not now- She said leaning against the bed so that if she fell asleep she wouldn't fall to the ground. She already felt exhausted, and not even a day had passed.

- We can wait a while, but now we won't get there. And there is a high risk that there will be a lot of infected.He admitted her right, wondering if there was any point in trying to get into his own apartment. Not that he had much value there.

- Staying here is not an option. Someone is sure to come. And it better not be the other group- Beck's voice was quickly added to the conversation, and his gaze fell on the door.

- We haven't heard a banging here yet, so that's about right. We need to find a weapon, only a blow to the head gave any results-.

- I think it would be best to stay a while on the outskirts of the city, in the coming days there will be less confusion and we can return or leave if it gets worse.-.

- Just getting there will be a risk.- They talked in hushed voices specifically so as not to disturb the sleep of the youngest of them. They didn't come up with much more than the original plan, but it was enough for a momentary rest.

Blair sat down in an armchair which surprised Beck because she looked exhausted.

- you don't wanna lie down?- he asked, pointing to the bed guessing what he would hear.

- Go to bed, I'm not going to sleep anyway. Someone has to be on guard duty- she shrugged her shoulders avoiding Beck's gaze saying how stupid it was.

- really go to sleep, because it's better for one person to be tired than all of us.- she commanded showing that she would not move from that place anyway, which resulted in the final surrender of Beck (and losing points as possibly looking like her husband) who lay down next to Jane so that Glenn would still have room.

- Can I really?- the boy asked, pointing to the seat next to Beck, so that there would be no misunderstanding, because he felt stupid. Blair rolled her eyes.

- Just no hugging, or you'll both be on your own- She warned making Beck laugh and immediately covering his mouth afterwards so as not to wake Jane.

- And I was already hoping.- Mumbled Glenn jokingly, laying down next to him trying not to be weird.

Blair wanted to sleep like hell, but instead she stared at the door letting her thoughts about what next day gonna look like drown her. 

Chapter Text

Blair's determination was quickly put to the test, however, for after just half an hour she herself had her eyes closed and her guard down. Even the uncomfortable position on the chair she was in did not prevent her from resting. The sky outside the window was changing all the time, currently it was the only thing that could give an idea what time it was, because the room they were in had no clocks.

The whole building looked as if it had stopped a long time ago in time, not just now.

She wouldn't have woken up for any reason if it hadn't been for the feeling of little fingers tapping her hand, then she practically bolted from her seat, and her tired eyes looked around the room until they stopped on Jane standing in front of her.

- Jane? You're already up?- She muttered rubbing her eyes to shake off the drowsiness as her eyes barely opened.

- I got some sleep and it got a little cramped on the bed- She replied in a whisper and Blair only now noticed that these two occupied most of the bed and Glenn had his hand in Beck's hair.

- idiots- she muttered without even trying to get angry, because it would come out that she was not on guard duty, instead she stroked Jane's head.

- Let's get ready for a new day. As long as we have a free bathroom- She whispered, getting up slowly from her chair, because she felt like her bones were going to shoot in places she didn't know about.

- But there it still is- Jane replied to her, not wanting to talk about the blood. Yesterday had been such a fast-paced and eventful day that Blair was still impressed that she hadn't slipped into total apathy.

- I'll clean this up as much as I can. We won't be here long, I promise- she assured, crouching by the bag where their belongings were including a makeup bag and hygiene items. Most of the stuff was tumbled out the other side in that bag, but fortunately nothing had spilled out. Only now did she start thinking about it, but if something like that had happened, I guess she would have had to leave that bag behind, because everything stuck together from the vanilla shampoo was not pleasant.

- What if we get out of here and they attack us?- she asked as they walked together to the bathroom. Thank God the light bulb hanging from the ceiling was still working.

- Neither I, nor Beck, nor Glenn will let that happen. None of these monsters will get near you, or me, or anyone. We will protect ourselves- She assured looking at her seriously so she would believe it. Blair WANTED it to be so, she believed they could take care of each other.

- what about our parents?- She still asked, looking away as soon as they were inside the room, because the blood was already brown and dried in most places. It stank of metal and it was striking. The only thing she could do about it now was to cover the biggest stain in the shower with a single towel that hung right next to it and was probably supposed to be white, but it looked gray and in the best places. (And so she moved Jane as far away from that bio-bomb as possible so she wouldn't accidentally touch it.)

- Surely they're all right. A little more time and we'll see them. They've survived a while, they'd sooner find us than we'd find them- she muttered, digging through her makeup bag until she found the toothbrushes.

- That is, we can not stay here, nor can we be in the city, where are we going to go? -The constant questions were beginning to stress her out. She herself did not know exactly everything. It was reminiscent of when Jane was even younger and just learning about the world. There were a lot of questions then, too.

- We'll confer with Glenn, he'll tell us where the best place to go is.- She said handing her the paste, then making sure the water was still running at all. Icy, but it was.

- He's going to stay with us?- she asked one last time before she started brushing her teeth, trying to keep her eyes on the sink, which had a few blood stains on it.

- For now he is sleeping with my boyfriend, so I have to think it over- She muttered jokingly and also started brushing her teeth to avoid answering any more questions, which worked. And surprisingly it allowed her to get ready for a new day.

Wiping the remnants of dried blood from hair with a towel and cold water was very challenging, but Blair was determined that Jane would not have any marks on her from what they had been through. It took almost an hour, as the silence was also pleasant, so they took advantage of that. Blair had a conundrum at the time when she had to think about whether it was worth changing clothes now or waiting until they left here, because as soon as they left the building, they would probably be covered in blood again. In the end, only Jane changed her entire outfit, and her hair was put into a braid, since it was previously loose.

- Let's go wake them up, because one more moment and this metal smell will make me get a headache.- she finally announced, smiling faintly and fixing Jane's hair one last time, so that it would definitely not bother her. Jane nodded, going first to immediately approach Beck, who was now lying almost on the edge of the bed, as Glenn was spread out the same way on the other side.

- Beck, Beck- Jane quietly repeated, touching his hand thinking that would be enough. To her displeasure Beck was still sleeping heavily, mumbling something in his sleep.

- Beck-she repeated now resignedly, because the boy, as he had not moved, did not continue to do so. That was at least until Blair, standing behind her, reached down to her boyfriend's calf and pinched his skin so hard that he broke off upright, incidentally hitting Glenn and waking him up as well.

- You did it!- she called out to Jane, to which she smiled, proud that she had accomplished the task. She didn't need to know about the extra help. The boys, however, did not look so proud, and the first moment their faces were terrified.

- What happened! Everyone okay?!- said Beck almost falling on Jane through the haze of sleep still floating in his head and vision that was blurry. Seeing the young face of his sister-in-law, however, a stone fell from his heart, because she looked healthy.

- we have to move on. You can't sleep all day. We don't have time.- Blair reminded , because they looked as if they were going to be offended that they were woken up before they remembered why they slept together at all and where they were.

- I'm sorry, I haven't slept much lately- Glenn spoke up still looking like he couldn't figure out what reality he was in, but he wiped his face with his hands and looked toward the bathroom exchanging glances with Blair to say without saying a word that he would be right back at which she nodded, turning her gaze to Beck again.

- Jeez I already thought something had happened- He admitted putting his hand on Jane's head to make sure she was definitely okay.

Before Blair had time to answer anything, more gunshots rang outside along with other sounds, and those belonging to humans as well as walkers. It did not sound encouraging to leave the moderately safe building. It completely woke him up.

- It seems to me, are they getting closer?- He asked almost in a whisper, feeling more stress. If someone with a gun came inside, they wouldn't stand a chance, and hearing after all the screams and moans of the dead, they don't make exceptions for anyone.

- Probably the military is trying to kill as many of them as possible- Blair replied just as quietly. Being without a means of transportation was like a cruel joke.

- And there are people out there too.- She reminded, when a particularly loud scream from a woman echoed, and Jane twitched, moving even closer to Beck.

Glenn came out of the bathroom, also feeling uncomfortable by what he had heard, although further his face showed fatigue. He looked a little funny when his hair was sticking up in every direction and he had a serious expression on his face, but there was no time to think about it any longer now. Instead, a plan had to be thought out.

- We'll walk along the streets until we come out onto the street leading to the city's coast. When the situation is under control, we'll go back- Glenn repeated under Blair's serious gaze.

- Let's go now before someone comes in. I don't think we'll find anything of value here anyway, and we already have a lot of stuff to carry.- Blair declared, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

- What's the situation on the streets.- Beck asked, preparing with Glenn to move the dresser away from the door.

- Even more dead than yesterday. Also a lot of bodies and scattered things. If it was the military then they have moved on or entered any of the buildings. It is possible that they are watching the streets from windows or rooftops- .Blair's gaze was directed to the roofs of the nearest buildings with concern. At first glance, from her position by the dirty window, it didn't seem as if anyone was waiting there, but she preferred not to be mistaken.

- We need to stay close to the buildings so we can hide- She added crookedly when her gaze fell on a group of three dead men leaning over someone's body.

- We can walk between the buildings. We will take breaks to avoid as many dead people as possible.- Glenn replied before they started to lift the furniture trying to make as little noise as possible.

- Stay close to Beck at all times ok? If you feel you can't handle it anymore then tell us- Blair turned to Jane while putting on her backpack. The uneasiness returned to her face which was breaking Blair's heart. It was still such a strange situation.

- We are not separating. We will try to go out the alley we came from. Going to the right we should come out to the street you saw from the window. About twenty meters away comes out the road leading to the outskirts. We will have to walk a bit but we should get there before noon if we run most of the time.- Informed Glenn correcting his own backpack. He, too, was nervously hopping from foot to foot, and the hammer in his hands moved as he fiddled with it.

- Even if we can't go that way we must take the crowbar. We're weakened without it.- Blair recalled, not happy that they were limited to one weapon and that they had given it *still* to a stranger. Not that she suspected he would try to kill them, but she didn't know what to think anymore herself. A tug on the hem of her blouse snapped her out of her thoughts, now directing her attention to Jane.

- What happened?- she asked loudly which made everyone's gaze turn to Jane. She shook her head visibly perturbed by this. Blair crouched by her side once more.

- Everything is going to be okay, yeah? You don't have to be afraid. We'll be fine- She assured, stroking her sister's cheek. Still embarrassed she accepted her words directing her gaze to the ground.

- Well, let's go- Muttered Glenn, opening the door, begging it not to squeak. The body of the woman who attacked Blair lay nearby, now giving off an even worse odor than the one left in the bathroom, along with blood seeping into the smooches.

It didn't look like anyone had the same idea as them, but as they walked toward the stairs they took extra care. Glenn walked first, followed by Beck with Jane and finally Blair. Beck carried one of the bags and Blair the other, so that he would have a free hand if he had to catch Jane.

They knew it was better not to talk now, so instead they showed their hands to each other, hoping the other person would understand what was going on. So far it was working.

- Remember, we're going right down and to the back. We'll go right out opposite the entrance- Glenn finally spoke up, now greatly regretting the fact that he was the one who had to go first. However, he eventually began to walk down the stairs, being careful with every single step so as not to accidentally fall.

Standing on the stable floor, he looked around, noticing that behind the glass door stood the dead, looking as if they were sleeping standing up. Not wanting to give them a reason to move he showed them to be quiet and began to head for the emergency exit they had entered.

Blair's heart beat more calmly when Jane descended the stairs and walked quickly without complications. The uneasy silence was even more stressful in the small hallway where they stood in front of a door consisting of a trash container pressed against an opening and blocked with a crowbar.

- It seems clean, but we'll make some noise. We can't get stuck in this alley again- Glenn informed, directing his words mostly to Blair.

- You run ahead, I'll cover us.- she replied only not wanting to stand in this claustrophobic place any longer. Glenn accepted this and, handing her the hammer, reached for the crowbar. It was a final moment of silence before pulling out the metal with a quiet clatter and pushing the container. The street was not crowded, but the trail of blood and entrails pounding everywhere was no better. Their presence was also quickly noticed by those closest to the dead, who began to move in their direction.

- Come on!- shouted Glenn, killing the first walker who reached toward him, and the sound of the impact was so strong that it rang in Jane's ears for a moment longer.

- Try to avoid them! Fighting won't do us any good now- He added trying to avoid the dead, but it was difficult when they all started walking towards you.

The fact that they were really trying to stick to the buildings didn't help, and the dead starting to come out of the various shattered storefronts forced them to run through the streets. They ran without looking back, just avoiding the bodies falling around them, killed or just pushed only a gunshot ringing out from the roof of one building made them stop trying to locate the shooter.

- someone was hit?!- shouted Beck, but seeing no one injured, he began to worry about a bigger problem.

- Someone is redirecting them to us!- shouted Glenn, saying Beck's thoughts out loud. As if on cue, even more walkers started coming out of buildings and alleys to start limping toward them. They set off running again immediately.

- We need to find the car- Blair's voice was almost inaudible through the growling of the creatures. Jane began to feel the unpleasant effects of running and so much stress, but she was afraid to stop to pull the inhaler out of her backpack. In front of her eyes, there were dead bodies everywhere looking to grab her. Her gaze dropped to something else every now and then, and horror gnawed at her skin. Rotten skin and teeth covered in blood were all she could focus on.

- For now we can't take any chances and stop- Shouted Glenn to whom fatigue was also beginning to show. It was like one big maze with monsters coming out of it and they had to keep running.

- Turn left!- he announced, pointing with his hand in the given direction, where there was an alley leading to the road on the other side for lack of a better idea. There were more and more monsters every second.

- Blair- Said Jane in a weak voice through the increasing difficulty of catching her breath. Her voice was so quiet that they did not even look at her through their state of concentration. However, they quickly felt that they regretted their decision to choose this path. Shots once again began to fall around them as if someone had ineptly fired a gun, killing the nearest walker next to Blair, who for a moment in shock couldn't catch her breath because of how close the bullet flew to her face. She grabbed Jane's backpack, ready to sacrifice herself just so she would survive, but a woman's voice stopped her from doing so.

- Hurry up!- the stranger shouted, letting them know who had decided to help them. She was standing in front of a camper parked a few meters away from them, still aiming at the nearest walkers even though it was very difficult for her to hold her gun properly at all, but the determination written on her face showed that she was serious.

- should I send you an invitation?- she shouted again,hiding the gun behind the waistband of her jeans when she fired all the rounds, instead pulling a knife from her belt to kill them at close range.

- Quick!- shouted Glenn who was the first to wake up from his daze, showing with his hand for Blair and Jane to run first and they would cover them. Jane began to see darkness in front of her eyes as she ran, but she didn't stop. She was the first to run up the steps inside dropping onto the window seats.

Blair and Beck were next, and when Glenn rushed inside with the woman the door slammed behind them moments before the hands of the dead hit it.

Whoever was at the wheel moved so violently that everyone except Jane who was already in the seat fell around her. Blair found herself holding a small table next to jane, almost breaking it in the process, Beck fell through the open door into the small bathroom, and Glenn, along with the woman, found themselves on their knees on the ground. Their bags fell to the ground, forgotten. Only the faint sound of a backpack opening and the shaking of an inhaler snapped them out of their post-adrenaline state.

- Take a breath- Blair said quickly, immediately rising from her seat to crouch beside her sister and grab her hand in which she held the inhaler.

- You can do it- She added, and Jane only took the medicine with her help, allowing her to breathe normally, although her eyesight was still terrified.

This moment of terror did not mean that the tense atmosphere could be overlooked.

- Do you have any weapons?- the woman asked, rising to her feet while looking at them seriously. Her blond hair was pinned up in a ponytail. She was older than they were and you could see it from the first glance.

- Just what we have in our hands and a pocket knife. Nothing else- Beck replied quickly, as Blair continued to be preoccupied with Jane and Glenn was barely breathing through so much running. The woman looked at Glenn and then at Blair whose tool fell out of her hand onto the seats at the table during the sudden departure, slightly staining them with blood.

- What were you guys doing there? It's not a place to walk around with a child.- She asked another question distrustful and ready to attack if they tried something.

- We could ask the same question along with why you helped us and after why you made the dead attack us in the first place!- this time Blair spoke up, almost growling at her. The fact that they were still going and moving away from this place was a salvation, but also a dangerous fact. The woman looked at her warningly.

- we did nothing to threaten you .- she replied seriously, looking as if she did not even understand what she was talking about.

- And who else shot at our feet so that the dead would walk in our direction?- Blair asked again, approaching her with an equally dangerous look.

- I still don't know what you're talking about. Would we have saved you if we had done that?- asked the woman, but Blair did not believe her

- You tell me.-

- Okay, let's do it quietly without hurting ourselves. We tried to get to the outskirts of the city to wait out the situation and go to Piedmont Hospital. If it's not you, then someone in the city is making life difficult for others.- Beck interjected quickly, standing next to Blair to grab her by the arm and pull her away from the woman. Murdering each other was the last thing they needed.

- We don't want to make any trouble, nor do we have any bad intentions, we just want to get away from these monsters.- Glenn quickly added more in a calm voice, seeing that the atmosphere between the women was sour by the mutual desire to protect their people.

- You will not get there. We drove through there a few hours ago. Too many walkers. We didn't see anyone who could shoot, we thought it was you guys, that's why we headed there.- She finally answered by reaching for her knife, which had also fallen to the ground earlier, Blair then immediately twitched ready to reach for the crowbar, which fortunately didn't happen, because the blonde hid her knife in the holster clipped to her belt, signaling that she wouldn't hurt them.

- I'll have to check it out- She added while wrinkling her eyebrows, which annoyed Blair.

- You did not answer my question. Why did you help us.- She repeated, feeling very uncomfortable in such a small space with a new person during the apocalypse. Glenn was acceptable by His gentle attitude, but with this woman it was different.

- Maybe my first impression was not very good, but no one deserves to be eaten alive. I don't know what God decided to do, but I don't agree with it. We must stick together, otherwise we will all die. - She said in a serious confident voice, finally extending her hand towards Blair.

- I am Andrea Harrison.-

- Blair. this is my sister Jane, and this is Beck and Glenn.- Blair in return introduced them all, and Andrea smiled slightly when she saw Jane. To the girl, she looked much friendlier when she smiled.

- Where are we going?- asked Glenn, not knowing whether he should sit down and put their things away or get ready to leave and get another dose of running.

- Lucky for you, to the Outskirts. It's currently safer there. The walkers haven't gotten there yet, and people are leaving their cars with their belongings. We have a camp there- she explained, reaching into one of the cabinets and pulling out a roll of toilet paper to wipe the soiled seat.

- Dale will kill the three of you, but don't worry, we'll take care of the young one then- she muttered trying to sound funny, but it sounded almost as serious as Blair was beginning to worry about it.

- Dale? Is he the one driving?- asked Glenn watching in disgust as the blood smeared only more on the seat. I think they are seriously going to be killed.

- Of course, and who else would drive, Santa Claus? Oh my god sorry, there is a child here- Another girl's voice rang out, and a younger blonde looking very similar to Andrea appeared beside them with her mouth covered with her hand after seeing Jane.

- Amy- Said Andrea warningly looking at the new woman in the room not to say anything stupid. Blair looked on, feeling herself goof up.

What the fuck is going on here

Chapter Text

- God, I'm sorry. I'm Amy- she said more politely this time and extended her hand towards Glenn because he was standing closest. He just looked at her as if she was a ufo, but extended his hand as well, still distrustful, as if she was suddenly going to attack him even though she was smiling radiantly at him.

- I'm Glenn, this is Beck, Blair and Jane- He introduced them all in a slightly shy voice compared to how he spoke earlier.

- Amy is my younger sister, so we are in the same situation.-Andrea looked Blair in the eye, and she didn't need to ask anything more. Both of them were heavily involved in keeping their possibly last family alive. Now she understood why she was so protective. She couldn't blame her.

- Jesus you don't have to be so official and you don't have to be so uptight. We're alive!- groaned a bored Amy playing with her blond hair which, compared to Andrea's, was loose and laid freely on her shoulders and looked softer.

- Have a seat, no one is telling you to be so awkward- She rolled her eyes because she didn't get a response from them and went back to the front to sit in the passenger seat as they could guess.

- I'm sorry for her, I guess she still doesn't get what's going on. She was always so light-hearted about everything- muttered Andrea, sighing at the sight of the stain that was nonetheless left on the seat, but she had neither the means nor the inclination to struggle longer to clean it. Now let whatever was in heaven have them in its care.

- and you know?- asked Beck finally giving in first and sat down in the vacant seat next to Jane leaving room for Blair and glenn on the other side.

- all I know is that we can't panic and we have to help each other. If we start to freak out then the world will go completely downhill.- She responded by getting up from her knees to sit on the other side, and Glenn found himself next to her a little awkwardly trying not to touch her, which left Blair standing and leaning against the wall next to her.

- So were you there by chance? Or were you just trying to get out of the city.- Blair asked, trying to find something to confirm her suspicions that these were bad people. So far she was not succeeding, so she felt even more frustrated.

- We had a plan to come there every day, but I don't know if that will work. The horde that chased you was the biggest we've seen. If they break our car it will be a great loss- She explained being visibly annoyed by her own words. Blair felt that she was some kind of lawyer or whatever, she had too much faith in people. Who would normally throw themselves into the middle of an apocalypse to save random people?

- I'm starting to worry more about the gunshots, though. Someone is trying to kill others.- She added looking at the landscape outside the window thinking even more.

- We thought it was the military. Yesterday we saw them on the streets.- Beck admitted also now focusing on when the adrenaline subsided.

- The army fell, at least the main part. Most just headed to the hospital to get people out of there and carry away the bodies.-This did not make them optimistic. Although there was a chance that their parents had been taken to some place of safety, Blair didn't know if she believed it so strongly.

- What about the camp? You said you had some- Asked Beck also directing his gaze to the landscape and how the imprint of the bloody hand is illuminated by the sun. It was still early in the morning and to him it seemed as if several hours had already passed.

- This is simply the place where we set our point of return. We met two families yesterday and helped each other. We agreed that we would stay there for the time being, because we were close to supplies and so far few walkers were heading in that direction. Getting along with some there borders on the miraculous- She explained proudly, but not fully satisfied. Blair could only imagine what it might have looked like.

Jane, despite how quiet she was, listened to everything while trying to form her own explanation of everything in her head. Her eyes only passed between Andrea, the window and Glenn, with whom she exchanged glances, as they both looked as if they were sitting here by force (which was somewhat true).

- so you are the self-appointed rescuers of the apocalypse who take people to their camp- She commented leaning her hand on the seat behind Beck's head to keep herself on her feet by how the said "Dale" was driving the camper.

- you could say that.- replied Andrea smiling slightly as she liked the nickname. It sounded much better than the "suicidal people with no sense of danger" heard before.

- Do you have a plan? Other than getting to the outskirts? Something will have to be done eventually and leading a group is not easy- Glenn spoke up, watching as the city was less and less visible outside the window.

- We'll see. It all depends on how the situation develops- She replied without losing hope in her voice. Blair wasn't sure yet if going with them was a good idea, but if it was going to keep Jane alive? It was enough.

- Get ready to meet everyone- she said when car began to stop signaling for them to reach the said camp.

- First me and Glenn will leave with you. We want to make sure- Blair announced to which Andrea nodded without making a fuss.

Glenn didn't know exactly at what point he was written into their little group, but it didn't bother him that much except that he had to go ahead.

- Just don't jump out at anyone with your fists- she warned with seriousness, to which Blair exchanged glances with Beck who had brought a crowbar to his side just in case.

The three of them were the first to walk toward the exit. Andrea spoke up quietly so only they would hear.

- Do you have all the medicine you need?- Blair didn't even have to think about what she was talking about. Jane was in her head at every moment.

- We took everything we had. I don't know how much is enough these days. Eventually, we'll probably have to go back to the hospital if only for medication. One inhaler has already been lost because she had it with her at school- She replied just as quietly, trying to ignore the growing headache by thinking about what they would do if indeed the supplies suddenly ran out and Jane had a seizure. Life couldn't laugh in their faces any more than it does now.

- If you need it, we can help you. We don't know how long our own supplies will last.- She said which made Blair feel a little better, but further uncertain about her.

- You guys are stressing me out when you whisper like that. Can we leave now?- spoke up Glenn who was stressed the whole time in front of them about having to leave the vehicle.

- then open the door genius. You're ahead of it- Andrea replied, rolling her eyes amused by his behavior, eventually reaching for the door to open it herself and exit first so no one in the camp would think something was wrong.

The first thing that caught Blair's eye were three cars standing nearby and various things lying around the makeshift campfire site and tents. Then she met the gaze of another older woman looking at her intently. Andrea was right, they did have a camp, that's something. She herself doesn't know when she assumed she could be lying, but she felt calmer now seeing the child in the arms of the woman who was looking at them.

- You guys came back quickly. Something happened?- she asked, directing her gaze to Andrea as she returned to combing the hair of the boy who sat between her legs and looked at them with curiosity but also a slight roll of the eyes?

Well boy, forgive them for not being a very good surprise.

- More and more walkers. Someone is directing the horde towards the people who are there. That's how we found them- she pointed with her hand to Blair and Glenn who awkwardly waved at the woman.

- What do you mean when you say someone is directing them toward the people?- she asked worriedly, and another woman appearing with a large bowl filled with wet clothes looked equally puzzled and terrified. Seeing new people, she also seemed abashed.

- Someone shot from the roof for them to follow the sound.- Blair answered for Andrea, feeling uncomfortable when they looked at her appraisingly, not knowing if they should trust her.

- It's awful, making life difficult for people at a time like this- The woman with the child sighed, getting up to wipe her hands on her jeans and approach them.

- I'm sorry you went through this, I'm Lori Grimes, this is my son Carl- She introduced herself pointing to the boy, who continued to look inconsolable.

- This is Carol- She added pointing to the woman with the bowl, and she looked at them, immediately lowering her gaze.

- Nice to meet you, now excuse me, I have to hang up the laundry- She exclaimed quickly walking away.

- I'm Blair, and this is Glenn. My sister Jane and my boyfriend Beck are also with us.- She replied responding to the handshake, as she still had some manners in her. As if on cue, Beck appeared in the open doorway along with Amy who must have been talking to him since they stopped. Jane was behind them, watching everything, suspicious by how quiet it was here.

- Oh most of them have already gathered here! At least the better people- said Amy stretching her arms with a loud sigh. Her words made Andrea roll her eyes.

- Are there more people?- asked Blair, wondering how many people were really here. If one were to look at it positively they were quite a large group, that was useful now.

- Yes, Carol's husband, Ed, is still here, but now he's with Sophia, their daughter.-confirmed Andrea before Amy's voice spread between them again.

- And then there's that asshole Shane. You are unlikely to like him-.

- Amy, behave yourself.- Andrea reprimanded her and her face twisted in irritation by her sister's choice of words.

- Amy is somewhat right, he can be an asshole- Lori joked not wanting the awkward atmosphere to be so thick.

- you must be Jane, right?- she turned to the younger girl, leaning over so she could look at her. Jane nodded, looking first at Blair for confirmation that she could greet the woman. Seeing her nod, she extended her hand toward the woman.

- Nice to meet you- She said gently, squeezing her hand, at which Lori smiled.

- Nice to meet you too, I'm Lori!- Jane's face brightened gently by finally experiencing something good.

- I hope the horde stays in the city, we'll have some time before it gets crowded, I guess- Another voice belonging to Dale as they could guess, because he was much older than any of them. He also immediately came into sight after leaving the driver's seat. Before their eyes appeared an older man with a gray beard and a fishing hat and a wary gaze piercing everyone down to the bone.

Blair wasn't sure if he and Andrea were related or just met, but they looked like they had known each other for a long time. Speaking of which, his gaze first fell on Andrea before looking at the newcomers.

- Andrea I told you not to grab a gun you don't know how to shoot. We are in the back with revolver cartridges. You could have hurt yourself- He started talking right away after he was sure they were safe, and Andrea looked at them with an "I told you so" look. Now Blair was sure he was really going to kill them for making the stain.

- You use a gun?- asked Lori, equally surprised at which Andrea sighed in exasperation.

- I had to help them. We will find more cartridges- She assure, acting as if she had heard it too many times in twenty-four hours. Dale did not look convinced but most likely already knew that it was not worth arguing with the girl.

- Sorry for the trouble, if it wasn't for you we would have died. Thank you for your help, we will try to return the favor- Blair interjected, not wanting to feel like a fourth wheel in the conversation between the man and Andrea. His gaze turned to her.

- we'll have to find gasoline, I hope, you'll have to help us with that.- he replied firmly and a fisherman's cap obscured his forehead. His cold tone definitely marked the boundary between them.

Blair knew that having obligations in this world to other people was like an anchor bringing them down, but in this case it was fair. If they didn't they would be eaten, and that gave them a BIG debt.

- Dale stop. And so we will go back there every day until we find others. stop being slurred- Andrea interjected, visibly displeased with his words.

- Sorry about him, he's in a bad mood- added Lori also chastising the man by how unpleasant he seemed.

- and I still don't like the idea- He muttered, turning around to look around the area where they were staying. It was relatively quiet around them as they had moved far enough away to get away from the horde, but if the horde decided to move towards them it would not be good because all that would be left would be to drive away from the atlanta as far as possible.

- Stop complaining, this is why we need other people. If I had to be only with you all the time, I would go crazy- Interjected Amy sitting in a chair next to the fire pit.

- It's best to talk like that about an old man.- Mumbled Dale not even moved by her comment, apparently used to it.

- Of course we will help you. We will find gasoline and everything else. We will not shirk from helping you- Declared Beck to which Glenn nodded in agreement.

- There's no point in going back there today. The herd certainly hasn't had time to disperse and we don't know if they haven't followed us. Driving there now would also be foolish, because probably this person is watching who enters the city. He will recognize us- Andrea said looking at the city being in the distance with thoughtfulness.

- Who is watching?-There was another voice much deeper and stronger along with footsteps coming from the bushes.

Not even two seconds passed, and another man appeared in their sight. His gaze immediately found Carl and Lori and only then rested on Blair and the rest.

- We need to find out who is leading the dead on the people trying to get out of atlanta.Andrea explained quickly not wanting to roll out the subject again. As soon as the man appeared beside them it was her body that tense up and a sharp look was aimed at him.

It wasn't hard to guess that they didn't like each other very much.

- I'll check it out tomorrow. One of you will go with me.- He replied only in the direction of the new ones and went to one of the tents.

- it's Shane.- bitterly said Andrea having trouble saying his name at all, and Blair did not want to ask.

- Now we officially welcome you to our little camp-it was Amy's comment finishing their whole introduction.

- We don't have another tent, but i will prepare a place for you to sleep. I think we still have blankets. Tomorrow we will find something-Lori spoke up with an apologetic smile.

- Thank you, this really means a lot to us. If there is anything we can do besides sharing supplies then we are ready to go- replied Blair feeling a little silly by how nicely they were received by strangers.

Not knowing exactly what she should do she followed the woman along with Jane while Glenn and Beck talked to Amy and Andrea.

- Right now we are focusing on making sure the camp is safe. We are doing chores like laundry and cooking.- She explained while searching through bags in one of the cars.

- Carol is helping the kids with their studies, so Jane will be able to join them- She smiled again at the girl, now holding a blanket in her hands.

- I don't know how to thank you. It's all such a mess.- Blair admitted quietly as she watched the woman prepare a place for them near the tents so that they would all be in one place.

- It's nothing.- assured Lori, and Blair felt for the first time since the nightmare began that it really could be okay.

It turned out that getting into their rhythm wasn't all that difficult. Beck quickly found a job gathering wood for the evening, Blair actually went to help with the laundry, Glenn was taken in by Dale who had him help with the car, and Jane got along quite well with Sophia which Blair was extremely happy about. Before they knew it, dusk began to fall, and everyone was finishing their chores to sit by the slowly smoldering campfire.

- Dale won't join us? - Blair Asked looking at the older man now sitting comfortably on the roof of his beloved vehicle, not looking eager to get down.

- He says he's on watch, but I think he's still just distant.- Andrea answered her and apparently didn't like it either, but there was nothing she could do about it.

The flames quietly crackled against each other, the weapons lay nearby but still at hand and everyone sat close to their loved ones eating soup from the can that Carol had prepared for them.

- Then maybe it's time to get to know each other? It's not like we have anything better to do- Suggested Amy with boredom while drinking water. No one was willing to speak up first, so her initiative was a good thing in this case.

- We are not at the colony to tell five facts about ourselves- Shane's chastising voice cut off her words, and Blair began to understand why the teenager disliked him so much. After Jane shifted to her even more, she didn't like him either.

- that doesn't mean we have to sit in silence- agreed Lori not wanting his bad mood to affect everyone and especially the children.

- And I don't remember ever being at such a terrible colony before.- muttered Amy earning a quiet laugh from Andrea.

- And your colonies weren't dangerous.- she added, to which Amy said in a whisper, “you would be surprised” and for which she got a questioning look from her sister, which she quickly avoided.

- Let's start with who you are, what did you do? I was finishing school, so I don't have any interesting stories to tell, and before you start Andrea, I'm sick of hearing about your work as a lawyer. Lori what were you doing- she shrugged her shoulders in a weak apologetic gesture toward her sister before turning her gaze expectantly to the woman, as if she should tell a story full of twists and turns that would be much more interesting. This at least confirmed Blair's previous thoughts about Andrea's work. Such a sense of morality doesn't come from nowhere.

- I took care of the house, so I'm sorry, but I can't soothe your curiosity either.- She laughed hugging Carl to herself while the shadow of light cast on her face revealed a sadly nostalgic expression.

- But Shane was a police officer or something right? Will you tell some cool story about shootings and chases?- Amy continued to ask this time the man sitting next to them, and Carl stopped moving in his mother's arms as if paralyzed. In fact, all three seemed moved by her question, making her wonder if she had said something offensive. Blair herself couldn't understand what it was about, but seeing Carl's eyes well up with tears and pulling out of her embrace to escape to the tent she understood that it would be better never to bring up the subject.

- sorry!- said Amy quickly, seeing Lori immediately get up to follow him, leaving them in an even worse silence than the one before.

- I was working with his dad. Rick- Shane quietly spoke up, who took the responsibility of explaining this. Everyone remained silent as they waited for more information, although he didn't look like he felt empowered or eager to tell all either.

- A few days before all this started, we were leading the chase. The were more criminals than we assumed. One shot him. He fell into a coma. I hope this story is interesting enough.- He muttered also getting up to join Lori, leaving everyone stunned.

- I didn't know- Whispered Amy quietly now feeling guilty.

- No one knew- Carol spoke up for the first time also moved by the story.

- I will take over the watch after Dale. Tomorrow we have things to do let's go to bed.- Announced Andrea conservatively grabbing Amy's hand in a gesture of comfort, wanting to end this conversation for today. This was neither the time nor the place.

- To me anyway, it's all some kind of unfunny joke. Just because I'm here doesn't mean I want to get to know you all.- sputtered Ed who had previously been quiet only by greedily eating his portion of food as well as the one set aside for Carol, but she said nothing.

- Ed stop- Carol muttered at which he began to mumble under his breath more insults and aggressive words.

- Yes, we should rest- Glenn agreed with Andrea, no longer knowing who he should look at to confirm his words, and not wanting to start an argument with a man.

-You're right- In the end, it was Blair who agreed with him, seeing Jane's eyes begin to flutter in an attempt to stay awake despite her anxiety.

She didn't have to tell Beck to nod and he took her from her arms and carried her to the designated spot that Lori had made for them. They all followed suit, starting to clean up and go to their tents. Blair, however, couldn't bring herself to join her family right away. First she approached Carol who was just saying goodnight to Sophia before entering the tent where Ed was already there.

- Hey, Carol- She called out quietly at which the woman flinched anyway, but turned toward her.

- Hey what's wrong? Do you need something for Jane?- she asked immediately, improving her cardigan to keep warm.

- No, everything is fine with her. But I wanted you to eat something. You barely moved your dinner.- She held out a bowl toward her with a small smile. Even in the darkness she could see how pale she was, it bothered her because it didn't look like ordinary stress.

- Oh, I'm not hungry, there's so much going on. I can't eat- she lied, not even bothering to reach out toward her. Blair didn't have to know her for too long to know that something was going on.

- you know we all have to keep our strength up. I'm not very hungry either, so I thought I could give you my portion- She explained and even Carol seemed to think about her proposal, and then she was brought back to reality.

- Carol! Stop gossiping and move here!- ed practically shouted without even deigning to leave the tent. His voice made Blair's blood boil.

- I have to go. Thank you for your suggestions. Good night- she hastily said goodbye without even thinking to stay outside a moment longer, leaving her standing there with worry in her eyes.

- What did that bitch want?- she heard the man ask and had to restrain herself from going in there and spewing hot soup in his face. Maybe Andrea was wrong and not everyone deserves help.

- Is everything okay?- asked Beck when she returned to their place, annoyed. Jane was already asleep resting her head on one of the sweatshirts they had managed to pack in a hurry and a blanket. Seeing her sleeping peacefully calmed her down a bit, but she continued to be bitter.

- Yes, I'm just tired. Let's go to bed already- she disposed of the subject by arranging herself between Jane and him, having neither the strength nor the desire to bring up the subject now. If Beck knew for sure it would not end in a pleasant exchange of words, and she preferred to avoid a fight now.

That didn't mean she wanted to leave it completely. She only let it go for the day and only because there were people around.

Chapter Text

The night went quite smoothly for the new reality in which they had to live.
It was fortunate that all this happened in May. Otherwise, sleeping outside could have left them with severe hypothermia, and that was all that was still missing here, for Jane's barely clinging lungs to freeze completely.
Two days in a row of sleeping anywhere but on the bed was beginning to take its toll on Blair's back, and the crackle that pierced the air when she stretched was so loud that she feared someone might wake up and pounce on her thinking it was a zombie, because as she thought, she hadn't slept very long, but longer than the day before. Due to the lack of a clock, she couldn't judge the exact time, but the sun was already slowly appearing in the sky. Another sign of how many hours might have passed was the fact that no longer Dale was on guard duty, but instead Andrea was sitting on the camper with her face turned to the road, looking as if she was immersed in her own thoughts. Her hands clutched binoculars and a bottle of water, immediately reacting when she heard footsteps belonging to Blair, at first fully concentrating only to then relax completely at the sight of Blair.

"Are you okay?" Blair sighed rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tiredness that was still present in her body. She wouldn't fall asleep again even if she wanted to.

"It's hard for me to switch to this kind of lifestyle." she admitted, which brought a small smile to Andrea's face, although Blair couldn't see it much by the way Andrea turned her head to look at the road and the surroundings again, it was calm, empty and quiet. It was as if everything was just a strange dream after returning from the party.

"Haven't you ever gone camping?" Andrea's question was humorous, but Blair couldn't bring herself to laugh. Instead, she began slowly searching through her bags to find the necessary hygiene supplies.

"There was no opportunity. We always went to familiar places, in large part because of Jane" It was such a strange feeling, talking about it as something past that would never return. She had to push those thoughts to the back of her brain to keep from falling apart emotionally, no one needed that now. Andrea, however, understood not to push any further.

"If something happens, shout." she only said, watching Blair walk away to give herself at least some privacy in the forest. Every moment the sun was higher and higher, letting more light between the treetops, and the birds were waking up. She walked ahead until she was at just the right distance from the camp so that no one would see or hear her, but so that she would also be able to return as quickly as possible.

All this only to let go of all her belongings and lean against a tree, barely able to catch her breath because of how hard her tears flooded her face. Her legs slowly gave up, forcing her to crouch by the tree to keep from falling to the ground completely.
She wanted to be strong for everyone, but that shouldn't be her role. It shouldn't happen. She shouldn't be responsible for everything.

"We should secure the camp even more." she said to Andrea in an already calm tone a few minutes later, coming back as if nothing had happened, although her eyes were red and the skin on her cheeks was dry from constantly wiping away tears. Andrea was no longer on top of the van, instead talking to Dave and preparing something that might be suitable for breakfast. Hearing her voice, they immediately looked in her direction. His gaze still remained uncertain and wary.

"I've been thinking about it too. I'm planning a trip to get supplies for today, maybe we can find something useful."

"We can move soon, I'm almost ready!" Beck immediately spoke up, still in a sleepy voice, but apparently determined, because he was already carefully getting up from his seat so as not to wake Jane. His eyes were barely open, but he found himself at their side anyway.

"Fasten your zipper first, then I'll talk about leaving." Andrea laughed, immediately embarrassing him and making him look down, correcting his little mistake.

"You'd better bring me more gasoline." Dale interjected, not amused by their interaction. Just being in their presence made him tense, so without even waiting for an answer he grabbed a packet of crackers from Andrea and went to retake his seat on his RV. Blair felt a stab of irritation at his behavior, but she didn't want to create an argument now with the people who had rescued them. They needed their help.

"You could be a little nicer!" Andrea called out after him, immediately afterward looking at them with a silent apology in her eyes.

"We will leave soon. We need to focus on medicine, food, gasoline, maybe clothes." she piped up handing food to Blair so they could eat in peace before a full day of work.

"No problem, we'll find everything." Beck assured, not even leaving room to wonder, although there was a storm brewing in Blair's head.

Questions such as, are you sure you have to go? What if something happens and you don't come back? They appeared one after another causing confusion.

"Can you tell more about what it will look like? I'd like to be more sure." She looked at Andrea, silently begging her to at least soothe her stress a little with her answers after all, they seemed much more experienced in what they were doing. To some extent, it was frightening. Beck, at her question, immediately moved his hand down her back wanting to give her some reassurance. Andrea, however, seemed to understand her concerns.

"We're going to go in two cars, leave the camper, it was already difficult to get around yesterday, today we'd probably have to leave it there, and someone wouldn't survive it." the tip she muttered a little quieter, and their gaze spontaneously shifted to Dale.

"It's best if there are as few people with us as possible, we don't know if someone won't need help or if we won't find more stuff and need a place, but we also can't leave the camp completely unattended when we have three children. We are definitely taking Glenn though, he knows the shortcuts and roads all over the city as you might have already noticed." She explained, and Blair didn't like it any better. Being in the camp involved the fear of whether she would be able to protect the others, going into the city could mean no return. God, she wanted Beck to stay.

"Actually, it's best if the three of us go. I wouldn't want to take Amy again." She added, causing Blair's heart rate to accelerate. This situation was getting worse by the minute.

"There are walkie-talkies in Shane's car so we'll be able to communicate, Dave is working on fixing the radio so we can communicate over a greater distance, but the work has stopped for now. I can assure you, however, that we will all be back." She said looking at Blair seriously, and she knew she wasn't lying, but the fear was still present. There were so many possible situations that could derail a safe return.

"I'll go wake up Glenn, we'll leave as soon as possible. More sunlight more opportunities." Andrea smiled with a slight nod before walking away from them, giving them a moment to talk, which Blair took advantage of, looking at Beck with the same look in her eyes that she always had when he wanted to do something stupid, like getting drunk at an amusement park or stealing something small from a store. Leaving her alone with Jane to go to a place full of dead people who suddenly came to life, however, was the stupidest of all those options.

"Blair." No, usually saying "everything will be fine" is not enough.

"I won't handle it on my own if something happens to you." Blair admitted, hating how weak she sounded. She had barely had time to calm down after her earlier breakdown, and already she wanted to fall apart again.

"Don't say that. You won't have to do anything alone, because I'll be back. We need to return the favor to these people and bring more supplies, and if we can save someone else in the process, it's worth it." he said calmly grabbing her shoulders to make sure his words got through. Deep down he didn't want to leave either, he'd rather stay here, but how far would they go sitting around doing nothing?

"I have to learn as much as possible to be able to keep you safe, we don't know how long we will stay with these people" She knew he was right, she was just scared.

"I will be careful. If we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, I'll retreat right away, and if I can't, I'll do my best to survive. I can promise you that" the kiss he placed on her forehead was like a seal placed on his words.

"I beg you not to play the hero" she muttered in return, feeling helpless. She couldn't tell him to stay, but she couldn't go with him. She had never felt so trapped.

"I won't." He assured, directing his gaze to Andrea and Glenn who was in even worse state than Beck.

"We could leave a little later..." he complained while taking a bottle of water to at least wake up a little, but instead he almost choked because of the way Andrea slapped him on the back.

"We don't have time to complain. We need to see what the situation is like and gather supplies." She reminded, getting down to emptying one of the bags to have more room for new things. Blair, wanting something to do, took the food she had taken out and set it aside. Eventually they emptied two bags this way, leaving only the essentials for the three of them there. Meanwhile, Shane woke up, not really happy that his car would be used for this plan, but he didn't stop them.

"We're going before Amy wakes up. We'll try to be back before dinner." Andrea announced throwing all their belongings into Shane's car, while Beck found himself with Glenn in their car, which not long ago they and Jane had fled their hometown.

"We'll go first, you ride behind us." Glenn said to her getting into the passenger seat of the car and Andrea waved her hand in agreement, taking her own seat in the other car. Blair stayed with the supplies, still arranging them although it didn't improve anything. Beck took one last look at her, seeing how she avoided his gaze, unable to do anything he sighed and also got into the car, starting the engine almost immediately. Watching them drive away was a painful feeling, one she had never felt before.

"Blair?" But this wasn't about her, the world didn't revolve around her.

"I'm coming, Jane."

The silence in Beck's car was...tense, filled with stress, even though they were driving in a familiar direction. The closer they got to downtown Atlanta, the more Beck wondered if he was doing the right thing. He couldn't answer that question for himself, so he had to fill the silence somehow, even if it meant silly small talk.

"Dale is not a very talkative person" was the only thing he could come up with ok? His mind was chaos.
Glenn fortunately felt the same way.

"He's worried about Andrea and Amy, that's why he doesn't trust you. I don't even know if he trusts me." he said, pulling a map out of the car's glove compartment to make sure the shortcuts he had in his head were adequate to get through as many cars as possible.

"We just want to survive." the very idea that he and Blair were going to attack them or even try was like an unfunny joke. Would they risk too much for? More food? Nonsense.

"I know, everyone is trying to do it. I trust you." if those words had been said by someone else, Beck would have doubted, but Glenn? Glenn was an angel, he was already convinced of it.

"We'll turn left, avoid the smaller streets we'd have trouble getting out of, but we won't stay in sight." he said over the walkie-talkie, immediately getting a response from Andrea. Another stretch of road, another silence interspersed only with the sounds of walkie-talkies.

"Stop here, it will look like someone just left the car." at Glenn's words he immediately stopped, and Andrea behind them did the same. The city now seemed completely empty, as if it had been abandoned for a long time. All sorts of things were scattered everywhere and blood, blood was on everything.

Beck swallowed the lump in his throat formed from stress.

"Do we have a protocol if we find someone? Or do we just improvise?" He asked even before they got out of the car, but by the look on Glenn's face he already knew the answer.

"We improvise." and with those words they just left the car. Everyone had their bag and weapons to ensure safety. If a piece of metal tubing could provide it. For comfort, Glenn had the hammer from Dale's camper, and Andrea had an axe. Beck felt like he had pulled out the smallest stick of them all.

"Let's not get too far apart, we need to keep each other in sight." whispered Andrea walking first down the street, stopping her gaze at every object lying under their feet, quickly assessing whether it would be useful, Glenn and Beck followed behind her, picking up those items she nodded at.

"It's impossible for everyone to escape from here." Beck muttered, stopping by the first aid kit on the ground to quickly look through it and eventually toss it into his bag.

"Everyone thought the same thing. Leaving the city would be the best option." Andrea muttered, cursing angrily at the sight of a bloody child's blouse lying on the asphalt. It was clear that most people didn't even have time to leave these streets, the army, the dead or other people could get them, and the end was the same.

"For us, it worked out for the best." Glenn tried to lighten the situation, although he himself had a hard time looking at the human remains with their heads smashed around them. The smell was repulsive, even worse than the sight itself.

"So far so good, but it would be good to keep our luck up." Andrea took her steps cautiously, clutching her axe tightly, her head turning at every slightest sound caused by the gentle breeze. It was dangerously quiet. All three stopped at one car, starting to collect gasoline. Andrea looked around.

"Okay, Glenn what's closest to us besides the clothing stores, we need to head somewhere instead of collecting stuff from the street or someone's apartment." Glenn thought for a moment, searching his mind as the map was left in the car.

"The closest would probably be the hospital, fifteen minutes away by car." he finally said while turning on a canister filled with gasoline. Beck tensed slightly at the mention of the hospital.

Maybe if he went there now, he could convince Blair not to do it? Visions of what he might see there kept popping up in his head, even if he wanted to think positively.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." another male voice spoke up behind them, immediately putting them on alert for a fight, only to have their attention focused on the man standing in front of the woman and child with his hands up. He had no weapons, and the woman and child looked terrified.
Andrea, however, did not show them to lower their weapons.

"I mean, you really don't want to go there. The military started killing everyone there, there were so many bodies there, swarming with the dead." the man quickly added in a panicked tone and Andrea's sharp gaze did not leave him for a moment. Beck's stomach did an unpleasant flip at these words. The man may have been lying, but everyone saw what was happening on the streets...

"Are you alone?" Andrea asked and her voice was serious, having a warning in it not to try anything.

"yes, just us. Because of the riots, we couldn't get out of here." the woman said this time in a trembling voice, pressing her daughter more closely to her, who hid her face in her clothes.

Andrea's gaze moved slowly over all three of them, analyzing her words.

"Don't you have any weapons?" The couple shook their heads.

"we only have a car with our stuff and some food, we were here in transit when everything started, we ran out of gasoline." he explained, pointing with his finger to where a dozen cars stood. They didn't look like they were from Atlanta, Andrea had to admit. Glenn's fingers tightened on the gasoline canister waiting to see what Andrea would say.

"Please help us." the woman's voice was pleading; she was on the verge of tears. Trusting people could only end in two ways, but Andrea had already made up her mind.

"We have a camp, we can take you there if you can share supplies with us and help with the work." She announced and the Beck let his hand with the weapon drop, showing that they were not a threat, but the woman twitched fearfully anyway, as if expecting him to suddenly change his mind.

"Really?" the man asked and Andrea also lowered her weapon, showing Glenn to hand them the gasoline canister, he looked at her slightly displeased but handed it to them, causing relief on the family's faces.

"I am Morales, this is my wife Eliza and daughter Miranda." he said and his voice trembled as he introduced his family. It wasn't a very good place for such talk, however, because with each louder sound, the scuffling against the ground became louder, signaling that the dead were heading their way. Andrea was aware of this.

"Glenn will take you to our camp." She informed pointing her hand at Glenn who waved awkwardly in their direction, correcting his hat.

"Thank you, we really thank you. You are good people." the woman choked out between sobs and nasal strokes.

"Try to drive carefully so as not to attract too many walkers behind you." she warned, not waiting any longer just started walking in another direction, quietly telling Beck to do the same.

"Be safe, tell Blair we'll be back soon," he said to them, more so to Glenn, and he didn't need to be convinced twice, letting him follow Andrea with a little more composure.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Glenn immediately say something to them and they immediately start running to Morales' car.

"You could have sent me with them, now without Glenn we won't know the way." he lightly complained turning his weapon in his hands anxiously through the increasing sounds of groans and cringing.

"You know I live here, stop being dramatic." she rebuked him, running toward more cars to get more gasoline. Walkers turned their heads toward them by the sound of their conversation, immediately opening their mouths ready to clench their teeth into their skin. The sound of bones breaking sent chills through their skin, but they kept moving, wanting to keep as much distance as possible instead of immediately throwing themselves into battle.

"I'm not being dramatic, I think Glenn is better for situations like this than I am" His voice rose an octave when one of the walkers came dangerously close, forcing him to punch it, making the dead man's head twist dangerously and the bones snap, but he kept walking towards him, showing no pain, forcing Beck to push the rotting body away so that it fell so that he could run on, not even noticing that the dead bodies could crawl on the ground.

Andrea moved with ease, jumping over the trash can lying on the ground, although Beck almost fell to the ground by trying to do the same. They had to work quickly, grabbing as many items as they could, filling yet another canister, protecting each other, although the dead were slowly making their way toward them, but fortunately it wasn't a large horde like before, although thinking about it longer, thinking about where all the walkers had moved to was disconcerting.

"Let's go. We have to start getting back before more of them gather here." Andrea informed as she closed the trunk of Shane's car, now much more loaded with various things and bags that had been abandoned by other people.

"Even now I don't know if we'll be able to leave." Beck muttered, hitting one dead man close to their car in the head, disabling him. His hands ached with a dull ache from the effort as he took the passenger seat. He couldn't even count in his head how many times he had to swing to kill another walker, but the smell of their bodies and blood lingered in his nostrils, a constant reminder.

"We can do it." Andrea assured taking her seat, immediately starting the car even before Beck had time to mentally prepare for it, or fasten his seat belt. He was almost certain that he had just seen his soul fly out of his body when Andrea made the turn, almost driving into the wall of the building.

"Andrea!" Beck called out grabbing his seat as if it would save him. Andrea nodded her head looking vaguely apologetic.

"My mistake." she muttered as she pulled out onto the road, running over what Beck hoped was a dead man.

The fact that they made it back to camp in one piece was more luck than getting away from the hungry walkers. Beck felt like kissing the ground when he stepped out of the car, and would have done so had he not noticed that there were definitely more people than when they left, because, not counting Morales and his family, there was a woman sitting by the tents along with Carol, visibly distraught,
Next to her stood a skinny man talking to Shane, and another man sat by the extinguished campfire. Beck had to admit, it was getting quite crowded in this short time.

"Why didn't you wake me up! I would have gone with you!" Amy immediately attacked them, and more so Andrea, who immediately dodged her to put some of the bags on the ground.

"You wouldn't be up this early." she shrugged her shoulders greeting everyone, while Beck felt Jane hugging him after noticing his presence, Blair also quickly directed her steps towards him, looking as if she was about to hit him, it was good that Jane was next to him, it provided safety from violence on her part. At least for the moment.

"Are you insane? Do you know how scared I was when Glenn came back alone?" She said chastisingly, only to then hug him, squeezing him tighter than ever.

"Hey, I'm sorry, we had to improvise when we met Morales, there was no point in us all coming back" He explained but that didn't reassure her, he could tell by the way she squeezed him even tighter.

"You were supposed to go to get supplies, and you came back with a whole bunch of people" Shane sneered looking at the newcomers with an uncomfortable look, at which Lori slapped him on the shoulder to make him shut up.

"That's right, on the way back we found T-dog, Jim and Jacqui" Glenn chimed in introducing the new people, drawing even more attention to them. T-dog nodded in their direction, being the first to speak of the new people.

"If it weren't for you, I would be dead by now, thank you" his voice was serious, and although he spoke sincerely Shane wasn't the only one unhappy with their presence.

"Are you guys kidding me? If we gather all the homeless here we will soon have no food." Ed spat out in disgust, not a bit eager to get acquainted with the new people.

"And he will surely eat half of our supplies" He added sarcastically pointing his hand at T-dog, at which he looked at him menacingly.

"Can you repeat that?" T-dog growled getting up from his seat, alerting the others.

"ok no more! We're not here to argue!" lori said looking at them with a slightly panicked look, because no one wanted to see bloodshed, especially since there were children around them.

"If something doesn't suit you, you can always try to survive on your own" Shane added toward Ed, Wanting to impress Lori with his attitude, even if he didn't like it.

"bunch of idiots" Ed snarled grabbing Carol's arm to forcefully put her on her feet and push her towards the tent, Sophia followed slowly behind them, not looking at the adults because she didn't want them to see her tears.
Andrea clenched her teeth, unpacking the bags from the car with renewed aggression. The tension between everyone was palpable.

"I hate him" muttered Blair moving away from Beck to help Andrea while Jane went toward Lori to help her and Carl stack the canned food in one place.

"He's dangerous, we don't know what he'll do if we intervene" Replied Beck feeling uneasy at the thought. It was no secret that Ed was a violent unscrupulous man, so the situation was not as simple as it seemed.

"Let him try to get close to Jane and I'll break his arms," she stated without hesitation, all the while making sure that she was in sight.
These words didn't surprise Beck too much, he was able to do the same if necessary, there was no room for thinking in this world. But also speaking of Jane.

"She took a liking to Lori" He stated watching as she obeyed the woman, putting things away where she showed her, and even quietly talking to her. Other than Glenn, she was the only person she seemed reasonably comfortable with, that was progress.

"Yeah, Lori knows how to take care of kids, knows how to talk to them." Blair admitted feeling a little bitter over this. A strange woman was something she couldn't do.

"Have you found any medicine? I'm trying to teach Jane breathing exercises, but I don't know if they'll help with the attack" She asked right after, wanting to change the subject and not show how affected she was by this.

"Unfortunately not and hey, you're doing the best you can. Don't blame yourself." he said grabbing her hands to make her look at him. The mixture of emotions was evident in her eyes, reflecting the chaos in her head. His voice reassured her despite her ever-growing doubts. At this point Beck knew that the topic of the hospital would have to be put on hold; he couldn't tell her now that going there would be impossible.

He would do it, but not now, just a moment more.

But for the next few hours, that "moment" was not found. Everyone was preoccupied with various tasks, such as gently enlarging the camp, hanging up cans around it to create an alarm, cooking food, and preliminary cleaning. As if they didn't look at the negative side of the situation, it looked like a campground, and even when going out to get supplies, Beck found a tent for them! Admittedly, it was cramped, but it was better than sleeping under completely bare skies. Today Glenn was on guard duty while the others were catching as much rest as possible, but Blair couldn't sleep. She woke up a dozen times before she finally let go of trying and slowly walked out of the tent so as not to wake anyone else. The campfire was out leaving not much light, forcing her to move carefully between the other tents to try to step aside and get some fresh air.

From what she could see Glenn wasn't doing very well on guard duty, as his snoring could be heard even from where she was standing. She could at least take advantage of the fact that she was already up and switch places with him so that he could go to sleep without endangering everyone. No offense Glenn!
She slowly started walking toward the RV, stopping only because of a strange feeling. Looking around, she didn't see or hear anything, but she felt watched. Her heart beat faster at the thought that the walkers could have made it all the way here, the only problem was that they would immediately move toward them and make the cans alert everyone.

"Glenn!" She said in a whisper wanting to wake him up because paranoia was starting to stress her out, but he didn't move, instead she felt the barrel of a gun put to her head.

"Don't scream doll, I don't want to blow your head off."

Chapter Text

"Blair! Happy birthday! You're already so big!" the woman's soothingly warm voice was a better gift for her than the toys she got, and her eyes shone so brightly even though the fire on the little candles pushed in want the cake were long extinguished, forgotten.

"Thank you for the party! This is the best day of my life!" She said joyfully throwing herself around her mother's neck, almost knocking her over by how energetic she was, but the woman only laughed, hugging her even tighter, as much as her pregnant belly allowed without discomfort.

"You deserved it, my Blair, you deserved the best."

Blair thought that in a situation where one had a gun pressed to one's head then time would slow down, one would be able to hear all the sounds as sharpened and loud as if she had superpowers just like in the movies, now she was cursing all the producers for coming up with this, because oh hell it wasn't slow. The world around her sped up along with her heart, and her gaze ran from the sleeping Glenn to Jane. In particular, when she looked at Jane. The world may have been going downhill, but she didn't think she'd ever have a gun put to her head. The feeling of swallowed saliva choked her. 

"Don't do anything stupid." the man added and all she could do was nod slowly. Every breath was too loud for her taste and she was afraid that whoever was standing right behind her would think the same thing. The barrel of the gun was pressed so tightly against her head that she felt as if any movement she made could make it fire itself and felt the bullet pierce her head. 

"Let me look at you." His voice was a faint imitation of concern, which was actually a sneer at the way he grabbed her arm and turned her toward him. Despite the darkness that was still around she could see very clearly his sunken eyes or crooked smile and the gun that was now at her forehead. 

The stench of cigarettes and alcohol was palpable even when she tried not to breathe too much, because all she could think about was that every next inhale could be her last, or worse could result in her never holding Jane in her arms again. She begged in her mind for someone to wake up. 

"There are children here." She managed to croak out unable to tear her gaze away from his hideous stare that practically undressed her. The man cmoched, tapping the gun against her head, displeased by her words, or by the fact that she spoke at all. She had no weapon on her, and reaching for anything was not an option. 

"I won't hurt them. I'm a good friend of yours. I just want some supplies, and that's what you can give me, right?" The way he leaned toward her, practically touching her cheek with his own caused a wave of disgust that was getting harder and harder to stem. The small crack of a broken branch, however, sufficiently shifted her attention to the space behind the man. Her blood turned icy when in the midst of the shadows of the night stood Carl, who looked at them terrified. Of all the people who were around, he was the one who had to be awake. She cursed many people and gods in her mind at that moment. The man's head also turned slowly toward the sound, and his smile remained impassive. He smiled even more. 

"How charming." he practically muttered and his other hand began to descend into his pants pocket to pull something out. Blair wasn't exactly thinking logically when she pulled away to reach for the man's gun, but she did, praying that Carl didn't see anything even more traumatic.

That was the only thing that came to mind when she screamed and reached out to the man before he turned in annoyance and the gun hit her in the face, knocking her down. Only then did the commotion begin. Someone scrambled, someone shouted, and the gun went off, for a moment as she lay there looking up at the sky she wondered if this is what hell looks like now. 

And whether every hell has helicopters flying over.

"Blair!" Beck shouted lifting her off the ground, only then releasing her from these thoughts, making her realize that they were all already on their feet, pointing their guns at each other. And the stranger was still smiling as tauntingly as if he challenged them all to just try to pull the trigger, while another man standing next to him, holding a crossbow aimed at Shane asked quietly "whose weapon will be faster?" 

"I'm fine." she assured without even looking at Beck, the pain was far from what she was focused on. Blake's fingers rubbed her skin, wiping away a few drops of blood that oozed from her nose by the impact. He was more terrified than she was.  

"Did you have to shoot right away? We were sneaking around on purpose so as not to attract our dead friends." sneered the taller stranger, taking no notice of Shane's question, who ordered them to say what they wanted. Carl was already in Lori's arms, safe from at least one danger, but tears streamed down his cheeks as he glanced toward the men. 

"you're the one who comes here and waves a gun. Are you stupid?" Andrea interjected sharply into the conversation, not sharing his amusement and positive attitude despite the situation. No one did, because it was more like a fucking nightmare. 

"Doll, take it easy. I'm not the one who decided to lash out at someone who was trying to have a normal conversation." his voice practically dripped with sarcasm that was aimed at Blair, at which she felt anger. 

"You put a gun to my head. That's what you call normal conversation?" She said trying to move away from Beck so she could once again face the asshole who hit her, but Blake held her so she wouldn't do something even more stupid. So that she wouldn't accidentally kill herself. 

"Sunshine, you started it." but oh she felt like taking a chance. 

"I asked you something." Shane spoke up again before Blair had time to open her mouth and say anything else. The other man remained quiet, just watching the situation, not lowering his crossbow an inch, ready to kill Shane. He was pressed against the man next to him, as if he was afraid something would happen. As if he himself didn't trust him not to do something stupid.  

"As I told this impulsive beauty, I just wanted to borrow some supplies. You have a pretty nice camp here, I think it's necessary to help others, don't you, officer?" He muttered mockingly without taking anything from Shane's serious attitude. 

"You guys will help yourselves when you get out of here and we won't have to kill you." the stranger laughed again before he spoke again and his voice sounded even more like he smokes two packs of cigarettes a day.  

"I'm not crazy right? Did you hear the gunshot too? And do you know who probably heard it too?" The sun finally appeared in the sky, a new day was beginning, or perhaps the end of their lives. 

"Son of a bitch." Shane shouted moving to most likely hit him, fortunately stopped by Lori and Amy, but it triggered a reaction from the other man. He finally spoke up and his voice was hoarse but more serious than his companion's. 

"One more step and I'll shoot you." everyone knew they were trapped. 

"Wow, take it easy little brother. We don't have to kill each other right away, the dead will bail us out unless we help each other." he said tilting his head to look at everyone's faces. He gloated at Carl's cry, Shane's anger or Andrea's disgust, it was like a reward. 

"Since we could come here without any problem, the dead will do it too, and the bad people? It's better not to think about it, but you can have us on your side." he acted as if it was all a game, disregarding the real threat that could have had much worse consequences. Blake pulled Jane even tighter to him, quietly reassuring her so she wouldn't get a seizure. 

"But?" Andrea spoke up and his smile was directed at her. 

"But there will be a place for us here. We could kill the cop and make you go back to the street, but where would all the human solidarity be in that? This world is so terrible now, let's help each other." you could see from the faces on everyone's faces how disastrous this idea was. If there weren't so many children in the camp then maybe fighting would be a possibility, but not now, not like this.

"No way. Do you expect us to let you sleep with us and politely wait for you to kill us in the middle of the night?" shane spat all shaking from the aggression that bubbled up inside him. 

"We didn't do it today. We didn't do it when you came here and violated our territory. We were friendly from the beginning, weren't we, Daryl?" He poked the man next to him, to which the man only muttered something under his breath and only then lowered his crossbow, but he didn't look like he liked it himself. But if they really had been watching them for days, they really had a lot of moments where they could easily kill everyone. It was a frightening thought.

"We're going to be good friends, your friend Merle always sticks to his promises. " he announced, and just like that, their camp grew by leaps and bounds, now more like a school trip, although the glances cast at the brothers were telling. Blair had the most trouble accepting this, avoiding any contact with them, and no one surprised her. No one trusted Merl and Daryl too much, and no one was surprised, because Merl did nothing to improve his behavior, he continued to be insolent and arrogant, brandishing a gun before Shane took it from him, but they did nothing to hurt anyone in the camp, and that was a big advantage. they could not afford to fight the dead and other people now. Everyone had to focus on finding their place in the camp, no matter if it was taking care of the children, taking care of food, taking care of security, or going out to get supplies. 

Everyone had their own tasks and it worked. 

A quiet week passed, but everything quiet is quickly trampled in a world like this. And things started to go downhill on the morning when some people were getting ready to go to town for supplies. It was supposed to be a quick trip. Glenn, Andrea, t-dog (the newest member to join their group) and Beck. Few people, little noise, little possible attrition. That was the plan.

"The military has surely already finished off the rest of the people who unfortunately remained there." Andrea sighed in frustration as she looked at the map spread out on the hood of the car. They were about to set off at a moment's notice, but they had to have a tec plan to avoid getting into trouble. 

"We will move between buildings, avoiding main roads . We'll go through as many stores as possible, each of which must have a first aid kit and a back room with tools." Glenn immediately added taking a pen to mark the stores off to the side. Being in the center was not wise, each of them was aware of that without thinking about it for too long. 

"We need more medicine. In the first-aid kits, the only things that will be there are painkillers and that's a good thought in general." Beck interjected running his eyes for a moment to Jane who was just busy with Carol, Sophia and Carl. 

"What exactly do we need?" Andrea asked without hesitation.

"If we are lucky, Beclometasone or Budesonide. If not, Salbutamol or Fenoterol." He listed already sensing that this would not work out. All possible pharmacies or medical outlets were sure to either be robbed or full of dead people hanging around. He was beginning to doubt if anything would come of it at all. 

"I know a few places where you can get medicine." he said. Merle was the one who then interjected into the conversation, which he had overheard from the very beginning. 

"We won't be going to drug dealers' hideouts." T-g answered him roughly, to which he got a look of disgust. 

"Don't start." Andrea quickly interrupted what Merle was about to say before he even opened his mouth. 

"If you don't want help then do what you want. Good luck trying to find something more than tylanol." he whistled, and they exchanged glances. Beck really didn't want to be with Merle, and the memory of blood flying from Blair's nose was still fresh, but what if he was the only one who could help Jane? Inferring from the look Blair was throwing him since Merle approached them, he knew he would regret his decision. 

"Let him come with us. In a worst-case situation, we'll leave him as bait." he muttered while taking his bag of belongings because they already had to go, he had to get away from Blair's reluctance and think rationally. He knew he should approach her, tell her he loved her and this situation required such a compromise, but before he could even do that, she was already gone and he had to go. He knew she was angry, but if it meant Jane would be safe, he was able to handle it.

"Here you go, I thought you were boring." Merle laughed, just as quickly getting into the car with the others. 

"There's real shit in the city. A few days ago it was already full of them but now it's definitely not going to be passable." merle went on now already in the car, apparently not reading the silence that prevailed between them as a message that no one wanted to be there with him. 

"You're the one who offered to help us, so you'd better come up with something." Andrea muttered without going into deeper conversation with the asshole, which didn't mean he felt discouraged by it.

"That's why we will go to the west. There are a lot of buildings there, stores, but still far from the center. You guys go shopping, I'll go for more important things." he shrugged his shoulders without even looking at them and helped locate the said place on the map.

"And we're supposed to let you go alone to do something stupid?" Beck sneered looking at him with a seriousness that brought out another sickeningly confident smile that he had already managed to hate over these few days. 

"If you mean that you think I'm going to kill you, then believe me I live well in our camp where your girlfriend washes my clothes. I'd be a fool if I squandered it, pretty boy." Beck's knuckles turned white from the firm squeeze of a crowbar meant to be used as a weapon on the dead. Now it was Merle who was asking her the most to become one of those monsters. 

"Don't let yourself be provoked by this idiot." Andrea immediately said while looking at them through the rear view mirror. This allowed Beck to calm down a bit, he needed to save his strength, this asshole wasn't worth it, especially since driving into Atlanta meant they were about to face everything again. 

If someone had told him then when he was running with Jane in his arms and praying to the gods to save them that he would be going back to this place and looking even worse than before he probably would have laughed. The streets were much more deserted, dirtier with entrails, rotten bodies and dried blood. No more screams or explosions could be heard, no one was running around screaming for help. Everything looked like it came out of some horror movie and was still so unreal. 

T-dog parked in front of one of the alleys leading to the small store area. Getting out, Beck felt an unpleasant Deja vi. 

"Let's try to attract as little attention as possible. We didn't come here to kill the dead, we collect and leave." Andrea spoke quickly, once again passing her eyes over everyone to make sure everyone had some kind of weapon just in case. 

"I could try to go up to the roof of this store, I would use the radio from Dale, I could direct you if something happenes" glenn said pointing to one closely placed building to which Andrea nodded. 

"Go with Beck. There may be useful things in the building and if something happened we would be able to warn each other. Me and T-dog will have one walkie-talkie, Merle will get one." the way she said it and handed him the walkie-talkie expressed how happy she was with the idea. 

"See you later" she said goodbye, walking away with T-dog to one side, Merle at that time turned towards Beck, throwing his walkie-talkie into his bag.

"What kind of medicine are you looking for?" he asked with superiority emanating from him. The fact that he was the only one who could help him seemed better to Merle than food, and that meant a lot in this world. 

"You won't remember the names. I need something for asthma, something that expands the bronchi quickly if you even know what that means." Beck couldn't help but feel mischievous as the situation gnawed at him. He should handle it himself and not rely on someone like this. 

"Did you lose your breath at the sight of me?" And he lost his patience. 

"If a child dies because you were making jokes and instead of at least looking for medicine you wanted to show off then I hope the weight of that responsibility will keep you awake at night." he spat out, not even able to look at him but immediately showed Glenn to go. 

If he had turned around then he might have noticed the shadow of seriousness that flashed across Merle's face, but he didn't. 

"Do you know how to use it?" He only spoke up once they were inside the building and made sure there were no dead people inside, although the glass front door didn't look so stable. It was some kind of boutique filled with mannequins and clothes, each of the blank white faces they passed evoked in him the urge to draw his weapon. That's why he was so happy when they found the fire stairs leading to the roof. 

"Dale has been explaining it to me a bit over the last few days, we shouldn't have a big problem." Glenn admitted, opening the door to the roof. From here, most of the city could be seen, and the explanation for why there weren't that many dead in the alleys where they ran. From the rooftop, there was a perfect view of the herd of dead who must have somehow been lured to one place, most likely by a tank standing nearby and the remnants of military supplies being all around. There were probably a hundred of them. Beck could practically feel the blood drain from his face. 

"If we had driven into the center we wouldn't have left." he said only after a moment, helping Glenn unpack his bag to pull out his radio and binoculars. 

"Merle must have been watching the area when he was out hunting." And there he was again. Beck was beginning to believe that he had been born just to annoy him.

"Don't let that get him down. I'm not going to run into this thing to save his ass." he pointed his finger at the herd, looking as if someone had suddenly stopped time and thus the people. 

"Rather no one would survive an encounter with them." 

"We found some blankets, some food." Andrea said an hour and a half later when they appeared in the building with T-dog, out of breath from running, but with bags filled from various things. 

"There's not much here except clothes." Beck replied as he helped them with their belongings, trying very hard to ignore the dead who were banging on the glass door. 

"At least they haven't come in here yet. This would be a good place for us to go for supplies." She said looking around at all the scattered things. If only they could dispose of the dead every now and then it would even be safe here. 

"Merle's not here yet?" She asked as they started heading to the roof where Glenn continued to sit.

"No. We only saw him walking towards one of the buildings, then he disappeared." and he might not be coming back, that's what he wanted to say, but he left that thought to himself. 

"Let's contact him, we should start returning soon." she said between catching her breath, now already standing on the roof amidst the sunshine.

"Guys. I think we've got a bigger problem than Merle," Glenn suddenly spoke up, handing the binoculars to Andrea, pointing to a spot. 

"What the fuck?" She asked, correcting the binoculars several times to make sure she was sure she was seeing correctly.  

"What's wrong?" interjected Beck, not knowing what was going on, and not feeling like being surprised again. 

"Some man is riding a horse directly into the herd" Glenn explained rubbing his face with a mixture of disbelief.

"I think it's a cop" Andrea added having some uncertainty in her voice. If he was like Shane then he was asking for trouble himself. 

"And he just drove into the herd. Oh my God, they got the horse." her voice turned to disgust and she moved the binoculars away from her face, not wanting to watch his horse being ripped apart by a dozen dead. Beck quickly seized the binoculars.

"We won't help him since he ended up there." T-dog said without even having to look through the binoculars to know what was about to happen. It was a certain, inevitable death. It was dangerous to be alone with one dead person, let alone hundreds of them. 

"But we should do something." Glenn said in response, feeling bad about leaving the man to die. 

"We won't help someone who is already dead." T-dog argued, wanting to stay with rational thinking. He didn't want to run into something that would be a suicide mission. Even if all the weapons stockpiled it would be unfeasible.

"He went into the tank! He's alive!" Beck spoke up loudly, and Glenn didn't wait long to start switching stations on the radio. 

"We're not going to save him from this situation." Andrea reminded, still trying to hold back a gag reflex because of the memories of the horse's ripped body, but it didn't stop them.

"We can try." Glenn said with determination and his hand turned the radio dial harder. The noise grew louder for a moment until it quieted, then he began to speak. 

"Hey, you. Dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?"