♤

T, Charlie and I sat in the shade of the RV, Charlie messing with some toys he found, T sitting, sweating and generally looking like Hell while I sat, watching and fiddling with a hand gun that had been left.

I could shoot it, I endured a course once after Charlie's father. I couldn't do any fancy tricks, but I could shoot it.

"I found some more batteries," Dale stated as he wandered back over with his hands full. "An excellent new machete, and I thought Glenn might like this guitar"

I smiled. Dale. Always so thoughtful, we could all be scavenging for food, but if he saw something that reminded him of one of us, he'd take it, just to see us happy.

T sat, smoking as Dale at beside him. "No drugs?"

"Ibuprofen...And these" T said, his voice quiet as he gestured to the lit cigarette in his hand. "What are we doing?" He sighed and asked us.

Dale looked around, "Gathering supplies?"

T shook his head and flicked some ash from his cig. "No, what are we doing? People off in the woods, looking for that poor girl and we're here..Why?" He paused for a second, "Because they think we're the weakest"

"What are you? 70?"

Dale shook his head, "64"

"And then we got single mother and son, and then we got me, the only black guy, you realise how precarious that makes my situation?" T continued.

"T, what are you talking about?" I asked, wondering if deliria was beginning to set in.

"I'm talking about two good ol' cowboy sheriffs, and a redneck whose brother cut off his own hand because I dropped the key, now, who you think gonna be the first to get lynched?" T explained, his mind clearly not in a sane, working condition.

Dale and I glanced at each other. "No one's getting lynched, T"

"Am I missing something? Those 'cowboys' have done alright by us, and if I'm not mistaken that redneck went out of his way to save your ass....more than once" Dale said loudly.

T looked at Dale, and then me, and then Dale again, "Yeah, and don't forget about Andrea, she kills her own sister--"

"--She's already dead" Dale grumbled to himself,

"Yeah she wanted to blow herself up, she's all there?" T chuckled, clearly not in he correct state of mind.

Dale sat up, "She's having a tough time, what is wrong with you?" He growled.

"The whole world having a tough time! Damn man, open your eyes, look where we are stuck in this mess here!" T-Dog began shouting and balling as Dale and I tried to hush him.

After a few seconds, T looked between the pair of us. "Let's just go, take the RV and go" He banged on the side and closed his eyes tight.

It was clear that this wasn't him, it was the infection. He was acting out of character. "What the Hell is wrong with you? You've gone off the deep end!" Dale snapped.

"I mean it man, why are we on the side of the road like live bait? Let's go, us, all of us. Let's go before they get back" T begged, slouching now.

I stood up and pressed my hand to his forehead. The heat that was radiating from him was worrying. "Dale, he's burning up"

Dale's eyes were wide as he took the tablets from T's hand and forced him to take 3. "That'll knock that fever down"

I handed T some water as Dale looked around and muttered, "Where the Hell are they?"

We sat around a while loner until Glenn, Daryl, Andrea and Carol arrive back and gave us the news about Carl.

"Shot? What do you mea shot?!" Dale exclaimed.

Glenn panted as he came over, "I don't know man, all I know is this chick came outta no where and took Lori"

Dale looked at them all frantically, "You let her?" He asked, starring at Dale as he did.

"Climbed down out of my asshole man" He growled, storming away over to Charlie who was playing by the RV. "Rick sent her, she knew Lori and Carl's name"

Dale looked over at Andrea, "I hears screams, was it you?"

But Andrea ignored her and headed over to the RV, the same as Daryl. "She got attacked by a walker, it was a close call" Glenn explained as people began settling down.

"Andrea, are you alright?"

She turned to him for a second and shook her head before she slammed the door of the RV.  We all felt the tension as Daryl watched me head over to Charlie and cuddle up to him.

I sat, imaging what I'd do with myself if Charlie was ever in the position that Carl was. How lost I'd feel. The pain in the tears I'd shed. A few tears fell as I sat, thinking about the alternate reality until his soft voice pulled me out. "Mommy, why are you crying?" He asked as I looked down at him through tears.

"It's nothing, I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have you" I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me. "I love you, sweetie"

Carol, Andrea, Dale and Glenn came out of the RV, having an argument of sorts.

"I won't do it.We can't just leave" Carol cried as Daryl wandered over, joining us all as I stood up.

Dale sighed as he leant against the door, "Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak"

"What if she comes back and we're not here?" Carol snarled, clearly still hopeful for her daughter. "It could happen"

"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful" Andrea defended, empathising with Carol.

Daryl nodded, listening to both sides. "Okay," He began. "We gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV." Daryl explained.

I smiled as Daryl took charge.

"If the RV is staying, I am, too" Dale explained.

Carol smiled as her eyes filled with water. "Thank you. Thank you, both."

I smiled, "I'll stay too, do what I can to help"

Glenn looked around at us all, "Well, if you're all staying then I'm...--"

Dale shook his head, "Not you, Glenn. You're going. Take Carol's Cherokee."

"Me? Why is it always me?" He exacerbated.

"You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on" Dale began explaining before I interrupted.

"Glenn, T-Dog is in a bad state, he has a serious infection. Getting him there, isn't an option. I also want you to take Charlie, I need him somewhere safe" I explained looking over at Charlie who was moaning already.

Dale nodded, "She's right, it's gone from bad to worse, see if they any antibiotics for him"

As Dale spoke, Daryl wandered over to his brother's bike, the one we had recently been on the back of together. "If not, T-Dog could die, no joke"

Daryl wandered back over, a rag in hand as well as a bag of pills. "Keep your oily rags off my brother motorcycle!" He snapped as he threw the rag at Dale.

He was still clearly upset over his brothers departure, as was I, as much of an asshole as he was, he looked after Charlie and I. I was grateful.

Daryl shifted through the bag of pills as he spoke, "Why'd you wait til now to say anything?" He asked. "Got my brothers stash"

As he rummaged through, he muttered to himself, "Crystal, X...Don't need that," He hummed, "Got some kick-ass painkillers.." He threw them to Glenn before carrying on,

"Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class. Merle got the clap on occasion" He explained with a shrug, as if it was nothing, before taking the rest back over to the bike, arranging them as if he never touched them.

Dale smiled, chuckled and then wandered over to T with the pills, giving him some water to wash them down with.

Charlie stood and wandered after Daryl, despite my efforts to keep him put.

Daryl's POV

"Daryl, Daryl!" A boy yelled as he followed behind me.

"What's up, kid?" I asked with a harsh grunt before turning and looking at him, taking a sip of water.

He smiled and looked at me, "What's Clap?"

As quick as the water went down, it came back up with a sharp cough as I choked on the water. "What?" I managed to squeeze out.

"You mentioned Uncle Merle got Clap? Is that like when you're sick and you get sent home from school?" He asked innocently.

My eyes were wide for a moment before I shook my head and answered, "Yeah, yeah, summat like that"

Leaning against a car, I watched the young boy.

His ginger hair growing long now, his big brown eyes looking up at me in an almost adoring manner and his smile, it was his mothers. The way his cheeks folded, his soft bottom lip and his top lip with a perfectly formed cupids bow - It was clear to see who he belonged to.

After sitting for a while and watching him, I spoke to him, "Hey kid, those comics, why'd ya like them?" I asked.

He shrugged, "I don't know, my mum always used to get them for me. Sometimes I pretend that I'm the superhero and I'm saving the world" He looked sadden slightly, "I want to be a superhero and save the world.."

I scruffed up his hair, "Maybe one day, kid, maybe one day"