♤

Rick's car beeped, we pulled over.

My mind was fading in and out of the situation. I was barely in control of myself as we all stepped into the road. "Running on fumes" Rick explained with a frustrated growl.

"We can't stay here" Maggie muttered.

Glenn sighed, "We can't all fit in one car"

"We'll have to make a run for gas in the morning" Rick informed us as we all looked around.

We barely had anything. We had only managed to bring with us a few bags, no guns or ammo. We were stuck in the deep end and we were sinking.

"We can't stay here.."

Carl moaned, "I'm freezing"

It was cold. Winter was here and it was about to get a whole lot worse.

Winter's were unpredictable.

Dangerous.

"We'll build a fire" Lori said, attempting to cheer everyone up as Rick gave Carl his coat.

Daryl nodded, "Anybody go out looking for firewood, stay close, we only got so many arrows, how you doin on ammo?"

"Not enough" Rick snarled.

Maggie looked around, "We can't just sit here with out asses hanging out"

Hershel scolded her immediately, "Watch your language, everyone chill out and listen to Rick"

Rick paced for a few seconds before he looked at us, "Alright, we'll set us a perimeter. In the morning we'll make a run for gas and supplies"

"Glenn and I could make a run now? Try and scrounge up some gas" Maggie suggested.

Rick instantly shot her down, "No, we stay together, god forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car"

"Rick, we're stranded now.." Glenn whispered.

"I know it looks bad. We've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure, I really wasn't, but we did We're together. We keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place" Rick explained to everyone.

I scoffed at him, "Shelter? Every time we get settled somewhere, it gets blown to Hell, the creek, the CDC and now the farm, where else is there to go?"

Rick sighed, "There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other. I know it's out there. We just have to find it"

"Kelly's right," Maggie spoke, "Even if we do find a place, we think it's safe, we can never be sure how long for. We fooled ourselves into thinking it was safe"

"We won't make that mistake again" Hershel nodded, looking to Rick once more.

He nodded, "We'll make camp there tonight, get on the road at the break of day"

Carol stepped over to Daryl and I, "Does this feel right to you?"

"What if walkers or another group like Randall's come through?" Beth asked, worry in her voice.

"You know I found Randall, right? He had turned, but he wasn't bit" Daryl explained.

Rick didn't seem shocked, he looked down at the ground as we asked him what happened,

"Shane killed Randall, just like he always wanted to" Daryl nodded to the group.

Rick's breathing sped up as he spoke slowly, "We're all infected, at the CDC Jenner told me, whatever it is, we all carry it"

Daryl paced around for a few seconds, "And you never said anything?" Carol snarled.

"Would it have made a difference?"

Glenn shook his head, "You knew all this time"

"How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy that son-" Rick began but Glenn interrupted.

"--That is not your call! When I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told for the good of everyone" Glenn grumbled, shaking his gun.

Rick nodded, "Well I thought it best if people didn't know"

We all looked at him with shock all over our faces, Lori even looking slightly disgusted in him as he walked away and we began prepping for camp.

There was a gentle breeze as we began shuffling around. "I'll go for some firewood" I muttered, wandering into the woods alone.

That's all I wanted.

To be alone.

To maybe even find Charlie.

Twigs snapped under my feet as I strolled around, looking at the ground and occasionally picking up the odd stick.

"This what you wanna do now? Run away to find him?" A voice muttered from behind.

I knew who it was without turning around, I just stayed still, "I don't need a babysitter"

He moved closer to me, leaves ruffling under his feet. "I ain't saying you do"

Turning to look at him, he passed me some more sticks, "I just want to be alone.." I whispered.

He shook his head, "Nah, you want to pull away and be someone you're not, you're apart of this group, you don't sit on the outside looking in---"

"--What am I then, Daryl? I just lost the only family I've ever had" I sobbed, my voice exhausted.

"You got a choice to make, Kel, you either let this eat you alive, turn you into an empty shell, or you let it make you stronger," He explained quietly.

A tear dripped onto my cheek, "I don't know how to let it make me stronger..I feel so lost, so empty, Daryl, I don't know what to do" I sobbed, throwing the sticks down onto the ground and running my fingers through my knotted hair.

He pulled me into his chest, one hand on my back, the others running itself through my hair as I cried, "We'll be alright.."

♤

"My hands are clean!" Rick snapped after revealing Shane's fate. "I say there's a place for us but maybe it's just another pipe dream, maybe I'm fooling myself again, Why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard. Go on, there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight, if you're staying, this isn't a democracy any more"

The rest of the night was quiet, none of us got much sleep as we all say around waiting for something to happen, Rick's announcement still thick in the air as the fire continued to crackle well into the night.

A/N

I might start publishing 3 chapters a week soon, I've written up to chapter 62 so I might as well!