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a minute from home

ANDREA AND AMY HAD A BIG AGE GAP.

Twelve years, to be exact. Andrea was older, thirty six years old to Amy's twenty four. They were both born in Florida, a far ride from the sticky state of Georgia, where Amy went to college. Was currently going to college. Andrea was a civil rights lawyer, visiting her sister after years of distance, the kind of distance that can only be created by a big age gap between siblings, when the whole end of the world thing happened.

Amy was pretty talkative.

She spoke about her major, her college friends, her friends from home, her parents, the fishing trips that her dad took her on. But she avoids talking about the age gap.

A sore spot, Iris assumed.

She could understand, of course. She was born ten years after Rick and had spent her entire childhood watching him grow up ahead of her. Graduation, marriage, kids, a career. Though in Iris' case, she was closer to Rick than she was to her own parents. When she had nightmares, it was Rick's room that she ran into, it was Rick that she found comfort in. She was a sensitive kid and was scared of everything ― the dark, thunderstorms, the monsters under her bed that were out to get her.

Turns out the true monsters weren't hiding under her childhood bed. They were hiding inside all of them.

But Rick had never strayed far, even after he'd met Lori and moved away from home (never far, always a walk away.) It was like Iris had a second home, a second father figure and an older brother figure all wrapped into one.

It was different for Andrea and Amy.

Iris tried not to feel bitter about that.

Andrea and Amy had grown up leagues apart, strangers by any definition of the word. Andrea had missed Amy's birthday parties, graduations, proms...

And they were together now.

They all spoke about their families: Glenn's older sisters back in Michigan, T-Dog's grandmother who he drove to church in the van they'd abandoned, Dale's late wife who had inspired him to take his RV on a road trip. Iris spoke about Rick, about Carl and Lori and Shane.

No one mentioned that they'd probably never see any of their families ever again.

Despite their earlier urge to get off of this highway as soon as possible, the three of them found that they couldn't pass up the warmth of the RV. Or the food. Or the solidarity.

They hadn't moved in a while, but it was a better standstill than the one in the church van. The RV came with a certain feeling of safety, and however misguided that was for their situation, they all needed a chance to feel safe.

If Rick's house wasn't an option, then Iris was glad to find some sort of security in the kindness of the strangers around her. Things had quietened down from the steady chatter that turned the strangers to acquaintances and even friends.

Dale was still in the driver's seat, moving his hands up and down the wheel, undeterred by the fact that no one was moving. His RV was stocked, but it wouldn't last the night. Something had to be done, and fast.

"What if I drive into the woods?" Dale asks, after a long rest of silence. He looks out of the side window into the trees surrounding their part of the highway. It was the end of the woods, where there were less trees and more open grassy spaces. Iris couldn't help but wonder if anyone else had had that idea in the cars surrounding them, but she quickly came to the conclusion that a lot of them must've fled on foot and left their cars behind. Or died.

Glenn fiddles with the cap on his head. "Anything is better than staying on this highway."

"Isn't that against the law?" Amy's voice had a slight tremor in it, peering out of the window.

"I don't think the law matters anymore." T-Dog raises his eyebrow.

"I know- I know." Amy replies, running a hand through her hair. She looks at Iris with guilty eyes. "Isn't your brother a cop?"

Everyone turns to look at her.

Iris can't control the laugh that escapes her. Maybe it was some kind of weird grief response, but the thought of Rick finding out that his baby sister was in an RV with five strangers about to drive off of the highway and aimlessly into the woods was absolutely hysterical to her. "He doesn't control me."

"Oh." Amy shuffles in her seat.

"I think we should do it." Andrea gives everyone a perky nod, her blonde ponytail swinging with her movements. Perky, that's the only word Iris would use to describe Andrea. Very perky.

"Okay. Well, if we all agree, then..." Dale starts the RV, the sound of the engine a welcome one after hours of silence. The RV looked old, and Iris found herself full of relief that it seemed to start up okay.

"Glenn, come here and help me with my sights." Dale inclines with his head, encouraging Glenn to sit in the passenger seat.

With a proud smile on his face, Glenn stands and crawls over to the passenger seat. He adjusts the wing mirror. Dale adjusts it back. Glenn looks in the side mirror, scrunching up his face. "Think you'll get it out? It looks pretty tight."

Dale chuckles. "Son, I've been driving this RV since you've been in grade school. I can get her out "

Glenn nods, taking off his cap and readjusting it on his head for the millionth time that day. He looks back at the others gleefully, before looking back at Dale. "This RV stuff is pretty awesome."

Dale gave Glenn a fatherly smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, I'll teach you the ins and outs if we figure out somewhere to stay."

"Really?" Glenn's smile turns into a grin. "Because, that would be really-"

"Glenn." Dale interrupts. "My sight."

"Oh, right." Glenn checks the window. "You're good for a little bit more."

With Glenn's help, Dale manages to get the RV out of its space in the car build up and faces the clearing in the woods. Dale hums. "Okay. It's gonna be a little bit bumpy."

Iris considered herself incredibly lucky that they were on the section of the highway that was located at the edge of the woods because, while the road was as bumpy as Dale warned, once they'd made it onto the grassy clearing, it was a lot smoother.

And they were actually moving somewhere.

Dale had driven them about fifteen minutes away from the highway before he stopped in a partially hidden clearing that had trees dotted around it, which provided at least a little protection from the sun and from the dead but alive people. Iris wasn't sure if they would accidentally find their little camp if they wandered too far off of the highway.

Iris wasn't sure if she believed in God, but she was certainly thanking anyone she could that the three of them had found Dale, because he seemed prepared for everything. In his RV, which apparently he took out camping a lot, he had three tents stored. Despite only being one man, it seemed Dale wasn't one to leave things for chance.

Iris didn't know how she'd made it this far, but she knew she had undeniably relied on the kindness of strangers during such a catastrophic event. As Dale handed out and helped the others set up their tents for the night, Iris' mind had somehow landed on the stranger danger lecture that her parents and Rick and her school had given her growing up.

But maybe humanity wasn't as bad as it had been made out to be.

"What are we gonna eat?" Amy asks, wrapping her arms around herself as the blistering heat of the day slowly turns into a bitter night. It wasn't nightfall yet, but it would be soon.

"We could hunt." Andrea suggests. From her bag, she takes out a gun. "I have Dad's gun."

Glenn shuffles in his seat on the grass, and Iris can feel his firm gaze on her. Or, more likely, her backpack. Iris turns her head to look back at him, her ocean eyes meeting his sun kissed ones. She can't explain why, but she can hear the unspoken words on his lips.

"I have a gun too." Iris offers up, taking Opal's gun from where it was tucked away in her backpack.

"What do you say, Iris? We can take these guns out and hunt for animals." Andrea's voice was bright and lively.

"I've never killed an animal before." Iris says, her chest suddenly feeling very heavy and constricted against her shirt.

"Isn't there a process you need to do?" T-Dog's voice appeared just as nervous as her own. "Like, a certain way to cook it? If not we could all get sick or something."

Andrea deflates.

Iris shoots her a restrained smile. "It's probably for the best. Gunshots are really loud, and we don't know if... if those things can hear and come looking for us."

"What do we do, then?" Amy shivers.

There was an uneasy silence spread over the six of them like they had become simply strangers again. Iris bites her lip. If this was Carl, she'd know how to fix it. She'd ruffle his hair and ask him to tell her a story from one of his comic books. She'd know exactly what to do to make him feel better. Right now, she didn't even know how to make herself feel better.

A harsh shiver flew through her body.

Glenn exhaled, rubbing his hands together. "Okay. It's okay. We'll start small, yeah? Does anyone know how to start a fire?"

Dale nods. "Yeah. Help me gather some sticks and I'll teach ya how to create a spark."

T-Dog reaches into his bag, pulling out a lighter from one of the pockets and tossing it into Glenn's lap.

With a soft chuckle, Glenn pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a relieved glint in his eyes. "Thanks, man."

There was a rustle in the trees behind them.

Iris whips her head around, the force of it causing her ponytail to bounce. She wasn't the only one that was alert ― their new normal seemed to be a constant air of guardedness. Andrea reaches immediately for her gun, but the thought didn't even cross Iris' mind until she saw Andrea do it.

She blinks and holds her gun heavy in her hands.

There was a figure moving towards them, large and burly but not making any sound. Iris lowers her gun. Those things make sound.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." The voice was deep, and it resonated with Iris as she stood up and ran a hand over her face. A wave of hope and nostalgia rushes through her as she drops the gun completely.

"Shane?"

"Iris?" Shane's mouth fell open as he took two heavy steps forward.

The others were still on guard, the hairs on the back of their necks standing up in the face of the stranger. Glenn takes a step towards her. "Iris?"

"It's okay. I know him. It's Shane." Iris finally says, the words stuck in her throat. "I know him."

"You got out." Shane says, moving towards her but not quite reaching her. Shane was an odd figure in Iris' life. He was Rick's friend but they were always as close as brothers. He felt somewhat like another older brother to Iris, but Shane wasn't Rick. And he could never be Rick.

"I had help." Iris says, looking back at Glenn and T-Dog with a small smile.

Shane nods, licking his lips as if he was sealing them shut. Iris wondered if it was because he had more to say, or because he felt uncomfortable under the gazes of the others behind her. He sighs. "Iris..."

"Just say it." Iris cuts in, her voice a little firmer than she was intending. "They're dead, aren't they?"

Something flashes behind Shane's eyes and he turns to the side, not meeting Iris' eye contact. She can still feel Glenn's presence standing just behind her, and she resisted the urge to step back further as the panic overcame her in Shane's silence.

"Rick... He was in a coma, Iris." Shane finally forces out. "I went back for him. I did. But..."

"He was gone." Iris' eyes prick with tears, the effort of keeping them in making her head hurt. "Right? That's what you're saying. That he was dead when you got there."

Shane nods. "I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry, Iris."

"No." Her voice breaks as the tears finally spill from her eyes. "It's not your fault, I just..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

She could barely even breathe.

When Iris was five years old and Rick was fifteen, she really hated school. She had barely even started her school career but she dreaded going into her classroom every day, facing the teacher and the other kids and the schoolwork when all she wanted to do was wait at home for the high school bus to pull in just like she'd done since she knew how to wait.

Her Kindergarten class got out an hour before the High School, but once Rick had caught wind of her aversion to school, one day he'd skipped his final period to pick her up instead of their mother, and he'd taken her to the park to talk. He'd managed to squeeze it out of her that she hated going to school because she was too afraid to talk to the other kids — she was a sensitive child, a shy child, she had a lot of early attachment issues and anxiety, and she had a hard time talking to new people. Rick didn't want her to grow up without confidence and that very day he had approached a girl in the park and started talking to her to prove that it wasn't that bad. That girl in the park ended up being her sister-in-law.

Rick always knew what to do, what to say, how to guide her. He was always good at that kind of thing. He was a Sheriff's deputy but he was born to be a leader. Iris would mourn the fact that he'd never get the chance for the rest of her life. But Rick Grimes wasn't just a leader, he was someone that Iris could lean on for comfort.

She'd never get that kind of comfort ever again.

She covers her mouth with her hands, stifling the sob that was about to erupt from her throat. She could sense the atmosphere of the people behind her, the strangers who were watching her break down. They had just joined the small number of people who had. It wasn't often that Iris Grimes broke down, and never in front of strangers. Glenn extends his hand out, but Iris brushes him off, taking a step forward.

Shane had been watching her, and even through the salty water covering her vision, Iris could see his chest rising and falling as he played with his hands.

"You're not alone, Iris." Shane says, his own voice coming out nasally and full of emotions."I didn't just go back for Rick."

Her bones caught a chill, and it wasn't from the cold. "What?"

"Lori." Shane closes his eyes, as if unable to face reality. "And- and Carl. I got them out."

Iris whips her head up as fast as lightning."They're alive?"

Shane gives her a hint of a nod. "I got them out. I was just scouting trying to figure out a way to get them to safety. They're sitting with another family right now, waiting for me to come back."

The shock blew Iris' tears away, her heart skipping a beat as she took a deep breath. "They're alive."

She turns around to look at Glenn and the others behind him. "They're- my family. They're alive."

"Bring them here." Dale says, without hesitation. "The more people we have here, the better. Especially capable ones. I'm Dale."

"Shane." There is an odd air to Shane's voice, one Iris can't quite place. "Thank you."

Dale sharply nods. "Of course. Go and get them before it turns dark."

Shane turns on his heels, but he pauses before he walks back through the entryway of trees. "They're safe, Iris." He leaves before she can respond.

"They're alive..." Iris whispers, partly to herself and partly to the group of people behind her.

"They are." Glenn says, in just as low a whisper. Iris turns to look at him, the memories of him dragging her away when she tried to run for Carl fresh in her mind. This was the first moment they'd had since this whole thing started to just sit and breathe without worrying about their next move. Shane was an officer, and he would know what to do. He had to know.

Iris found herself not knowing what to say to Glenn, to the first person she had spoken to since the end of the world, the person who'd dragged her to where she is right now. Somehow, within Glenn dragging her away from her mission to save Carl, he'd gotten her in the exact place she needed to be to find him. "Thank you."

"What for?" Glenn asks, his eyes widening a little as he tilted his head to the side.

Iris shrugs, moving back towards the fire that T-Dog and Dale had started, needing to feel it's warmth. "Just thank you."

It didn't take long for Shane to return, but night had fallen over their little camp setup. Iris was picking at the grass from her spot, sitting cross-legged and anxiously letting out little puffs of breath. The others were also gathered around the fire, sitting in silence as they waited for Shane to return with Iris' family.

The second there was movement in the little entryway of trees, Iris leapt up so fast she almost tumbled straight into the fire.

There were six silhouettes walking towards them: two of them little, four of them big. The additional three people must've been the other family that Shane had found on the road, which meant their numbers were about to double once again.

First it was Shane, scanning his eyes over the camp like he was double checking it's safety. Iris smiles reassuringly, but it was Dale's nod that led Shane to guide the others behind him through.

And suddenly Carl was running towards her, holding his arms out as he called her name, and Iris was kneeling, hugging her nephew with everything she had. Carl was so much like his father, and Iris was determined to become the figure in his life that Rick filled in hers. "Oh, Carl. Oh my god. You're okay. You're okay."

She lifts her vision from Carl to the others that were with him. Lori was there, her long brown hair and kind eyes that Iris had known for so long, holding onto the arm of a short haired woman. The woman had her spare arm over the shoulder of a blonde girl, who looked about the same age as Carl. There was a man standing next to Shane, with a defensive look in his eyes.

"I knew you were okay." Carl says, and Iris wipes a stray tear from his eye. "You had to me."

"Hey, you know me." Iris replies, playfully pinching his cheek. "I'm strong. And we're gonna figure it out, huh? Me, you, your mom, Shane. And I've got some new friends, and it looks like you do too."

"Iris, sweetheart." Lori's sweet like honey voice travelled to her ears, and Iris felt herself tearing up again.

She stood up, patting Carl's shoulder before pulling Lori into a hug. "Lori, I'm so sorry. God, I'm so sorry."

Lori hugged her back just as tight, keeping a firm hand on the back of her head. "It's okay, honey. We're gonna be okay."

Despite the fact that their newly formed group had gone from three to six to twelve in a matter of hours, there were just enough tents to go around, thanks to Dale and his resourceful thinking.

The family that Lori had made friends with were known as the Peletiers. Carol was the short haired woman that Lori had been holding onto, and her husband was named Ed and her daughter was Sophia. Sophia was about a year older than Carl, and the two kids had become fast friends. Iris didn't get much of a chance to talk to Ed — he didn't seem to enjoy the company of others very much, even in circumstances such as these — but Carol and Sophia were equally as sweet as each other, offering up what little resources they had.

Since it was already dark, the twelve of them all thought it was best to turn in for the night (with a steady rotation of people keeping watch because no one really knew if those things would attack, or even what they were — it was a subject they were all heartily ignoring.)

However, as the sun blared down on their tents, the art of ignorance was lost on them as the same question rose to the top of their minds. What were they going to do next?

Carl and Sophia's stomachs were rumbling with hunger and no one could stand to see the children suffer, and something had to be done.

"A car." Shane suggests, as Dale puts out the fire. "We find a car, maybe two. And then with your RV we can all drive and find somewhere more permanent."

"Where do you suggest we find two cars?" Dale asks, raising both of his long grey eyebrows.

Shane says nothing, but T-Dog takes the opportunity to speak. "There's a highway full of them just over there."

"That's stealing." Dale doesn't falter in his statement.

Shane and T-Dog share a look.

Shane leans forward from his seat on the grass. "Listen, I understand that yesterday and, goddamn, this morning, this would be considered a crime. I mean, I'm an officer, I know how serious it was. But we're living in a new world now."

"A new world where we take cars from people who need them?" Dale questions.

"People who left them."

Everyone turns to look at Iris. She shuffles in her seat uncomfortably, but she understands the importance of her voice. "They abandoned their cars. They decided to move on. It's not their decision anymore."

Andrea nods, putting a hand through her hair as she hums in agreement. "She's right. They're all right. It's not like the twelve of us can fit in that RV. We need cars."

Dale's expression goes from firm to plain shocked, slowly shaking his head as his mouth falls open. "Have you all gone mad? We're talking about people's cars! Their livelihood! They could come back, who are we to strip them of their transportation?"

"Listen, man, if someone like us took my church van because they needed it, I wouldn't be mad. We left it." T-Dog pipes up. "It's a different world. Shane and I will go, no one else has to get involved."

"It's just two cars. I'm sure they'll look for the ones that have been abandoned." Glenn reasons. "Half those cars we passed were abandoned. No one is coming back for them."

"Does no one else think this is immoral?" Dale exclaims. "Lori? Carol?"

Carol says nothing, looking at her husband with an expression that Iris can't quite read. Lori shrugs. "Of course I do. But I have my son to think about here."

"We just- we have to adjust. We have to." Iris says, the crushing feeling on her chest not helping her case. It was immoral, but it was something they had to do. "Or we just won't make it."

Dale sighs, but eventually relents. Though, he makes sure to make it known that he really wasn't happy with this. But it was already decided, out of his hands.

Before Shane and T-Dog started their journey back to the highway, Shane jogged over to Iris. "Iris. Hey. Can I talk to you?"

Iris nods, a little confused at Shane's urgency. "Yeah. Of course."

Shane pulls her aside, away from the others who were still talking about the cars and their next steps. "I just wanted you to know- I couldn't go back for you. There was a whole herd of those things in the way. I couldn't risk it. Not when I had Lori and Carl depending on me. I had to get them out, Iris."

"Okay. Hey." Iris cuts in, shaking her head. "It's fine. You did what you could. And you got them out, Shane. I mean, we all owe you. Seriously."

Shane watches her for a moment, but eventually concedes with a nod. "Yeah."

Iris smiles. "Okay then. Go and get those cars, yeah?"

Shane and T-Dog took about two hours before they eventually returned, each of them driving their own car. There was a cheer from the group as they got out of the cars, both five seaters which even had their keys still in them.

It was a major win, one to be celebrated, despite Dale's clear reservations. However, the cars provided a new hope.

In the time since Shane and T-Dog had been gone, the rest of the group had come up with a plan. It was safe, protected and had plenty of water, and the group was in unanimous agreement.

The Quarry.

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AUTHORS NOTE

❥ Welcome back to Doomsday!
❥ This was a big chapter! We're finally getting towards the start of the plot!
❥ I'm only on season six of the actual show (watching for the first time) and I can't remember what was said about Rick and Lori meeting and what age they had Carl, but I really like my rendition of it and so that is my new canon for Doomsday!
❥ If you enjoyed, please vote and comment <3