Me, Saint, dad and Jesus were up on a hill. We were looking down to the walkers who were walking in a circle in a field down below. Dad had gone off with Dog, but when he returned he stood next to me. "It's about a hundred and thirty, hundred and forty of them." Dad said.

"You ever see them do this before?" Jesus asked the group.

"There must be something making a noise in the middle of them. Has to be." I stated.

"Rosita's back trail goes right through them." Dad pointed out. "We should get the horses, circle round. Then we'll pick it up on foot."

"What about them?" Saint questioned.

"What about them?" I pushed.

"They're just circling around. That's not normal." Jesus reminded me.

"There's gotta be a reason. Whatever it is, doesn't bother us. Let's go. We gotta get to Eugene." I responded, before walking back towards the horses.

We'd gone round, stashed my dad's bike, tied the horses somewhere secure, before we were back on foot. We were walking through a field, dad was leading with Dog, I was about ten feet behind him, Jesus and Saint were about ten feet behind me. Suddenly, dad stopped. I walked over and stood to his side. "What is it, Daryl?" I made a point of saying his name, just as a reminder that I'm still pissed.

He let out an irritated sigh through his nose, but ignored the jab. "You hear that? The wind is carrying the sound."

I listened closely, before I heard the growling. "A herd." I realised.

"That's my girl." Dad nodded.

I scoffed. "When it's convenient for you anyways."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He looked to me.

"Don't act like you don't know." I responded, before walking over to Saint and Jesus who had stopped about eight feet behind my dad. "Herd's coming."

I watched as my father dialled a timer, he put it to when the herd would be passing approximately, before throwing it in the opposite direction we were going. "Come on, let's put some grass between us and them." Dad said, before starting to lead the way again. We pretty much jogged to the tree line, just to be safe.

We were in the tree line, we needed to monitor the herd just to make sure they did go in the opposite direction. "You put that herd at about a hundred and forty, right?" Jesus put the binoculars down as he  asked my father.

"Yea." My father answered.

"Well, it looks like more than double that now." Jesus responded.

"Could be a different herd. Or merged with another." Saint spoke up.

"Ain't gonna be there very long." Dad replied.

"Doesn't matter how big it is. Just as long as it's going in the opposite direction." I said, turning around to continue in the direction we knew Rosita and Eugene had gone.

By the time we approached any form of building, it was dark. Fog had settled in, the stars and moon were hidden behind dark clouds, representing the oncoming storm. Our torches were the only things separating us from the things that hide in the shadows of the night.

Dad let Dog go in first. "Go on, boy." My father said. He'd let us know if there were walkers in there or not. I quickly followed inside, shining my torch around.

"Eugene?" I called.

Dog started standing on this pile of hay. "Move." Dad ordered the animal. "Good, Dog."

Jesus poked his sword into the hay, only to hit something hard buried beneath the straw. I instantly went down on my knees. "Eugenius, you in there?"

It took a couple seconds, but there was a response. "Affirmative."

I didn't waste a second before I was clearing the hay off of it and lifting a latch. I saw Eugene crouched down in the small compartment. He passed up a shovel for some reason, before Saint and Jesus pulled him up and let him sit on the ground. I helped steady him. "You alright, pal?" The man was shaking and covered in dirt.

"I took a bad step and dislocated my knee." Eugene responded, holding onto said hurt knee. "There was a herd on our six and Rosita was forced to stash me here."

"If it's dislocated we can just pop it back in right now." I told him.

"No. We have to get out of here. The herd that followed us here is on its way back." Eugene told me, his tone was desperate.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "We've seen the tracks, Eugene. They're gone." I tried comforting him.

"No, Ellie, it's not. It's already been through here twice." Eugene all but cried. "It's looking for me. We have to get away before it gets back."

"Okay, Eugene. I believe you." I lied. "Let's just get you back okay. You need food, water, and sleep... And a shower."

"Ellie, this wasn't a normal herd." Eugene stated.

"What do you mean?" Saint asked. I side eyed the man, why would he encourage a man who's clearly delusional from a lack of everything?

"When they passed us by." Eugene had tears in his eyes, he was terrified. "We could hear them... They were... They were whispering to each other."

"Eugene, walkers don't whisper. You're okay, you're safe. You imagined it because-" I started.

"Ellie, I didn't imagine it. Rosita can back me up on this, she heard it too." Eugene persisted. 

"You mean they were talking?" Saint raised his eyebrows.

"Saint, he's clearly been through a lot. He just needs rest." I told the man.

"I know how it sounds." Eugene nodded. "But Rosita-"

"Yea, okay." I whispered. "Eugene, let's get you up. You need to get home, okay?"

Dog suddenly started barking out of a window. Dad pulled him back as I also went to look. A herd. Coming straight for us. They'd be on us in less than a minute. "No way that's the same herd." Jesus stated.

"I told you, Ellie." Eugene huffed as Jesus and my dad helped him get up.

"We'll back track and go around them." Dad said.

We were slowed by Eugene, my dad and Jesus trying to basically drag him... But we were just that little bit faster than the herd. Just enough. Me, dad, Jesus and Eugene got a road with an old car. Jesus and my dad let go of Eugene so he could rest against the car, while Saint ran back a bit to check on where the herd was.

"It doesn't make any sense. They shouldn't have doubled back like that, and they definitely shouldn't have followed us all the way back to the barn." Jesus pointed out.

"I do have a theory to posit." Eugene spoke up, resting his leg on the hood of the car. "The walkers are evolving."

"That's bullshit." Dad shook his head.

"Daryl's right, ain't no way those dead things are suddenly learning their ABC's, or how to track." I argued. "They're dead."

"Being dead hasn't exactly stopped them from perambulating ad infinitum, though, has it?" Eugene retorted.

"English, Eugene, dropped outta school at nine." I reminded him.

"Walking. The dead are walking." Eugene stated.

"Yea, Eugene, the walking dead is old news. But, speaking, tracking? Can't be. That's too advanced." I disagreed.

"They're not dead in any sense that makes sense. It takes an impact to the cranium to stop them, which means the brain is alive. Degraded as it may be. And if it's alive, it can change." Eugene explained. "Maybe even start to remember things too. Like for instance, how to talk."

"What?" Dad asked, in a "that's gotta be bullshit" tone.

"It's not any crazier than the dead being alive in the first place." Jesus pointed out. "If they can learn to talk, maybe they can learn strategy and how to hunt."

"They're right on our asses." Saint informed us when he ran out from the trees. "We've gotta get to the horses fast."

"You have to leave me behind-" Eugene started.

"Not happening." I interrupted.

"I'm slowing you down and tiring you out." Eugene argued. 

"We came out here to get you, we're not going home without you." Jesus denied.

"You don't have a choice." Eugene protested.

"It's not your call." Jesus shook his head. "The numbers actually work for us, we can split up. You three get him back to the horses, I'll wait for the herd to get here, then I'll draw them off in the other direction. Then I'll ditch them and meet you back at Hilltop."

"We're stronger together." Saint pointed out.

"That doesn't help us. Our only way out is to avoid a fight." Jesus said.

"Well I'm not letting you do it alone. I'll help." I nodded to him.

"No. If anyone stays it's gonna be me." Dad argued.

I let out a breath. "Jesus, you're stronger than me. You'll support Eugene better, you and Saint go. I'll stay with Daryl."

Jesus looked like he was going to argue, but chose against it when he realised I was right. "Alright, be safe." He told me.

I nodded. "You too. All of you."

Me and dad were perching on a rooftop of an old shed that was just down the road. Dog was on the ground. We were watching as Jesus and Saint basically carried Eugene down the road. "So when you gonna drop the whole first name crap?" Dad broke the silence as we waited for the herd.

"We don't have to talk." I stated, watching the road carefully.

Dad clicked his tongue, we sat in silence for nearly a minute before he broke it. "Is it the moody teenager get up or something?"

"Trust me, it's not me, it's you." I pointed out.

"You mad I'm living out in the forest?" Dad questioned.

"Was I a bit upset when you abandoned your children? Yes. But, I understand why you did. You wanted to find our Mother Goose, I get that. I do. I still want him to be brought home, but... It's been three years. You know what a walker would've done if one found him, which is highly likely. For the first six months I had hope. Then, that thing happened... And I just lost everything. I lost myself again, I was a mess and you weren't there. You left, even after what happened." I explained, trying to fight off the need to cry.

"That's why you're so upset with me." Dad muttered. "I'm so sorry, princess-"

"No." I whispered. "No, that's not the reason."

"Then what is?" Dad pushed.

I scoffed. "Think real hard and maybe it'll come to you." We sat in silence again, just as dad was about to say something, I spotted it. "There's the herd. How we luring it down here?"

Dad pulled something out of his pocket. "With this."

Only when he lit it, I realised what it was. "Where the hell did you get a firecracker?" I questioned as he threw it to the ground... A safe distance from Dog.

"Same place I got the timer." Dad replied. I couldn't help but laugh, which made him smile.

As soon as the fire cracker started... Well, cracking? Dog started barking. It started the work, the herd started to walk towards us, I started to think that maybe Eugene was wrong... Until they turned. The herd, of about three hundred now turned down the road where Eugene, Saint and Jesus had gone. "What the hell?" I muttered. "How are they doing that? How... They're-" I cut myself off, not knowing what to say.

"We gotta catch up with the others." Dad stated.

It was very difficult to catch up with the others, and avoid the quick moving herd. Following the tracks, we were headed to a graveyard. However, the slightly broken wall only allowed in one person at a time... And it was occupied with walkers. We went around the wall until we found where the ground raised slightly. Dad went to grab me, to help me over,  but I stepped back. "I can get over myself."

Dad raised his hands. "Be my guest."

I huffed and went to the wall, I grabbed the edged with my hands and tried pulling myself up. I was getting absolutely nowhere, my feet had barely left the ground. "Almost-" I tried.

"Okay." Dad muttered, he grabbed the sides of my legs and pushed me up so I could climb onto the top of the wall. 

I kicked his hands away as soon as I could. "Don't touch me." I muttered, before jumping down the other side of the wall. Without waiting for him, I ran into the fog of the graveyard.

"Ellie!" My dad called, but I ignored him.

I used my boomerang on two walkers. It was risky due to the headstones, but I handled it well. One walker took me by surprise to my left, I didn't pay attention and went to stab its head with the knife end of the boomerang. What I didn't expect... Was for her to dodge it. I didn't realise she had a knife in her hand, she slashed at me. I wasn't prepared so she caught the side of my waist. I cried out, but before she could stab my heart, the knife end of my boomerang was lodged in her face, as well as an arrow. I looked to where it had been shot from and saw my dad running over. "I'm fine." I muttered at the concerned look on his face. I was holding onto my right side and bleeding pretty bad.

"Yea, you sure look it." Dad said sarcastically.

"That can't be a walker. It doesn't... It doesn't make sense." I trailed off, ignoring as my father was ripping the bottom of his shirt. I only started paying attention again when the strip dad had ripped from the circumference of his body was being wrapped around my waist. It wrapped around twice before he knotted it on the opposite side to where I had been slashed. He made sure that all of my wound was covered by the cloth. I put my hand onto it too, hissing slightly at the pressure, but pressure is what it needed.

"You'll be okay." Dad whispered, so quietly I barely heard him.

"You telling me that or yourself?" I asked.

"Bit of both." He admitted.

"No!" We heard Jesus scream from further into the graveyard. We got there as fast as we could to see Saint laying on the floor... Dead.

There was another walker on the ground next to him, also dead, with a bloody sword. "What the hell." I muttered. I was a bit sad that Saint was dead... But how he died was honestly more important to me in that moment. 

"Behind you!" Mama yelled. I barely registered the fact that mama was there with Yumiko and Magna before I was pushed behind my father. Everyone was fighting. Everyone apart from me. I couldn't do anything but stare at Saint. Hold my wound that had been inflicted from a walker? The fight lasted not even thirty seconds as it seemed the walkers just vanished... Retreated? No way the walkers just gave up like that. They couldn't be walkers. I refused to accept that.

When they were gone, Jesus kneeled by Saint's side, crying over his dead friend. I didn't shed a tear as my focus went back to the walker that killed him. I kneeled by his side and looked at his face. "Can I get a light?" I requested. My father shone a torch on the walker's face. I rolled him over and furrowed my eyebrows when I saw that the skin was sewn together at the back. I pulled it off his face before rolling him onto his back again. He was human. I looked up to see everyone else just as concerned as me. "They aren't walkers at all. They're people."

"They're trapped." I heard a whispered voice say from somewhere in the graveyard.

"Circle round." More said. Dog started going crazy, barking at the nothing.

"Don't let them slip by." Another ordered. I stood up, we all formed a semi circle, keeping Eugene safe, and Saint's body.

"Keep them together... Kill them."