Amy walked back into camp with Clementine, the two had gone for a small walk into the quarry to look for anything they could forage. Amy recognised some local plants that were edible- walnuts, pecans, American Hazelnuts for example, and the girls went to a pecan tree they knew and pulled some nuts off for the stew they were cooking with Lori back at camp.

They had also found a clump of mushrooms, and had picked them but kept them separately and placed them in the bucket Clem held. They walked back and Lori looked up and smiled at the girls.

"We found some pecans to shell and put in, but we also found some mushrooms" Clementine said as the girls sat, Amy taking the hammer Y/N had given her and smashing some pecans from their shells, adding the nut fragments to the stew.

"Any way to tell if they're poisonous?" Clementine asked.

"There's only one way I know for certain" Lori replied as she looked at the mushrooms and tipped them into a bowl.

"Ask Shane when he gets back?" Clementine chuckled and Lori nodded, standing and taking the bucket as Clem sat next to Amy who stirred the stew. She looked up at Dale who was on lookout at the top of his RV.

"Dale I'm heading out. Sweetheart I want you to stay where Dale can see you, ok" Lori spoke to Carl, who was playing with toy cars, and who looked up and said "yes mom."

"You too, don't wander too far. Stay within shouting distance and if you see anything, holler. I'll come running" Dale replied.

"Yes mom" Lori replied quietly as Amy watched her disappear into the forest. Shane smiled from where he stood in the forest, he had almost returned to camp but instead followed Lori into the bush.

--~--

Walkers were crowding over the tank and what remained of the horse the policeman had been riding, more leaving the tank to join the feeding frenzy as the CB inside the tank beeped to life again:

"Hey, are you alive in there?"

Rick rushed to the other end of the tank, banging his head in the process, but quickly answering as the two spoke back and forth:

"Hello? Hello?"

"There you are. You had me wondering."

"Where are you? Outside? Can you see me right now?"

"Yeah, I can see you. You're surrounded by walkers. That's the bad news."

"There's good news?"

"No."

"Listen, whoever you are, I don't mind telling you I'm a little concerned in here."

"Oh man. You should see it from over here. You'd be having a major freak-out."

"Got any advice for me?"

"Yeah, I'd say make a run for it."

The policeman paused for a moment, replying with disbelief:

"That's it? Make a run for it?"

"My way's not as dumb as it sounds. You've got eyes on the outside here. There's one geek still up on the tank but the others have climbed down and joined the feeding frenzy where the horse went down. You with me so far?"

"So far" he nodded.

"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded. If you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. Got ammo?"

"In that duffel bag I dropped out there, and guns. Can I get to it?"

"Forget the bag, okay? It's not an option. What do you have on you?"

"Hang on" the policeman said as he hurriedly checked his handgun and one he quickly took from a soldier's corpse that laid in the tank. He checked the soldier's pockets before noticing hand grenade sitting on a shelf and took it. He went back to the receiver:

"I've got a berretta with one clip, 15 rounds."

"Make 'em count. Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street, maybe 50 yards. Be there."

"Hey, what's your name?" the policeman asked before he was angrily cut off:

"Have you been listening? You're running out of time."

"Right" the man replied, grabbing a small shovel from the wall of the tank, breathing heavily and opening the tank's top hatch. A walker to his left reached for him before getting smacked in the face with the shovel. It exposed the walker's jawbone as it fell backwards off the tank. The policeman quickly jumped from the tank, grunting in pain as he landed hard on his ankle, dropping the shovel in the process.

He ran up the street toward the alley, shooting the walkers who were closest to him and continued up the alley, both the running and the shooting. He turned left at a corner, pointing the gun into a face in front of him:

"Whoa! Not dead! Come on! Come on!" an Asian man yelled in panic before leading the officer back into an alley, pulling a tall chain link gate closed behind them.

"Back here!" The man yelled, walkers following them as they pushed the fence open easily. The police officer continued to shoot at nearby walkers as they arrived at a fire escape ladder the Asian man quickly climbed up. Meanwhile the policeman, out of ammo, looked around at the walkers closing in on them in panic. The Asian man looked down and yelled:

"What are you doing? Come on, get up!"

The two climbed before stopping at a utility platform to catch their breath. The Asian man panted and looked to the officer:

"Nice moves there, Clint Eastwood. You the new Sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?"

"It wasn't my intention."

"Yeah. Whatever. Yeehaw. You're still a dumbass."

"Rick. Thanks" the officer introduced himself.

"Glenn. You're welcome" Glenn replied as the two shook hands before Rick placed the beretta into Glenn's backpack.

"Oh no" Glenn muttered, looking down at walkers who had mobbed the ladder and were threatening to break it off. He then looked up with Rick at the rest of ladder. It extended upwards several stories without any breaks or platforms. Glenn looked at Rick with a chuckle:

"The bright side: It'll be the fall that kills us. I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy."

It took a few minutes but the pair finally got to the roof. They were now crossing bridges that had been placed on rooftops between buildings when Rick asked:

"Are you the one that barricaded the alley?"

"Somebody did - I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking not many geeks would get through" Glenn answered as he leant down and opened a hatch in the roof that led down into the building they were on top of.

"Back at the tank. Why'd you stick your neck out for me?"

Glenn chuckled:

"Call it foolish, naïve hope that if I'm ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me. Guess I'm an even bigger dumbass than you."

Rick followed Glenn down into the building, closing the hatch behind them. They looked around to make sure the coast was clear before they hurried through the building and out into another alley.

Glenn spoke into his walkie: "I'm back. Got a guest plus four geeks in the alley."

Two men in riot gear suddenly burst out of the next building over with baseball bats. They ran over and beat down the walkers before anyone could be bitten.

"Let's go!" Glenn yelled to Rick, the four men running in and closing the door behind them. Before Rick could do anything Andrea rushed up quickly, pushing Rick back into a stack of boxes and shoved a gun in his face. Another woman, Jacqui, stood in the room but just watched.

"You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you" Andrea snapped, one of the men who was removing the riot gear yelling at her:

"Just chill out, Andrea. Back off."

"Back off? You're kidding me, right Morales? We're dead because of this stupid asshole" Andrea snapped.

Morales replied: "Andrea, I said back the hell off!"

When she didn't he leaned in and added: "Well, pull the trigger."

She finally pulled away from Rick and began to cry. She looked at Morales and said:

"Fine, but what do you think my brother in law will do when he gets back, if he can get back."

She then looked at Rick and snapped, trying to hold back her tears:

"We're dead -all of us -because of you."

Rick looked around with genuine confusion and replied: "I don't understand."

He was grabbed by the arm by Morales who led him into the department store.

"Look, we came into the city to scavenge supplies. You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving! You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like it's the O.K. Corral."

"Every geek for miles around heard you popping off rounds" T-Dog replied, having been the other man under the riot gear.

"You just rang the dinner bell" Andrea added, still furious.

"Get the picture now?" Morales asked as they arrived at the front of the department store. Outside walkers were banging and pushing against the glass doors, some even using rocks to try and get in. Rick was stunned. The survivors quickly moved back out of sight as Andrea began to panic:

"Oh God... Y/N. If he's out there then-"

"Hey he'll be alright. I've seen him get through worse" Glenn smiled, thinking back. Not all of their trips had gone smoothly.

Morales called out suddenly: "Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B. Can you contact the others?"

"Others? The refugee center?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, the refugee center. They've got biscuits waiting at the oven for us" Jacqui scoffed.

"Got no signal. Maybe the roof" T-Dog said before the group all heard gun shots blaring out.

"Oh no. Is that Dixon?" Andrea sighed. Rick asked if that was her brother in law to which she scoffed:

"That asshole? No. He's just a piece of shit."

"What is that maniac doing?" Jacqui snapped angrily as Glenn added "Come on, let's go."

--~--

Up on the rooftop a man has a scoped rifle pointing down. He aimed and fired, blowing a walker away before firing again and again. The door to the roof opened, Morales the first out as he yelled: "Hey, Dixon, are you crazy?"

Merle laughed, firing again before he turned to look at the others.

"Hey! Y'all be more polite to a man with a gun! Huh? Ah!" he smiled as he jumped off the low wall that surrounded the roof.

"Only common sense" he chuckled.

"Man, you wasting bullets we ain't even got, man! And you're bringing even more of them down on our ass! Man, just chill" T-Dog shrieked, his voice getting higher the angrier he got. Merle laughed before replying:

"Hey, bad enough I've got this taco bender on my ass all day. Now I'm gonna take orders from you? I don't think so, bro. That'll be the day."

"That'll be the day? You got something you want to tell me?" T-Dog snapped.

"Hey, T-Dog man, just leave it. All right? It ain't worth it. Now Merle, just relax, okay? We've got enough trouble" Morales interjected, trying to keep the peace.

Rick looked questioningly at Glenn. Glenn shook his head fearfully and motioned for Rick to leave it alone.

"You want to know the day?" Merle continued.

"I'll tell you the day, Mr. "YO." It's the day I take orders from a n****r!"

"You motherf-" T-Dog charged enraged. He threw a punch that Merle blocked and they start fighting. As the others yelled to stop, Merle was grabbed from behind by Rick, the officer quickly dropped by a left hook before Merle got the best of T-Dog, and as the man dropped to the floor Merle began kicking him.

Rick tried to get to his feet before a tall, broad figure rushed passed the group from the roof's door.

"Oh shit" Morales whispered as the figure grabbed Merle's shoulder, spun him, and before Merle could react dropped the redneck with a hard left, a sickening crack heard as two more punches landed on Merle's chin and nose. The man then pulled a gun from his side and shoved it in Merle's face.

"What did you call my friend, Dixon? Say it again!"

Merle didn't answer but stared back up at Y/N with a snarl.

"Yeah that's what I thought" Y/N said coldly as he watched Rick get to his feet.

"You got something to tie up this shitbird?" Y/N asked. Rick nodded, pulling his handcuffs and attaching Merle to a metal pipe on the roof.

Y/N spat on Merle as he stood, holding his hand out and helping T-Dog to his feet.

"You alright man?" Y/N asked his friend who nodded before Andrea ran up and wrapped her arms round Y/N.

"I didn't think you would make it, not with all the walkers. I didn't know what I was gonna tell Amy-"

"Hey, I'm fine. I'm fine. I had to climb up and bust a second story window after this dumb fuck drew every walker in the city here, but otherwise I'm fine."

He turned to Rick.

"So you got a name, Officer Friendly?" Y/N asked, looking at the police man warily. Rick smiled and held out his hand, which Y/N shook.

"Rick"

"Y/N"

"So you're the brother in law hey?" Rick smiled. "I have to admit, I fired those bullets first. I didn't realise-"

Rick was cut off as Y/N turned on a dime, slamming him back against a wall and pulling his gun, holding it against Rick's cheek.

"Glenn, go into my bag there, grab one of the blue and white boxes for me" Y/N said calmly as his eyes bored a hole through Rick's skull. Rick looked at him worriedly, saying:

"Unlike Andrea I notice your safety is off."

Rick knew he was in a bad spot. He wasn't short at 5'10", but was lean- Y/N meanwhile towered over him and must have stood 6'3" or 6'4". He looked well in excess of 200lbs and was a walking piledriver, given how easily he had taken Merle down and manhandled Rick against the wall.

Glenn quickly ran over with one of the boxes, saying: "Y/N, I've got it, but-"

Y/N replied coolly as Andrea, T-Dog, Morales and Jacqui stood and watched. They knew Y/N. They trusted Y/N, but they had also seen Y/N spring into action when he thought his family was in danger, killing walkers without a moment's fear or hesitation. They didn't know how he was going to react now:

"Hold it up to him, Glenn, slowly. Let him get a good look."

Glenn did so, Rick staring at the word Imatinib before it was removed.

"Do you know what that is?" Y/N asked coldly. Rick shook his head, replying:

"No, no I don't."

"Cancer blocking drugs. My grandmother needs one a day. Anyone who's stopping me from getting them back to her, anyone who puts my family at risk-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I woke up yesterday in a hospital, I'd been in a coma. All this is... I'm just trying to find my wife and my son. I know they got out of home ok, but..."

Y/N sighed, looking Rick in the eyes and for the first time, not glaring through them. He flicked the safety back on and put the gun back behind his back as the other five exhaled in relief.

"Wanting to get to family, I can understand that. Just don't endanger mine again. Clear?"

Rick nodded and Y/N released him.

"Oh boy, I thought you were gonna shoot him! Didn't have the stones for it? Unlock these handcuffs and I-"

Merle was silenced as Y/N walked across and kicked him in the face.

"Shut up! Redneck, racist piece of trash" Y/N snapped as Thunder rumbled over head. He walked over to the low wall and looked out it, especially down at the walkers still trying to gain entrance to the building as Rick and then the others join him. Morales turned to Rick

"You're not Atlanta P.D. Where you from?"

"Up the road a ways" Rick replied.

"Well, Officer Friendly, from up the road a ways, welcome to the big city" Morales chuckled.

"God, it's like Times Square down there" Andrea said fearfully as she squeezed against Y/N's arm.

"How's that signal?" Morales asked as he looked over at T-Dog. T-Dog replied:

"Like Dixon's brain -weak."

Merle gave T-Dog the finger.

"Keep trying" Y/N said as he attempted to formulate a plan. Andrea looked up at her brother in law and asked:

"Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing."

"Because Amy will be worried. Nan will be worried, Clem, Miranda and the kids..." he looked at Morales who sighed "... we need to let them know we ran into a tight spot, but we're not giving up. We'll figure a way out of this."

Merle laughed from the side:

"Good luck with that. These streets ain't safe in this part of town from what I hear."

He turned from Y/N to Andrea:

"Ain't that right, sugar tits? Hey, Honeybunch, what say you get me out of these cuffs; we go off somewhere and bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway."

"I'd rather" Andrea snapped in disgust.

"Rug muncher. I figured as much... or are you digging out both sisters boy? You poppin' that sweet little mixed girl too, maybe you could sh-"

Merle was cut off by three hard punches cannoning into his face, blood spraying across the rooftop as the third smashed his nose.

"Next time I'll break that jaw too. Everyone else may be afraid of you, but I sure as fuck ain't. Every single fucking day I looked harder, badder men then you in the eye and broke them down, so you keep pushin' asshole. I got no problem throwing that trailer park trash ass of yours off this goddamn roof!"

Merle snarled at Y/N as blood dripped down his face. The others, minus Andrea looked at Y/N in shock at his words until Morales chuckled.

"The streets ain't safe. Now there's an understatement."

"What about under the streets? The sewers?" Rick asked. Morales got excited at the idea, looking over to Glenn:

"Oh man. Hey, Glenn, check the alley. You see any manhole covers?"

Glenn quickly ran across to the other side of the roof, looking down at the alley below.

"No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are."

"Maybe not" Jacqui spoke. "Old building like this built in the twenties. Big structures often had drainage tunneled into the sewers in case of flooding down in the subbasements."

"How do you know that?" Glenn asked.

"It's my job - was. I worked in the city zoning office" she replied.

Y/N looked at Rick and smiled.

--~--

Y/N, Jacqui, Andrea, Rick, Morales and Glenn were walking down the building's interior fire escape stairs to the subbasement. As they were on the way down Rick said to Y/N from behind him:

"Y/N, how old are you?"

"Nineteen. Twenty next month, if it even matters anymore."

Rick nodded and followed up with:

"What did you do before all this? Military, law enforcement?"

"Why do you ask?" Y/N chuckled.

"Your words on the roof, looking down bigger, badder men. Figured it had to be something like that."

Y/N chuckled.

"I had a few different roles at my job, one of them was debt recovery from some not so nice people. I was the one my boss sent on his most challenging clients."

Rick's police warning bells were going a hundred miles an hour at Y/N's answer but he let the matter lie for the moment. The six arrived at the bottom of the building to a large hole in the floor that opened to a deep, dark stairwell.

"This is it? Are you sure?" Morales asked.

"We really scoped this place out the other times we were here. It's the only thing in the building that goes down. But I've never gone down it. Neither did Y/N. Who'd want to, right?" Glenn chuckled before replying "oh. Great" when they all looked at him.

"We'll be right behind you" Andrea replied.

"No, you won't. Not you" Glenn fired back instantly which set Andrea off.

"Why not me? Think I can't?" She snapped, Y/N placing a hand on her arm to say 'chill' as Glenn stammered:

"I-I wasn't-"

"Speak your mind" Rick said calmly. Glenn inhaled deeply.

"Look, until now it was always just me and Y/N- in and out, grab a few things -no problem. The first time we bring a group - Everything goes to Hell. No offense. If you want me to go down this gnarly hole, fine- But only if we do it my way. It's tight down there. If I run into something and have to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind me getting me killed. I'll take one person"

He looked at Y/N.

"Not you or Rick, I've seen you both shoot and I'd feel better if you were out in the store watching our ass."

Y/N nodded as Glenn turned to Andrea:

"You've got the only other gun, so you should go with them."

Andrea looked at her brother in law and nodded. Glenn looked at Morales:

"You be my wingman. Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry."

"Okay" Jacqui nodded.

"Okay, everybody knows their jobs" Rick said, patting Glenn supportively on the shoulder. Y/N nodded to Glenn, the two bro hugging.

"You watch your ass down there" Y/N said to his friend worriedly. Glenn smiled and nodded.

--~--

Y/N, Rick and Andrea walked up to the ground floor where the walkers were still at the plate glass doors.

"Sorry for the gun in your face" Andrea said with a smile. Y/N looked at her, and then Rick.

"You too?" he asked. Rick nodded and chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think it's a family thing."

"Whatever you do, don't piss my Nan off" Y/N chuckled. He then turned to Andrea. She smiled.

"So did you find he thing you said you had to look for? The one you wouldn't tell me what it was?"

Y/N nodded.

"Yeah, speaking of family. You know what it is in two days"

Andrea laughed and smiled.

"Yeah. I did find this before" she said as she held up a mermaid pendant necklace from the jewellery cabinet they were standing in front of."

"For you?" Rick smiled and Andrea shook her head.

"Not for me, but for my sister, Amy. Y/N's girlfriend. She's still such a kid at heart in some ways. Unicorns, dragons - She's into all that stuff. But mermaids - they rule. She loves mermaids."

Rick could see the smile on Y/N's face at the mention of Amy's name, a genuine smile.

"Why not take it?" Rick asked

"There's a cop staring at me. Would it be considered looting?"

"I don't think those rules apply anymore. Do you?" Rick chuckled.

Andrea smiled and put the necklace in her pocket, looking at Y/N.

"So you found something too?"

She noticed him stiffen, get a nervous expression as he nodded and pulled a jewellery box from his pocket. He handed it to her and she opened it, her eyes widening as she gasped.

It was a silver ring with diamonds inlaid along the side. Above this was a golden mermaid sprawled back on each side of a huge diamond in the middle.

"Y/N, is this?" Andrea asked.

"I know your Dad's not here, and I hope he and Jude are safe in Florida, Andrea. But can I ask you, for your blessing, to propose to your sister?"

Andrea's smile across her face was massive as she rushed across to Y/N and hugged him tight.

"Of course I give my blessing. I know mum and dad would too, I know how much you love Amy, and how much she loves you. I know she will be delighted."

Y/N smiled, his face warming in relief as Andrea closed the box and he put it back in his pocket.

"Thanks, Andrea. That means a lot, it does. I had to go through a dozen jewellers to find the right one."

Rick smiled and then laughed as Andrea turned to him.

"That's the most nervous I've seen him since the dead started walking.

--~--

T-Dog and Merle were still on the roof. T-Dog was leaning against the low wall, Merle still handcuffed as T-Dog attempted to get through to the survivor camp.

"Anybody out there? Hello? Anybody read? I'm hoping to hear somebody's voice 'cause I'm getting sick and tired of hearing mine."

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us. Why don't you knock that crap off? You're giving me a headache, boy" Merle said as he spat.

"Why don't you pull your head out your ass? Maybe your headache will go away. Try some positivity for a change, damn."

Merle chuckled.

"I'll tell you what. You get me out of these cuffs and I'll be all "Sammy Sunshine" positive for you. Hey, see that hacksaw over there in that tool bag? Get it for me, hmm? Make it worth your while. What do you say, man? Come on. Get me out of these things."

"So you can beat my ass again? Or call me a n****r some more?"

"Come on now. It wasn't personal. It's just that your kind and my kind ain't meant to mix. That's all. It don't mean we can't... work together, parley, as long as there's some kind of mutual gain involved. So... about that hacksaw-"

"I guess you want me to get that rifle over there, too so you can shoot both my boy and that cop when they come back up, huh?"

Merle just chuckled at T-Dog working out his plan.

--~--

Down in the subbasement Glenn and Morales were still exploring by flashlight, but all they could see was rats at their feet. They came up to a heavily barred gate between them and the rest of the tunnel.

"Yeah, we've got ourselves a sewer tunnel. Jacqui was right" Morales said as Glenn pulled on the door that had no give.

"Can we cut through it?"

"If we had a blowtorch and half a day, sure. Dale's hacksaw sure as Hell won't do it" Morales sighed.

--~--

Y/N was switching between nerves and excitement at proposing to Amy as he tried to get his head back in the game. There was no point getting a ring if they didn't make it back to camp. He looked up as the first row of plate glass doors broke, only one now stood between them and the walkers. Morales, Jacqui and Glenn came running up from the basement.

"What did you find down there?" Rick asked. Morales shook his head:

"Not a way out."

"We need to find a way...and soon" Andrea sighed.

The group headed back to the roof, Rick looking out with binoculars from Glenn's backpack and spotting a construction site as more thunder rumbled above.

"That construction site, those trucks -they always keep keys on hand."

Y/N took the binoculars, looked at the construction site and then back down at the street below.

"We'll never make it past the walkers. Not that many"

Rick looked at Glenn and said calmly: "You got me out of that tank."

"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted."

"Can we distract them again?"

"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on Hogan's Heroes" Merle goaded by where he sat still handcuffed. Y/N's head snapped around:

"You want another kick in the face?"

"They're drawn by sound, right? What else?" Rick asked, trying to diffuse the Y/N and Merle situation again.

"Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you" Morales replied.

"They can tell us by smell?" Rick asked in shock.

"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct" Andrea stated. An idea suddenly clicked in Y/N's head, he and Rick looking at each other in a simultaneous eureka moment before Y/N walked across, kissed Andrea on the forehead and stated:

"You genius!"

--~--

Y/N opened the door to the alleyway, grabbing a walker by the ankles as Rick hurriedly grabbed protective wear and handed it out. The six stood around the body in raincoats, plastic gloves and as the man to do it, Rick had a plastic face shield on.

"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold" Glenn stated.

"He's right. Just stop, okay? Take some time to think this through" Morales added.

"How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever" Rick replied. Y/N nodded: "This will work."

Rick lowered the face shield and smashed the emergency glass box on the wall, grabbing the fire axe from it. Rick inhaled deeply and got a running start with the axe, before dropping it at the last second and taking off the shield and gloves. He checked the walker's pockets and pulled a wallet.

"Wayne Dunlap, Georgia license. Born in 1979."

He handed the license to Glenn.

"He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died and a picture of a pretty girl. "With love, from Rachel." He used to be like us -worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne."

He replaced the wallet and put his gear back on.

"One more thing - he was an organ donor" Glenn said with trepidation.

Rick picked up the axe but before he could swing Y/N had pulled his hunting knife from his side and rammed it into the stomach of the corpse, slicing deep across and spilling the man's intestines. The group reacted to the intense stench that filled the room, Y/N doing his best to remain stoic and not react as he turned to the others.

"Plan's changed. Cover me as well."

"What?" Andrea gasped as the others were equally shocked. Y/N looked at Rick as he asked in shock:

"You sure?"

Y/N stared back and answered honestly:

"No offense, Rick, but I don't know you from fucking Adam, alright. If my boy is going out on those streets, with nothing separating him from the dead but walker guts, I'm going too. Besides, you driven a truck before? Cos I have."

He began covering his jacket with the walker guts as Rick said to the others:

"You've got the gloves, try not to get any on your skin or eyes."

"I'm gonna hurl" Glenn said attempting to hold it back.

"Later" Y/N replied as he continued to cover himself.

"Think about something else - puppies and kittens" Rick said trying to calm him.

"Dead puppies and kittens" T-Dog said suddenly, pushing Glenn over the edge as he turned and vomited all over the floor.

"That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea snapped as Jacqui turned to Y/N and said:

"Next time let the cracker beat his ass."

"I'm sorry, yo" T-Dog chuckled as Glenn whimpered: "You suck."

"Do we smell like them?" Rick asked.

"Oh yeah. Glenn. Just in case" Andrea whimpered before tucking her gun apprehensively into his pants.

--~--

Rick, Y/N and Glenn exited the store, Y/N with his knife in hand and Rick the fire axe as Glenn panicked between them.

"Be slow, be silent, don't draw attention" Y/N whispered as they passed the first of the walkers, the animated corpses looking but not reacting.

The rest of the group rushed quickly to the rooftop, Merle asking:

"Hey, what's happening, man?"

As Morales answered: "Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B", ignoring Merle and looking down to the street with the binoculars.

"It's working, they're walking straight through the walkers without being noticed" he said happily.

"Let me see" Andrea rushed over in relief, peering down at her brother in law.

"That asshole is out on the street with the handcuff keys?" Merle snapped, as T-Dog waved them to Merle, showing he had them.

"Base Camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me? Can anybody out there hear me?" as more thunder rumbled.

--~--

At the survivor camp Dale was working on the RV with another survivor, Jim.

"Boy, that hose isn't long for this world, is it?" Dale muttered, Jim replying: "No sir."

"Where the hell are we gonna find a replacement?" Dale wondered as Amy paced back and forth. She was frantically worried the later the day got, Clementine and Margaret had been doing their best to try and calm her down but it wasn't working.

"It's late. They should've been back by now" she exclaimed as she paced.

"Worrying won't make it better" Dale replied. Lori meanwhile was hanging laundry as she watched Shane teach Carl how to tie knots.

The CB suddenly squawked to life after it had been moved to the top of the RV to improve the reception. They heard T-Dog between bursts of static.

"Hello, base camp! Can anybody out there hear me? Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"

Dale picked up the reciever: "Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."

"Shane, is that you?"

"

Is that them?" Lori asked as more static interference was heard.

"We're in deep shit. We're trapped in the department store."

"He say they're trapped?" Shane asked.

"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded."

"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat" Dale said clearly before the radio stopped.

"He said the department store" Lori said worriedly.

"I heard it too" Dale replied.

"Shane?" Lori asked as she looked over to him. He instantly shook his head.

"No way. We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that."

"So we're just gonna leave them there?" Amy rounded on Shane.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy-" Shane began to justify but was cut off.

"They volunteered to go to help the rest of us."
K
"I know, and they knew the risks, right? See, if they're trapped, they're gone. So we just have to deal with that. There's nothing we can do. Y/N and I had that conversation before he left."

"That's my boyfriend, my sister, you son of a bitch" Amy snapped before she ran off, Clementine following. Lori nodded in a slight agreement to Shane before she ran off after the women.

--~--

The three men continued down the street towards the construction site slowly.

"It's gonna work. I can't believe it" Glenn whispered.

"Shhh" Y/N replied.

Rain began to lightly fall as it had threatened to all afternoon. Y/N looked up and whispered "fuck"

The rain began getting harder and Glenn panicked:

"The smell's washing off, isn't it? Is it washing off?"

"No, it's not" Rick whispered. The walkers around them began to stop shuffling, looking at the trio.

"Well, maybe" Y/N chuckled before he was grabbed by a walker, instantly stabbing it with his knife.

"RUN!"

The trio ran, Y/N and Rick hacking through the walkers in front of them before reaching the chain link fence to the construction site. They scaled it easily, tearing off the raincoats as Rick fired some of the walkers and Y/N rushed to the truck. He opened the door and checked under the driver's sun visor, the key dropping down and he quickly got the truck started.

"Get in!" he yelled, and when Glenn and Rick were in he drove out the construction yard, smashing through the gates. They arrived at the department store and there were too many walkers on the loading dock. He reversed back and continued up the street.

"They're leaving us" Jacqui nearly cried.

"No no no no no. Where they going? Where they going?" Morales said fearfully as Andrea reprimanded them both:

"There's no way Y/N and Glenn would leave us. Just be ready."

A moment later Y/N came through on the CB:

"The dock's full of walkers, we'll be back in five minutes, be ready."

Y/N lowered the walkie and smirked at Glenn as he drove over a walker: "Let me know when you see a car you like."

--~--

A couple of minutes later Glenn was barrelling down the Atlanta streets in a red sports car. It's car alarm was blaring and Glenn pulled up in front of the department store, beeping his horn as Y/N came up again on the radio, telling the others to "get down to the doors now!"

Andrea, Jacqui, Morales and T-Dog picked up their bags and ran for the stairs, Merle still attached by handcuffs, screaming:

"Hey, you can't leave me here! I'm not fooling, man! Morales! Hey, man! Don't do this! Come on. Hey, that's my gun. You can't leave me. Don't leave me here, you guys."

T-Dog stopped at the door while the rest of them ran down the stairs.

"Hey, T-Dog. No, man. You can't leave me, man. You can't leave me here - Not like this. You can't man. It's not human. Come on, don't do this" Merle begged.

T-Dog ran back, knocking over Dale's toolbox the group had accidentally left on the roof and tripped, the key to the handcuffs flying out of his hands and bouncing several time before dropping down a drain.

"No! No no no no!" Merle screamed as T-Dog said he was sorry and bolted. His conscious stopped him and he bolted the door to the roof shut with a thick chain and a heavy padlock before tearing down the stairs, screaming loudly: "Don't leave me!"

Morales, Andrea and Jacqui ran down and through the sales floor, passing the walkers that were still growling at the doors. The three ran through to the roll up doors in the loading bay, Jacqui and Andrea grabbing the pull down chain on the door, making ready to raise them. Morales joined them and they wait for the signal.

A couple of minutes passed, the three survivors were joined by an out of breath T-Dog as they heard a truck backing up and its horn blared. They lifted the roller door and as Y/N finished backing up Rick opened the truck's rear door. The group jumped in the truck and Y/N pulled out and drove off, just as the walkers who had managed to get in the store fell from the truck dock as the truck departed.

Y/N drove the truck down the highway back towards camp, mirroring the same journey he took when he got his family out. Rick was sat in the front seat next to him and looked back to the others, Morales, Andrea and Jacqui all looking at T-Dog who grimaced:

"I dropped the damn key."

Andrea looked around and asked:

"Where's Glenn?"

--~--

The red sports car raced down I85, the car alarm blaring as Glenn roared in enjoyment.