CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Andie's putting her weapons bag on the floor in front of the passenger seat as Daryl's getting ready to look under the hood of the car. He tosses his vest on the hood as he props it up, and the brunette looks over at Theo and Zoe.

"You summoned?" She asks as she stops a few feet away.

"I need you to do me a favor — keep an eye on Tyreese while we're gone. He's on a warpath, wants blood." Andie tells her. "Just keep tabs, let Noah know if his behavior seems a little too..."

"Murderous?" Zoe looks at the concrete, and Andie takes a deep breath as she looks at her.

"I'm sorry, Zo. I know how much Karen and Carter mean to you." She says. "But the way that Ty's going... Karen wasn't the type for revenge. You knew her, she wasn't violent."

"She was killed, Andie."

"I know." She nods. "But if we start down this road, where does it end?"

Zoe nods, knowing that she's right. "I'll keep an eye on him, keep your Sheriff-dad in the loop."

"Thank you."

"You know," Theo starts, and she looks over at him. "I remember you singing a very different tune after Donovan threatened to kill Stilinski."

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Andie questions.

"You're showing growth. I think it's great."

"Okay, the patronizing — I'm gonna beat you senseless." She tells him, and he chuckles. "And I simmered down, thank you very much."

He shrugs. "Donovan's still dead."

"Okay, thank you. Thank you for making me sound like a slut and a murderer." She flips him off as Daryl and Michonne look between the two of them.

"I don't want any answers." Michonne says. "No, yes, I do."

"And I wanna feed myself to a walker." Andie mutters as she lays down on the concrete, pretending she's dead.

Daryl clears his throat. "Son of a bitch is about a quart low."

"You still keep it in the bottom of tower three?" Michonne asks.

"Yeah."

"I'll go get one." She turns to walk away as Theo walks over and nudges Andie's foot.

"Hey!" Daryl calls, and Michonne turns back. "I'm glad you're here."

"Where else would I be?"

"Running off." He says as he continues with what he's doing, and she looks between the three of them.

"You know I'm not running off." Michonne says as she walks back a couple steps, and he nods.

"Stop touching me." Andie says as the older girl walks away from them. "I'm dead, leave me be." She tells him, her eyes shut as she sprawls her arms out.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how you're not." Theo says, and she opens one eye to look at him.

"Talking about Donovan again?" She rolls over and gets to her feet.

"I know I give you shit, but I also know the effect that day had on you and Stiles."

"Yeah, I know you do." She glances his way, and if looks could kill, they'd be digging his grave next. "Are you reaching a point, or is this just your usual self trying to get under my skin?"

"I don't know, I guess I just wanna understand."

"Understand what?"

"How you can have so much shit happen to you, but you just keep getting back up. And every time you do, you're more concerned with the people you love than with your own well-being."

"What am I supposed to do, Theo?" She turns to look at him. "Feel sorry for myself? Cry myself to sleep every night, asking why me?"

"The fire, Donovan...the Governor. It's always the same."

"I am nobody's victim." Andie tells him. "And Donovan wasn't coming for me that night. So there was no reason to feel sorry for myself."

"You would've been his collateral damage." He argues. "He would've killed you to get to Stiles."

"Yeah, but he didn't." She argues. "Donovan was an angry punk who wanted revenge because of what happened to his dad. He blamed Noah for his father ending up in that wheelchair, so he wanted to hurt Stiles to get back at the sheriff. Stiles climbed that scaffolding to get away, he pulled the pin to create a diversion, to give us time to get out of that library. What happened — that bar going through—" She clenches her teeth as she looks down. "That wasn't supposed to happen, Donovan wasn't supposed to die. It was self-defense, it was an accident...and Stiles never forgave himself, he blames himself."

"Just him?"

"What's your point, Theo?" She questions. "Why are you doing this?"

"It was just that, an accident. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't Stiles'...but neither of you have moved on, have you?" He asks. "Not really. You still see his body, don't you? Donovan is one of the nightmares that keeps you up at night. Because you can't get the image out of your head. It's never gonna go away, is it?"

Andie takes a deep breath when she sees the tears in his eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Theo."

"I could've stopped it." He argues. "I could've saved her."

"It was an accident." She says. "They happen, and people die, and it sucks. But you get up, you pull your shit together, and you keep moving. There are still people here who need us to get back to work."

"I don't get how you do it time and time again."

Andie shrugs as she looks to the left, seeing Melissa walking their way. "Because I have to. There isn't really much of a choice in this world, Theo." She tells him before turning to walk over to the nurse.

"Here's a list of the stuff you'll need." Melissa says as she passes her a piece of paper. "Listen, Andie, I just wanted you to know in case you come back and... With Dr. S. so sick, someone has to be in there to take care of the others."

"In case I come back and what?" Andie questions. "In case you're sick? No. Melissa—"

"I have no right to take any less risk than everyone else here." She argues. "There are sick people, and I know how to take care of them. Some of them... Some of them, I'll just be trying to keep comfortable until..."

"We're bringing these meds back." She flicks the paper in her hand. "Nothing else is an option."

"Be careful out there."

"Always am." Andie turns around and walks back over to the car.

"That brave face is slipping." Theo says, and she turns to glare at him. "What? It's just a lot of talk for someone who doesn't believe what she's saying."

"I've got my shit together. Being worried about Melissa doesn't change that." She refutes. "Now get in the car and shut the fuck up."

"Ooh, angry Andie." He chuckles. "She's my favorite."

"Do you have any idea how many times a day I have to remind myself that murder is wrong?" Andie asks as she holds the list of medication out toward Daryl.

"It ain't hard to guess." The older man says as he reaches out for the paper.

Bob's making his way over as Andie climbs into the front seat. She pulls her weapons bag into her lap before slumping down, resting her head against the chair as she waits for Daryl and Bob to get in the car so they can leave.

They're driving down the road a few minutes after leaving, and Daryl glances behind him at the backseat. "Hey, I know you weren't running off." He says, and Michonne looks up. "But the thing is, that trail went cold. You know that, right? If it was any different, we'd be right out there with you." He says, and she only nods.

"Hey, Andie?" Theo leans forward.

"No." The brunette sighs.

"I wanna ask you a question."

"No."

"You're not good at making friends, you know that?"

"No."

"No, you don't know that? Or you're still just telling me no?" He asks, and she takes a deep breath as she sits up in her seat.

"Making friends has never really been a strong suit of mine...or a concern for me." She says. "Do you have a point? Do you ever have a point?"

"It's an observation. And I'm curious."

"I'm not gonna ask." She tells him.

"You don't have to." He continues anyway. "Zoe's the only girl I've ever seen like you. Well, the closest to a teenager anyway."

"Yeah. And?"

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm a bitch."

"Why?"

Andie turns to give him a dirty look before looking at Daryl. "Please tell me I wasn't this annoying."

Daryl glances at her before returning his gaze to the road. "Not even close."

"Why didn't Lydia like you?" Theo asks.

"Probably because I didn't like Lydia." Andie says as she sinks into her seat again.

"But you two were friends."

"We were friendly enough. Kinda had to be with Scott and Stiles around." She reasons. "We tolerated each other. So what?"

"Why didn't you like her?"

"Same reason I never liked any teenage girls."

"Mhm."

"Oh, God..." She groans. "Lydia was a prissy little bitch who thought she was better than everyone else. I could stomach her presence more after her ego deflated a few sizes."

"What about Kira?"

"I never had a problem with Kira." Andie shrugs. "She was a little awkward, but she was alright."

"She was afraid of you."

"She was not."

"She was intimidated by you."

"Intimidation isn't the same thing as fear."

"Was it because of Scott?" Theo asks.

"How the hell should I know? Do I look like Kira to you?" She glances over her shoulder. "Here's a thought, go to Mexico and ask her."

"What about Hayden?"

"Who?"

"Liam's little girlfriend."

"Oh. I don't know." She shrugs. "I wasn't around her much. She didn't like me?"

"I think Liam had a crush on you."

"Oh. Well, then, there's your answer — teenager's are petty."  She tells him. "Malia liked me."

"Malia liked everyone Stiles was friends with by default." Theo reasons.

"And now I'm offended."

"Besides, Malia also started to like Peter."

"Okay, now I'm doubly offended." She grumbles. "Michonne, stab him."

"Sorry, I think he may be useful later." The older girl says, and she sighs.

"Yeah, that's the only reason I haven't left him to the walkers yet."

"You'd miss me." Theo says, and she scoffs. "I wanna take a vote."

"Who votes Theo off the island?" Andie asks, and Daryl raises his hand. The brunette smirks as she looks in the backseat, but Theo seems amused with himself.

"Who thinks Andie's actually a bitch? Or is she just anti-social?"

"Both."

"Do you actually have a purpose to your rambling?" Michonne asks him. "Apart from annoying her?"

"Yeah." Theo nods. "I'm trying to get to the bottom of why she only has one friend in the entire group in this car."

"The car is over half male, so why are you asking about girls?"

"Because you're her only friend in the car."

"How do you figure?"

"Why are you encouraging him?" Andie looks at her over her shoulder.

"It's a long drive, and I find him entertaining."

"She makes her feelings toward me pretty clear. At least, the ones she pretends she feels." Theo starts, and Andie rolls her eyes. "Bob's too new, plus she hasn't made many friends at the prison anyway. And I heard her whining to Melissa this morning about how Daryl won't talk to her."

"Was that supposed to get a rise out of me?" Andie asks, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

"No."

"First of all, I don't whine. I was having a conversation with a friend." She tells him. "Second, quit stalking me, you fucking creep."

"A conversation where you were whining."

"You're gonna start whining when I stab you in the leg." She says as Daryl starts trying to get the radio to work while asking for a CD.

They hear a voice come over the speakers, and Andie stops going through the CDs as they all stop talking to listen. They hear something about a place called Terminus, then determined to survive. The two in the front seat exchange a confused look, and then Daryl swerves when he looks out the front windshield and sees that they're about to hit a walker. He clips a couple before coming to a stop, and then they see hundreds of walkers out ahead of them.

"Grab something!" Daryl yells as he puts the car in reverse and slams on the gas.

They hit at least half a dozen walkers before the car just drives up over them. And then they can't get any traction to get the car moving anymore.

"We're jammed up." He tells them, and Andie starts going through her shoulder bag for her weapons. "Alright, make a run for the gaps right there. You make a run for the woods and you don't stop for nothing, you hear me?" He points out the passenger window, and Bob nods.

"Now!" Andie throws her door open, hitting a walker and pushing it back.

Daryl goes up through the sunroof, and he shoots a walker in front of Andie before it can get too close to her. She's swinging her hatchet at their heads, then she leans down and pulls the arrow from the dead walker. He then slides down the windshield, shooting another walker. He pulls that arrow as well before running after Andie as she disappears into the tree line.

Bob climbs out of the backseat and the other two follow. He pulls his gun and starts shooting the walkers while Michonne uses her sword. Theo has his knife, and the rest of them run into the trees to get away from the large herd that's completely surrounded the car.

They end up in a small clearing, and Andie holds three arrows out toward Daryl. "You really need to stop leaving these behind." She tells him, and he quickly takes them to place back into his crossbow.