Sunday, January 31, 2010

Maggie had tears in her eyes. Glenn squeezed her hand comfortingly, and when she glanced at him she could see the question in his eyes. 'Are you alright?' they asked. She smiled back at him, squeezed his hand to reassure him and turned back to the conversation.

She was just a little overwhelmed. She had Glenn back. She had her family back--both pre and post walker family. She would find more of them, she was determined about that. She just...never thought she'd get to have both and Glenn too.

She looked at her siblings, love for them overflowing. They were both here. And her Mom. It didn't even matter if they remembered or not, they were here. She sniffed a bit, she couldn't help it. Yes, Annette was her stepmom, but they were close. Once she'd gotten over her rebellion, her anger that her father would replace her Mother, her grief at her loss; then she and Annette had become close. She was her Mom now. They'd become even closer when Beth was born and she and Shawn united in their quest to protect their little sister.

Having the chance to introduce Glenn to her Mom just now wasn't something she ever thought she'd get to do. Her hand went to her stomach, that was one thing that was missing. She gave a thought to her missing unborn child, felt the sadness, but then felt Glenn touch her shoulder. She looked at him again and could see the worry on his face. She leaned over and kissed him briefly and gave him a reassuring pat on the cheek as she pulled away. It was okay. It would all be okay. They were together again and they had time. She'd get pregnant again, they'd have another chance at having their child, but together this time. She was sure of that. Their child wasn't gone, just delayed. And she could make sure they arrived in a better home, a safe home. She'd be prepared.

Her gaze went back to her Mom. To see her Mom embrace this, to understand and take their word for what was coming? Well, who could blame her for getting a little misty eyed? With Mom on their side, they could do this. She was a force to reckon with and their chances of survival just went up one hundred fold. Her Mom would help her prepare for their child.

She tuned back into the conversation. Her Mom was determined to live and asked what they needed to do. Yes. This is the direction they needed to go in. They needed to plan.

Rick looked contemplative and then said, "Well, to start we need a secure place to live. A place we can set up with supplies and whatever else we need. We have time to prepare and to buy what we need. Some we can get after, but we should get what will be harder to get later now. We'll need a place to store it that we can easily get to our home after. It'd be even better if we didn't have to move it, if we could store it where it was going to stay."

Glenn nodded along with what Rick said. "What would be the best place to set up though? We'll need a strong place with walls that we can defend. I mean, we could take the prison, but it's occupied and won't fall for months. And we all know the threats there."

Merle shook his head as soon as Glenn mentioned the prison. "Nah, can't go ta the prison. That won't work with the Gov'nah so close. He'll want what we have 'ventually and come fer us. We need a bettah place. Whose ta say he don't 'member same as us 'sides? He could be waiting fer us."

"We could get to Woodbury first, take it over. Then he might not even show up there, or if he does he wouldn't be in charge," Michonne proposed.

Carol shook her head at that. "No. Even if he showed up later, he'd still have men. He had a way of gathering men to his cause. He came up with a whole army after losing his first group and came for us anyway. Plus Woodbury has the same problem as the prison--it's currently occupied. Alexandria would be the same, the developer wouldn't take too kindly to us just moving into his show houses. We should probably avoid Alexandria for similar reasons as the prison and Woodbury, no reason to fight the same war again."

Hershel sat and listened to them discuss the various possibilities. Then he said, "Well, it sounds like we have some looking to do to find something permanent. We have time to figure it out. In the meantime, I have plenty of room on the farm for storage. We can start here and then move things once we find a long term home. This will be a good temporary starting place at least, a headquarters of sorts for the time being while we sort it out."

That is the point where ideas coalesced for Maggie in her head. She looked contemplative during the time they all put forth ideas for an eventual home but she finally spoke up. "Why do we have to leave the farm? Why does it have to be a temporary starting point, why can't it be permanent?"

Everyone who remembered looked shocked. They looked at Maggie and each other uncomfortably.

Finally Hershel spoke up. "Maggie. I love the farm just as much as you do and you know I had a hard time leaving last time. But, it's just not defensible. When that herd came through we lost people. Jimmy, Patricia, we thought we lost Andrea. If we hadn't run we all probably woulda died. There's just no way this place can stand up to that many walkers."

Maggie Hmmm'd deep in her throat. "I know all that Daddy, I was there too. But all the places we've mentioned have active human threats." She began to list them off on her fingers. "The prison has the Governor and his army, as Merle mentioned. Woodbury--also the Governor. Terminus had cannibals," she heard Beth gasp to her side. "Grady Memorial had bad cops making people work as indentured servants. Shirewilt Estates had humans attack and kill them--likely the wolves. Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside and The Kingdom all had Negan and the saviors terrorizing them. I *won't* take Glenn back there." She got a steely sound to her voice on that last bit. "There are threats everywhere, but the biggest threats are the living and there are known living threats at all those places. At least here the only threat is the dead and we know how to deal with them."

Carol spoke up then. "There was a living threat here as well. Randall and his group of 30 raping and pillaging men. Don't discount them."

"Pffft," Maggie snorted. "Randall and his men are nothing compared to what we've taken on over the years. We survived them even back when we knew nothing. We could take them out in our sleep. We'd be ready for them. And think about it. If they're the only real threat around here? We're well hidden, back from the road. The only reason Randall and his friends found us before is because Daddy had a breakdown and went to the bar after he realized Mom and Shawn were really dead. That won't happen this time. Our other enemies don't know about the farm even if they do remember. We have a good six months to prepare! As far as the herd, we can get fences up, better than the prison fences. Alexandria did it, why couldn't we? Who even knows if the herd would come, we were shooting guns off all over the place back then. We were stupid and loud, but we aren't now. We'd keep it quiet. We'd be able to farm, grow food from the start to feed ourselves. The farmland is already established so we wouldn't be starting out from scratch. We could stock up on other things we need. Get some housing built and we'd have a place for everyone. We have time to build and plan it out the way we want it. With enough planning and thought, the farm can become a fortress!"

As everyone thought about the possibilities Maggie laid out before them Annette had things to say. "Hershel? You took up drinking again? During all of that? What were you thinking?!" Annette had Hershel pinned with her stern gaze.

Hershel looked ashamed. "You're right Annette, it wasn't the right thing to do. I was lost once I realized you were truly dead. It didn't feel like I had anything else to live for." He glanced at Rick and then Glenn. "But Rick and Glenn came and got me, reminded me of what I had left to live for in my girls. We saw what was out there with Randall and his friends. I made a mistake and we paid for it. It won't be that way this time though." His gaze transferred to Maggie and a proud look entered his eyes. "And Maggie, you're right. There are possibilities right here at home. You've given us a lot to think about."

Rick looked contemplative. "Hershel, how much traffic do you get here? Would people notice if we started building? Housing, a fence? What could we get away with working on now without a lot of questions?"

Shawn laughed at this point. He'd been pretty silent, mostly a spectator up to this point. "People are in and out of here all the time. The neighbors all come to see Dad and Mom, some visiting, some of them think they're their personal counselor's, I swear. No way we could build anything as small as a chicken coop without it being the talk of the county."

Maggie watched as Rick's shoulders slumped. It seemed the hope had been sucked right out of him. "I should have known that'd be the case. I don't know how we could start getting prepared with everyone watching us." He eyed Hershel. "Unless you think we could talk your neighbors into joining us? Do ya think they'd believe our story?"

Hershel sighed. "No, this is a bit beyond my powers of persuasion I think. Maybe after the reports of infection start to roll in, they may be willing to band together then, I might be able to swing that. But I don't think they'd go for it right now."

"How do we start building what we need then without a lot of questions and attention?" Carol asked. "Attention is not something we want right now, it's better to be as anonymous as we can be."

"Mom's been talking about opening a bed and breakfast for years," Maggie said. "All the neighbors have heard her talk about it."

At this Beth smiled. "Yeah, every time I see Mrs. Brimley, she asks me if Mom has opened up yet so she can move in for the rest of her retirement."

"Exactly," Maggie said. "Everyone expects Mom to do it one day. Maybe attention isn't all a bad thing. Not if we focus it on what we want them to see. We could start building and tell everyone that Mom's finally moving forward with her bed & breakfast and we have a lot of prep work to do before she opens. That would give us a reason behind some extra buildings, we could build it apartment-like with a central kitchen and dining room. We'd need that for us anyway, this kitchen isn't big enough to feed a crowd."

"That wouldn't explain a big fence around the perimeter though. I think they might question the need for that at a bed and breakfast," Michonne smirked.

"We had very few walkers in that first month, nothing we weren't able to take care of and move to the barn with some caution after the first ones bit Annette and Shawn. Just one or two here and there," Hershel said. "Not until that herd. We wouldn't have to put the fence up right away, but we could prep for it. Maybe dig the post holes, set them with concrete and such. The neighbors don't get out inspecting the perimeter of the property, they come right up to the front door. I'm sure they'd want to look at the construction of the bed & breakfast, discuss to death our plan and give their two cents on the design. But if we got that done, and the hardest part, which is the post holes, was all set and the concrete was dried, then with all of us we could assemble it. After it starts, after they call people to the refugee camps. That's when we'd put the fence up. Nobody would question our need for a fence then. And we'd have 3-4 weeks to get it done, probably 5 weeks until the herd showed up." Hershel's face looked contemplative. "It's doable. Even with our nosy neighbors."

Glenn said, "We'd need to set up something for storage though. We'd need a place for the supplies we get ahead of time."

"Need a smokehouse. Get one a those an Daryl an I can make jerky from huntin' and that'll keep for 'mergencies if'n we smoke it."

"Some greenhouses would be good as well," Rick said. "The first winter will be leaner and it'll help if we can keep growing through the winter to have a fresh food supply."

Carl shook his head at them all. "Guys, I don't think a bed and breakfast normally has all this stuff. How will we explain the extra buildings? Bed and breakfast only really explains the housing building."

They all sat there thinking hard about how they could explain things. Maggie ran through several different scenarios in her head but couldn't come up with anything to cover all they needed to do. Then she saw Daryl shift out of the corner of her eye.

Daryl's voice came out tentative. Like he still wasn't sure if he should participate in this. "Some places are puttin' in cabins, bringin' in rich folk who pay through the nose to learn ta bow hunt. It's big righ' now. They like the challenge, cause anybody can shoot somethin' with a gun, but bow huntin' takes more skill. The rich live in the nice cabins, they're prefabs, but real nice inside, and get trainin' on how ta pull an shoot tha bow. I know one place that went up not long ago. They stay like a month to train, work up strength to pull the bow and shoot bear or wild hogs, coyote or whatever's in season that they can get a permit for. They eat well, the place even has a chef." Daryl looks disgusted at the thought of a chef and hunting happening in the same place. "This place even caters ta their wives, put in a spa." Daryl looks even more disgusted at the thought of a spa.

Merle perks up. "Ya, I 'member now, I heard o' the place Daryl's talkin' bout. They advertise they's all green wi' solar panel's and the like. The 'vironmentalists lap it up and pay through the nose. Organic food and all that crap, they grow everything they feed 'em, bring their kills home to cook up by their fancy chef." Merle sounded offended at the thought of the place.

"That's it!" Glenn exclaimed. "That's how we explain everything." He looked at Hershel and Annette. "You're not going to open a normal bed and breakfast. You're going to do a specialized bow hunting retreat. We'll need a storage warehouse for all the supplies for the guests and all the archery equipment we need. We put in an archery range and training gym for the 'guests' to whip them into shape. That'll help us train our people, get ready." He looked down at his body with discontent plain on his face. "I need it especially, I'm back to being scrawny. No way I could take a walker out right now. We'll have an excuse to put in a bunch of prefab cabins for the family guests who bring their wives to attend our new spa while they train and hunt. The apartment building is for the single hunters with the large kitchen and dining room for all to eat in. We'll need greenhouses for the organic meals we tell people we'll feed them and to expand the fields for more produce. We get goats for specialized organic goat milk and best of all? We put in solar panels to give them the full green experience! All of that we'll need for ourselves to survive and everything has a reason that your neighbors should accept."

Carol looks impressed. "That's brilliant, do you think they'll buy it?" She directed her query at Hershel and Annette.

"Yes, I think it could work. We'll get a lot of unsolicited advice and several will turn their noses up at the thought of us going 'green' but other than some nosy conversations I think we could sell that," Annette said.

"It sounds like an excellent plan," Michonne said. "I only have one question. Where will we get the money for something like this? World hasn't ended yet, we're going to need money to buy this stuff."

The group went contemplative again. Maggie turned some ideas over in her head. When she'd thought it through enough she addressed the group. "I took a class at college last semester. Entrepreneurship. We learned about how to form an LLC and how to get funding, construction loans, the like. If we wrote a business plan and outlined how this would all work, laid it out for the bank? I think we could get a construction loan to build with enough cosigners. It'd take me some time to write the business plan though."

"Use words like green an' organic in that there plan a lot. Banks love that. Should help," Merle said.

Maggie nodded. He was right, banks did love that. Along with how much profit you would generate with it. And what collateral you'd put up for it.

Hershel looked at Rick now. "Who've you found from the family? How soon can they get here?"

Rick listed off everyone he'd called and what those who had called him back had said. Everyone nodded at the plans or check-in plans of their family. They talked about how to find others, the ones they didn't know much about where they were before the world ended. They agreed that some of them they'd just have to catch where they met them the first time. They'd have to figure out how to do that without putting people at risk.

"Did you find Sandi?" Maggie asked. "You didn't mention Sandi." Sandi had been a close friend of hers as well as Rick's wife.

Rick looked distressed. "I can't find her," his voice broke. Rick cleared his throat and continued. "We didn't talk a lot about before, but she was in Colorado for several years before everything started. I do know that. Then she had come to Georgia for a new job just before hell broke loose. I haven't found her yet, but I'll keep looking. One way or another, I'll find her." He looked determined as he said that.

Maggie nodded. She'd start digging as well. They definitely needed to find her, she was her partner in crime in planning. Sandi was a whiz with a spreadsheet and project plans. Plus she just wanted her friend back and Rick would be broken without her.

"It's okay Dad, we'll find her." Carl looked determined.

Maggie held up her composition book that she'd had in her lap. "See this? I need everyone who remembers to start a journal."

Merle scoffed. "I ain't never kept a journal in ma life an I'm not 'bout ta start now."

Maggie turned her gaze to him. "It's important Merle. I'm not talking about a journal about your day to day life. I'm talking about before. Our memories from before. We have a wealth of knowledge that we learned last time. I've been writing every chance I've gotten today since I woke up and realized we had a chance at this again, a chance to fix things. Everyone who remembers needs to do the same. No matter how insignificant, you need to write down your journey. Who you met. Where. What happened. Where you found supplies. The good people, the ones worth saving. Where were they, how can we find them? We all have clues that we can assemble to help us. This farm? It's going to take a lot of manpower to run. People are a resource and we need *good* people. Write down the bad people as well, so we can avoid them or be forewarned if we come across them. We can do this better this time. We can survive this and help all our loved ones, blood or not, survive as well. But that takes knowledge. So write it down Merle." Maggie stood up and grabbed a stack of composition books from the floor and started handing them out, starting with Merle. She tossed a book on his lap and he grumbled, but he took it.

"No Maggie," Glenn said. She looked at him in surprise, unsure at what he was disagreeing with. He walked over to her and took her hand. "We won't just survive this time. We have a plan. We have people we love and we'll find more of them. Thrive. We won't just survive, we will survive and thrive." He leaned over and kissed her and she leaned in, enjoying it. He was right. Survive and Thrive. That was their motto now.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Maggie had tears in her eyes. Glenn squeezed her hand comfortingly, and when she glanced at him she could see the question in his eyes. 'Are you alright?' they asked. She smiled back at him, squeezed his hand to reassure him and turned back to the conversation.

She was just a little overwhelmed. She had Glenn back. She had her family back--both pre and post walker family. She would find more of them, she was determined about that. She just...never thought she'd get to have both and Glenn too.

She looked at her siblings, love for them overflowing. They were both here. And her Mom. It didn't even matter if they remembered or not, they were here. She sniffed a bit, she couldn't help it. Yes, Annette was her stepmom, but they were close. Once she'd gotten over her rebellion, her anger that her father would replace her Mother, her grief at her loss; then she and Annette had become close. She was her Mom now. They'd become even closer when Beth was born and she and Shawn united in their quest to protect their little sister.

Having the chance to introduce Glenn to her Mom just now wasn't something she ever thought she'd get to do. Her hand went to her stomach, that was one thing that was missing. She gave a thought to her missing unborn child, felt the sadness, but then felt Glenn touch her shoulder. She looked at him again and could see the worry on his face. She leaned over and kissed him briefly and gave him a reassuring pat on the cheek as she pulled away. It was okay. It would all be okay. They were together again and they had time. She'd get pregnant again, they'd have another chance at having their child, but together this time. She was sure of that. Their child wasn't gone, just delayed. And she could make sure they arrived in a better home, a safe home. She'd be prepared.

Her gaze went back to her Mom. To see her Mom embrace this, to understand and take their word for what was coming? Well, who could blame her for getting a little misty eyed? With Mom on their side, they could do this. She was a force to reckon with and their chances of survival just went up one hundred fold. Her Mom would help her prepare for their child.

She tuned back into the conversation. Her Mom was determined to live and asked what they needed to do. Yes. This is the direction they needed to go in. They needed to plan.

Rick looked contemplative and then said, "Well, to start we need a secure place to live. A place we can set up with supplies and whatever else we need. We have time to prepare and to buy what we need. Some we can get after, but we should get what will be harder to get later now. We'll need a place to store it that we can easily get to our home after. It'd be even better if we didn't have to move it, if we could store it where it was going to stay."

Glenn nodded along with what Rick said. "What would be the best place to set up though? We'll need a strong place with walls that we can defend. I mean, we could take the prison, but it's occupied and won't fall for months. And we all know the threats there."

Merle shook his head as soon as Glenn mentioned the prison. "Nah, can't go ta the prison. That won't work with the Gov'nah so close. He'll want what we have 'ventually and come fer us. We need a bettah place. Whose ta say he don't 'member same as us 'sides? He could be waiting fer us."

"We could get to Woodbury first, take it over. Then he might not even show up there, or if he does he wouldn't be in charge," Michonne proposed.

Carol shook her head at that. "No. Even if he showed up later, he'd still have men. He had a way of gathering men to his cause. He came up with a whole army after losing his first group and came for us anyway. Plus Woodbury has the same problem as the prison--it's currently occupied. Alexandria would be the same, the developer wouldn't take too kindly to us just moving into his show houses. We should probably avoid Alexandria for similar reasons as the prison and Woodbury, no reason to fight the same war again."

Hershel sat and listened to them discuss the various possibilities. Then he said, "Well, it sounds like we have some looking to do to find something permanent. We have time to figure it out. In the meantime, I have plenty of room on the farm for storage. We can start here and then move things once we find a long term home. This will be a good temporary starting place at least, a headquarters of sorts for the time being while we sort it out."

That is the point where ideas coalesced for Maggie in her head. She looked contemplative during the time they all put forth ideas for an eventual home but she finally spoke up. "Why do we have to leave the farm? Why does it have to be a temporary starting point, why can't it be permanent?"

Everyone who remembered looked shocked. They looked at Maggie and each other uncomfortably.

Finally Hershel spoke up. "Maggie. I love the farm just as much as you do and you know I had a hard time leaving last time. But, it's just not defensible. When that herd came through we lost people. Jimmy, Patricia, we thought we lost Andrea. If we hadn't run we all probably woulda died. There's just no way this place can stand up to that many walkers."

Maggie Hmmm'd deep in her throat. "I know all that Daddy, I was there too. But all the places we've mentioned have active human threats." She began to list them off on her fingers. "The prison has the Governor and his army, as Merle mentioned. Woodbury--also the Governor. Terminus had cannibals," she heard Beth gasp to her side. "Grady Memorial had bad cops making people work as indentured servants. Shirewilt Estates had humans attack and kill them--likely the wolves. Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside and The Kingdom all had Negan and the saviors terrorizing them. I *won't* take Glenn back there." She got a steely sound to her voice on that last bit. "There are threats everywhere, but the biggest threats are the living and there are known living threats at all those places. At least here the only threat is the dead and we know how to deal with them."

Carol spoke up then. "There was a living threat here as well. Randall and his group of 30 raping and pillaging men. Don't discount them."

"Pffft," Maggie snorted. "Randall and his men are nothing compared to what we've taken on over the years. We survived them even back when we knew nothing. We could take them out in our sleep. We'd be ready for them. And think about it. If they're the only real threat around here? We're well hidden, back from the road. The only reason Randall and his friends found us before is because Daddy had a breakdown and went to the bar after he realized Mom and Shawn were really dead. That won't happen this time. Our other enemies don't know about the farm even if they do remember. We have a good six months to prepare! As far as the herd, we can get fences up, better than the prison fences. Alexandria did it, why couldn't we? Who even knows if the herd would come, we were shooting guns off all over the place back then. We were stupid and loud, but we aren't now. We'd keep it quiet. We'd be able to farm, grow food from the start to feed ourselves. The farmland is already established so we wouldn't be starting out from scratch. We could stock up on other things we need. Get some housing built and we'd have a place for everyone. We have time to build and plan it out the way we want it. With enough planning and thought, the farm can become a fortress!"

As everyone thought about the possibilities Maggie laid out before them Annette had things to say. "Hershel? You took up drinking again? During all of that? What were you thinking?!" Annette had Hershel pinned with her stern gaze.

Hershel looked ashamed. "You're right Annette, it wasn't the right thing to do. I was lost once I realized you were truly dead. It didn't feel like I had anything else to live for." He glanced at Rick and then Glenn. "But Rick and Glenn came and got me, reminded me of what I had left to live for in my girls. We saw what was out there with Randall and his friends. I made a mistake and we paid for it. It won't be that way this time though." His gaze transferred to Maggie and a proud look entered his eyes. "And Maggie, you're right. There are possibilities right here at home. You've given us a lot to think about."

Rick looked contemplative. "Hershel, how much traffic do you get here? Would people notice if we started building? Housing, a fence? What could we get away with working on now without a lot of questions?"

Shawn laughed at this point. He'd been pretty silent, mostly a spectator up to this point. "People are in and out of here all the time. The neighbors all come to see Dad and Mom, some visiting, some of them think they're their personal counselor's, I swear. No way we could build anything as small as a chicken coop without it being the talk of the county."

Maggie watched as Rick's shoulders slumped. It seemed the hope had been sucked right out of him. "I should have known that'd be the case. I don't know how we could start getting prepared with everyone watching us." He eyed Hershel. "Unless you think we could talk your neighbors into joining us? Do ya think they'd believe our story?"

Hershel sighed. "No, this is a bit beyond my powers of persuasion I think. Maybe after the reports of infection start to roll in, they may be willing to band together then, I might be able to swing that. But I don't think they'd go for it right now."

"How do we start building what we need then without a lot of questions and attention?" Carol asked. "Attention is not something we want right now, it's better to be as anonymous as we can be."

"Mom's been talking about opening a bed and breakfast for years," Maggie said. "All the neighbors have heard her talk about it."

At this Beth smiled. "Yeah, every time I see Mrs. Brimley, she asks me if Mom has opened up yet so she can move in for the rest of her retirement."

"Exactly," Maggie said. "Everyone expects Mom to do it one day. Maybe attention isn't all a bad thing. Not if we focus it on what we want them to see. We could start building and tell everyone that Mom's finally moving forward with her bed & breakfast and we have a lot of prep work to do before she opens. That would give us a reason behind some extra buildings, we could build it apartment-like with a central kitchen and dining room. We'd need that for us anyway, this kitchen isn't big enough to feed a crowd."

"That wouldn't explain a big fence around the perimeter though. I think they might question the need for that at a bed and breakfast," Michonne smirked.

"We had very few walkers in that first month, nothing we weren't able to take care of and move to the barn with some caution after the first ones bit Annette and Shawn. Just one or two here and there," Hershel said. "Not until that herd. We wouldn't have to put the fence up right away, but we could prep for it. Maybe dig the post holes, set them with concrete and such. The neighbors don't get out inspecting the perimeter of the property, they come right up to the front door. I'm sure they'd want to look at the construction of the bed & breakfast, discuss to death our plan and give their two cents on the design. But if we got that done, and the hardest part, which is the post holes, was all set and the concrete was dried, then with all of us we could assemble it. After it starts, after they call people to the refugee camps. That's when we'd put the fence up. Nobody would question our need for a fence then. And we'd have 3-4 weeks to get it done, probably 5 weeks until the herd showed up." Hershel's face looked contemplative. "It's doable. Even with our nosy neighbors."

Glenn said, "We'd need to set up something for storage though. We'd need a place for the supplies we get ahead of time."

"Need a smokehouse. Get one a those an Daryl an I can make jerky from huntin' and that'll keep for 'mergencies if'n we smoke it."

"Some greenhouses would be good as well," Rick said. "The first winter will be leaner and it'll help if we can keep growing through the winter to have a fresh food supply."

Carl shook his head at them all. "Guys, I don't think a bed and breakfast normally has all this stuff. How will we explain the extra buildings? Bed and breakfast only really explains the housing building."

They all sat there thinking hard about how they could explain things. Maggie ran through several different scenarios in her head but couldn't come up with anything to cover all they needed to do. Then she saw Daryl shift out of the corner of her eye.

Daryl's voice came out tentative. Like he still wasn't sure if he should participate in this. "Some places are puttin' in cabins, bringin' in rich folk who pay through the nose to learn ta bow hunt. It's big righ' now. They like the challenge, cause anybody can shoot somethin' with a gun, but bow huntin' takes more skill. The rich live in the nice cabins, they're prefabs, but real nice inside, and get trainin' on how ta pull an shoot tha bow. I know one place that went up not long ago. They stay like a month to train, work up strength to pull the bow and shoot bear or wild hogs, coyote or whatever's in season that they can get a permit for. They eat well, the place even has a chef." Daryl looks disgusted at the thought of a chef and hunting happening in the same place. "This place even caters ta their wives, put in a spa." Daryl looks even more disgusted at the thought of a spa.

Merle perks up. "Ya, I 'member now, I heard o' the place Daryl's talkin' bout. They advertise they's all green wi' solar panel's and the like. The 'vironmentalists lap it up and pay through the nose. Organic food and all that crap, they grow everything they feed 'em, bring their kills home to cook up by their fancy chef." Merle sounded offended at the thought of the place.

"That's it!" Glenn exclaimed. "That's how we explain everything." He looked at Hershel and Annette. "You're not going to open a normal bed and breakfast. You're going to do a specialized bow hunting retreat. We'll need a storage warehouse for all the supplies for the guests and all the archery equipment we need. We put in an archery range and training gym for the 'guests' to whip them into shape. That'll help us train our people, get ready." He looked down at his body with discontent plain on his face. "I need it especially, I'm back to being scrawny. No way I could take a walker out right now. We'll have an excuse to put in a bunch of prefab cabins for the family guests who bring their wives to attend our new spa while they train and hunt. The apartment building is for the single hunters with the large kitchen and dining room for all to eat in. We'll need greenhouses for the organic meals we tell people we'll feed them and to expand the fields for more produce. We get goats for specialized organic goat milk and best of all? We put in solar panels to give them the full green experience! All of that we'll need for ourselves to survive and everything has a reason that your neighbors should accept."

Carol looks impressed. "That's brilliant, do you think they'll buy it?" She directed her query at Hershel and Annette.

"Yes, I think it could work. We'll get a lot of unsolicited advice and several will turn their noses up at the thought of us going 'green' but other than some nosy conversations I think we could sell that," Annette said.

"It sounds like an excellent plan," Michonne said. "I only have one question. Where will we get the money for something like this? World hasn't ended yet, we're going to need money to buy this stuff."

The group went contemplative again. Maggie turned some ideas over in her head. When she'd thought it through enough she addressed the group. "I took a class at college last semester. Entrepreneurship. We learned about how to form an LLC and how to get funding, construction loans, the like. If we wrote a business plan and outlined how this would all work, laid it out for the bank? I think we could get a construction loan to build with enough cosigners. It'd take me some time to write the business plan though."

"Use words like green an' organic in that there plan a lot. Banks love that. Should help," Merle said.

Maggie nodded. He was right, banks did love that. Along with how much profit you would generate with it. And what collateral you'd put up for it.

Hershel looked at Rick now. "Who've you found from the family? How soon can they get here?"

Rick listed off everyone he'd called and what those who had called him back had said. Everyone nodded at the plans or check-in plans of their family. They talked about how to find others, the ones they didn't know much about where they were before the world ended. They agreed that some of them they'd just have to catch where they met them the first time. They'd have to figure out how to do that without putting people at risk.

"Did you find Sandi?" Maggie asked. "You didn't mention Sandi." Sandi had been a close friend of hers as well as Rick's wife.

Rick looked distressed. "I can't find her," his voice broke. Rick cleared his throat and continued. "We didn't talk a lot about before, but she was in Colorado for several years before everything started. I do know that. Then she had come to Georgia for a new job just before hell broke loose. I haven't found her yet, but I'll keep looking. One way or another, I'll find her." He looked determined as he said that.

Maggie nodded. She'd start digging as well. They definitely needed to find her, she was her partner in crime in planning. Sandi was a whiz with a spreadsheet and project plans. Plus she just wanted her friend back and Rick would be broken without her.

"It's okay Dad, we'll find her." Carl looked determined.

Maggie held up her composition book that she'd had in her lap. "See this? I need everyone who remembers to start a journal."

Merle scoffed. "I ain't never kept a journal in ma life an I'm not 'bout ta start now."

Maggie turned her gaze to him. "It's important Merle. I'm not talking about a journal about your day to day life. I'm talking about before. Our memories from before. We have a wealth of knowledge that we learned last time. I've been writing every chance I've gotten today since I woke up and realized we had a chance at this again, a chance to fix things. Everyone who remembers needs to do the same. No matter how insignificant, you need to write down your journey. Who you met. Where. What happened. Where you found supplies. The good people, the ones worth saving. Where were they, how can we find them? We all have clues that we can assemble to help us. This farm? It's going to take a lot of manpower to run. People are a resource and we need *good* people. Write down the bad people as well, so we can avoid them or be forewarned if we come across them. We can do this better this time. We can survive this and help all our loved ones, blood or not, survive as well. But that takes knowledge. So write it down Merle." Maggie stood up and grabbed a stack of composition books from the floor and started handing them out, starting with Merle. She tossed a book on his lap and he grumbled, but he took it.

"No Maggie," Glenn said. She looked at him in surprise, unsure at what he was disagreeing with. He walked over to her and took her hand. "We won't just survive this time. We have a plan. We have people we love and we'll find more of them. Thrive. We won't just survive, we will survive and thrive." He leaned over and kissed her and she leaned in, enjoying it. He was right. Survive and Thrive. That was their motto now.

A/N I've taken to calling these the 'talking chapters' to myself. So much talking. So much planning. So much to hash through and work out! Yes, it's still day 2 and they're still talking. But hey, I feel like this chapter had some pretty important talking, they figure out their cover story and it'll start moving faster once all the talking is done and everyone has found their place to start the work and they're able to get some things done. I hope you enjoy this talking chapter from Maggie's perspective. I decided I should probably start letting others give their point of view as well as Rick. Ack, hope this works! Thanks again for reading!