FORTY ONE. king county

THE abrupt stop of the vehicle caused Adeline to jerk awake, her head resting against the car window. The brief awakening reminded her of what vehicle she was in- the teal Hyundai that Shane fixed up on the highway, and the only reason that she was in it was because Rick decided to take a trip to their hometown in search of weapons for their war with Woodbury.

King County. A place the widow never thought she would have to visit again. Her nephew sat next to her in the car, a comic book in his hands. Michonne stopped the vehicle, bringing her along was a test to see if she was good for the group. Although Adeline already believed she was, Rick (who rode passenger) still needed to be convinced.

Opening her eyes, a yawn left her chapped lips as she stretched her arms out and looked outside of the window layered with dust and grime. Almost immediately, the buildings around registered as familiar to her attentive eyes. "That was quick." Adeline mumbled, running a hand over her face before opening her door.

"I drive fast." Michonne spoke, a small smile resting against her lips as the widow chuckled. Turning around, Adeline grabbed her machete from the cars floor and slid it into its sheath before shoving the door shut with her knee. "And I slept most of the way," The widow added.

"You really think all those guns are still gonna be there?" Adeline questioned, changing the subject and nearing her brother with squinted eyes from the bright sun. "It's been a year since we've been here." She continued.

Rick shrugged his shoulders, pulling the door to the police station open as Carl and Michonne followed closely behind the siblings. "I'm the only one with a key," He reminded, glancing at his sister.

"Nu-uh." Adeline corrected, "You gave Morgan one."

"Don't jinx us." Rick mumbled, motioning for the three of them to get behind him as they neared the corner that led them into the weapons locker. Adeline unholstered her pistol, quietly and carefully pulling the chamber back.

Rounding the corner and filtering into the room that used to be filled to the brim with weapons, a sigh mixed with disappointment and frustration toppled from Rick Grimes lips. Adeline lowered her pistol, blowing a puff of air out of her mouth as she took in the completely empty locker.

"Well then." The widow muttered, sliding her gun back into its holster as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Rick walked further into the cage, angrily kicking one of the lockers - the metal clanging loudly against the concrete floor as Adeline flinched in fear at the harsh movement. "Hey, calm down." She assured, Michonne and Carl falling in her step as they all entered the cage.

"This isn't the end of the world, Rick." Adeline spoke, walking over to her brother with a calm approach. "We can find more weapons." She added, her soft soft as she placed her hand against his shoulder. "You hear me?"

"Yeah..." Rick muttered, sliding his python into its holster by his side. "I hear you." He huffed, his sister turning around just in time to watch Michonne pick up a bullet casing that had clattered to the ground.

"You got any other police stations in town?" The woman questioned, examining the bullet in her hand.

"I was the police here." Rick informed, "Me and..." He started, glancing at his sister - "Me and a few other guys." He finished, swallowing Shanes name. "Ain't a big town. But, there's other places to check." He added.

Adeline tore her eyes away from her brother and leaned against grates of the weapons locker, "You talking about the permits you and Shane signed? Jimmys bar? I think Joyce's diner had one, too." She reminded, not taking notice of the fact that she said her husbands name without fear or warning wavering cautiously in her tone.

"I remember Shane told me about signing a shotgun permit for um.... who was it?" The widow continues, tapping her foot against the floor as Rick looked to her with slightly shocked eyes - "Danny's liquor store." He finished her words for her, watching as a smile spread across her lips and she snapped her fingers, "That's it."

The siblings turned to Michonne who stayed quiet, her head turned to the bullet casing she found in the floor. Rick stepped towards the woman, "You got a problem with that approach?" He questioned curiously.

Turning her head up, her dreads framed her face as she shrugged her shoulders - "No, Rick. I don't have a problem." Michonne assures, Adeline and Carl watching closely as she handed the bullet out to the leader.

Reluctantly, Rick raised his hand and took the bullet from her hand before she walked out of the police station and left the family of three by themselves. Adeline hummed, patting the top of Carls hat. "I like her." She informed.

Turning to her brother and nephew, the Grimes girl cleared her throat - "You guys go on, I need to look for something really quick." She spoke, backing out of the weapons locker as she talked.

"You sure?" Carl questioned, his eyes on his aunt.

"Yeah." Adeline nodded, "I'll only be a minute, anyways. I just wanna look around for a second." She assured.

Rick nodded after a few thoughtful second, knowing his sister could take care of herself. "You know where to find us." He reminded, watching as she nodded knowingly and backed out of the room and further into the building.

Carl furrowed his brows and looked up to his father, "Is she okay? She's acting weird." He questioned.

Sighing, Rick wrapped his arm around his son before leading him out of the police station. "I'm not sure if she was ready to be back here." He admitted quietly.

Venturing deeper into the building, Adeline grew thankful for the sunlight that poked through the windows. She kept her pistol in her grasp, weary of any surprises as she neared the door she had been looking for. Carefully, she curled her hand around the door knob and pushed it open.

The door creaked loudly, the room swallowed in silence as she slowly entered. Whistling loudly by the entrance, she waited several seconds for the sounds of stalkers. But upon hearing nothing but the echo of her whistle, she holstered her pistol and allowed her guard to crumble.

Adeline glanced around the room, taking in every detail of the lockers around the walls. It wasn't anything like the weapons room; because the lockers in here had names assigned to them. Names of the people that worked in the station before the world decided to go to to shit.

Knowing exactly where she was going, the widow made her way over towards the locker that she always came to when she her husband forgot his lunch at home. Adeline stood in front of the metal contraption, raising her hand and tracing the name tag assigned to the locker before her.

SHANE WALSH.

Blowing a puff of air out of her mouth, she curled her hand around the combination lock. As if it were a reflex, she swirled the numbers around in the order of her birthday and heard the familiar click of it unlocking.

"Ok," Adeline started, opening the metal door and looking around the locker. Her attentive eyes immediately noticed the three pictures hanging inside, a small smile on her lips as she reached inside and pulled one off of the wall.

The first was of the two of them with a baby Carl, two wide and bright smiles on their faces. The second one she pulled from the metal was one of her and her husband; a polaroid picture of the two of them that Shane had taken. His lips were against her cheeks, blowing a raspberry into her skin which made her cackle loudly - her head thrown back in laughter just as the picture was taken.

The third one made her smile slowly but surely fade away, two figures at one of the family barbecues that they held annually. Shane Walsh and Rick Grimes sat side by side on a picnic table, arms slung around each other with cold beers in each of their hands while they wore smiles.

Clearing her throat, Adeline slid the first two pictures in her back pocket before taking the third folding it in half. Without second thought, she tucked the photo into the bottom of the locker and away from her sight. A shaky breath left her lips, hands curling around the folded police jacket as she draped it over the lockers door.

Pushing away her thoughts, Adeline searches through the compartment with attentive eyes in search of one thing; Shanes police academy ring. It was something that the man adored, and rarely took off. But before the world ended and they had to escape their town, the chaos resulted in him accidentally leaving it behind.

The widow remembered how he used to complain about its absence, guilt wavering over his head for leaving something so important to him. She walked down the narrow road of accepting his death and moving on, and for some reason - she believed finding his ring and taking it back with her would aid her in her journey.

So when her search ending up with her empty handed, anger coursed through her veins as she jerked the jacket off of the locker before slamming it shut. The sound echoed around the room, running her hands through her tangled hair as she took a step back and breathed deeply.

The sound of automatic gunfire caused her to flinch in fear, hands immediately falling down from her head and to the pistol by her side as she rushed out of the building in search for her brother and nephew.

Adeline kept her hands curled around her husbands gun, nearing the centre of town just in time for bullets to spray the ground around her. Her eyes didn't even give themselves enough time to take in the hundreds of traps littering the downtown area as she hid behind a wall.

Standing between an alleyway, her heart thumped harshly in her chest. Adeline panted, strands of brunette hair framing her face while she looked around the area around her. A spike trap was situated at the other end of the alley, a walker impaled by the wooden structure which kept it in place and away from her.

Closing her eyes, she relied on her memory of downtown to assist her with the layout. Remembering the traps that littered the streets, she peered around the corner to take in the surrounding area. Spotting her brother crouched behind a truck, relief coursed through her once her eyes landed upon Carl hiding in between an alleyway like her.

The gunfire ceased, leaving the group in a pit of silence as they waited for their next move. A psst sound was heard above Adeline, her chin craning to the sky as Michonne peered over the edge of the building and looked down. "You okay?" The woman whispered, holding her katana.

Gulping her fears, Adeline nodded hastily before holding up a thumbs up towards the samurai. Quietly, she peered out from around the corner and watched as Rick slowly started to make his way around the dozens of traps.

Pressing her frame back against the bricked building, the widow let a shaky breath slip by her lips before breaking from cover. Sneaking around the metal trashcans, Adeline moved to stand between another alleyway which she soon very heavily regretted her decision.

The figure dressed in bulletproof vests and helmets made his way out of the building, eyes beneath the helmet catching sight of the woman at the end of the alleyway. Adeline felt her pulse quicken, eyes growing wide as she took off in a sprint out of the narrow path just as he began spraying the area around her with bullets.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" The widow shrieked, feeling a small pinch in her upper left arm as she hid behind one of the trashcans in the street. Heavy breaths left her lips, heart pounding harshly in her chest as the gunfire ceased.

Just as it did, a single gunshot echoed around the town as a loud groan followed by a thud and clatter was heard. Adeline furrowed her brows, peering out from behind the trashcan to find Carl with his gun raised in front of the anonymous shooter who laid against the pavement.

"Oh my god," The widow breathed a breath of relief, breaking from her cover as Michonne rushed out into the streets and Rick breathlessly neared his son. Adeline felt the adrenaline in her veins slowly fade, a wet substance dripping down her arm as she walked over to the four.

Bringing her hand to her upper left arm, she patted the wet surface and looked down at her fingers only to find them coated with the familiar crimson color of blood. It then felt like someone pressed a hot rod against her arm, a hiss of pain leaving her lips as she cupped her hand around the bullet graze on her upper arm.

"Addy..." Rick started, "You alright?" He questioned.

"Fine." Adeline breathed, keeping her hand pressed to the bleeding wound - "It only grazed me." She informed.

"Who is this asshole?" The widow inquired, kicking her foot into the chest of the unconscious shooter. When her boot made contact with a hard material, she furrowed her brows in confusion before looking to her brother.

Rick kneeled down, tearing the man's flannel off to reveal a bulletproof vest. Tearing the gear off, the deputy lifted the man's shirt to examine the large bruises from the bullet Carl has shot that already marked his dark skin.

Gritting her teeth in pain, Adeline pressed one knee to the pavement before wiping her blood stained hand against the jeans she wore. Placing her fingers against the man's neck, she looked over to her brother - "He's alive." She informed before standing back up.

"Do we care?" Michonne questioned, glancing over at the widow as she grabbed the red bandana tied around her belt loop that had been gifted to her by Daryl Dixon, she struggled with tying it around her bleeding arm before Carl stepped in to help her with the mission.

A small smile marked with pain and gratitude laced the widows lips as she bent down slightly to allow him to tie the bandana. Once Carl finished, Rick tore his worried eyes away form his sister and moved towards the mask that the unconscious man on the pavement wore.

Unstrapping the sides and pulling the mask off, a sudden wave of familiarity rocked into the stomachs of the Grimes siblings as the man's face was revealed. Only it wasn't just some guy, it was the man that saved their lives.

Morgan Jones laid unconscious against the pavement, Adeline taking a step back in shock as Rick looked up to Michonne and his son - "Yeah." He started, "We care."

━━━ END OF CHAPTER