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No one plans for things to fall apart, much like the world ending to a deadly virus that turned the world into a shell of what it used to be. To feel safe in a decaying world is like signing your own death contract, there is no safe and everyone should be sure to remember that. But to want safety, to desire an opportunity to settle and survive is only natural for the mind and soul, so why should that be taken from the survivors as beings that are yet to be the shells of their former selves; unless they were lucky to have their brain destroyed.

After Dale's death, Hershel moved the group of survivors into his home and everyone took a free spot where they could. Emmalyn and Daryl had placed their stuff in the study, clearing back the desk and table. "I can't believe his gone," Emmalyn breathed out as she looked up at Daryl. "I know..." Daryl replied before he turned back to the bags, his eyes focused on one in particular but he shook it off and focused back on making the bed for the two of them thanks to Hershel's pull-out couch that had been in the study. "I'm not gonna unpack our things. I think it's smarter to live out of our bags for now," Emmalyn informed Daryl.

Emmalyn stopped and looked out the window, she no longer felt safe on the farm as the realisation set in that the Geeks in the cities would begin wondering out of them in search of food; perhaps they could even sense their alive presence. Daryl noticed Emmalyn's dazed expression matched with her tense stance, he knew instantly that she no longer felt safe, that she was scared of what was gonna happen to them. He walked over to her and rested his hands on her hips, she leaned back against him and closed her eyes. "We'll be okay," Daryl whispered to her as they looked out at the farm, she wanted to believe those words but something seems to tell her its all gonna get worse.

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With the failed attempt of leaving Randall -- the teenager -- at a random location, Rick had come to the decision that he'd try again during the night. However, when T-Dog had left to grab the boy from the locked shed, he had returned empty handed informing them that the teenager was missing. Emmalyn and Daryl shared a look, both knew that Shane had to behind this but they followed Rick's call; especially when Shane showed up with a bloodied nose and a panicked expression while claiming he had chased after Randall however, the teenager had overpowered him and escaped. Emmalyn doubted every word that left Shane's mouth and he could see it in her eyes.

Rick and Shane went off together leaving Emmalyn, Daryl and Glenn together in search for Randall. Emmalyn stayed close to Daryl with her bow ready in case any Geeks showed up, Glenn was quickly realising the dire situation that they were in as he stayed tense and at the ready; something felt off to him. But nothing worried them more than when Randall was found as a Geek with a broken neck attacking Glenn prompting Emmalyn to quickly save him, she looked straight at Daryl before making an attempt to find Rick only for her boyfriend to grab her arm, "He knows what he's doin'."

Daryl knew his words hadn't helped but she still went with the two men back to the farm, a gunshot echoed in the distance and Emmalyn had been startled by it. Emmalyn waited on the porch as Daryl and Glenn headed into the house, she wanted to wait for Rick to walk back to the home but that wasn't the sight she got. Instead, a large herd of Geeks could be seen limping their way towards the home. "Daryl!" Emmalyn called out, the man himself rushed out and followed her gaze to see what was coming their way. "We need to leave," Daryl told her before warning the others of the sight.

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Chaos descended harshly on the survivors on the Greene farm, they were all panicked yet determined to survive. Emmalyn rushed into the house helping everyone get into cars as Daryl got on his bike and a few of the others drove around shooting the Geeks as they got closer. Emmalyn turned her head at the sound of a familiar scream, her heart pounding as she watched Andrea pull Carol away from Sophia who was cornered by Geeks. Emmalyn moved quickly to gun down the ones closest, she ran past the Geeks trying to get her and grabbed the girl, the two rushing away towards Carol as Andrea went down. "Take her, go!" Emmalyn ordered Carol.

"Come with us!" Sophia begged but Emmalyn shook her head and moved to help the others while Carol pulled Sophia into the car with Glenn and Maggie. Emmalyn fired a shot into Patricia's head after she had been ripped from Beth's hands by Geeks, she wanted her to feel no more pain even if it meant the woman being her second kill. However, in her distraction, Emmalyn became cornered and her gun was out of bullets; she had no time to reload so she slipped her gun into its holster and pulled out her hunting knife, swinging at the closest Geek decapitating it instantly.

Emmalyn rushed through a gap, slipping back into the house; spotting the barn on fire in the distance. She managed to sneak her way out of the back of the house as the others left the farm in different directions and despite being left behind, she was glad they got out. Emmalyn ran off towards the small shed and climbed up into it, sitting up on the loft out of reach of the Geeks. She leaned back against the wall behind her as the Geeks moaned and groaned outside. After some time, she fought to stay awake as the tears left her eyes but she was quickly overwhelmed by a hit of exhaustion and passed out.

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Two years before the fall...

"You never seem to back down from anything, Emmy and I don't think that's a positive thing," Christian Halcot spoke as he walked up to her, his brows raised as Emma continually hit the punching dummy in front of her. "If you continue to be only a fighter, you'll drown in your constant need to fight," Christian added as he kicked the dummy away and knocked Emma back. She looked up at Christian with a glare as she steadied her footing, tilting her head in a challenging way that made the older man shake his head. "If you're going to be a child about your training then I'll walk out the door," Christian warned her with a stern tone.

"Relax Lieutenant, she understands perfectly," Mila Halcot teased as she walked into the room, a grin on her face as her brother turned to look at her with an unimpressed expression. "Major Halcot, what a pleasant surprise," Christian taunted back making Mila roll her eyes before turning to look at Emma. "You need to focus all of that anger. Even in your silence, your anger speaks volumes," Mila told Emma who simply grabbed her bottle and drank the last of it. She had reunited with Christian and Mila recently, they understood her predicament with Cassandra and chose to support her choices.

"Remember Emmy, you can walk away at any point... you do not have to continue with this miserable life 'cause of the things your father did," Christian told Emma as the woman grabbed her bag. "You can't run and hide, Em. Stand your ground 'cause your tougher than you know," Mila continued for her brother. Emma turned to the Halcot siblings and sighed, she knew they were right but it didn't mean she liked it. Emmalyn nodded at the two before placing her towel on her shoulder, waving to the two before walking out of the gym and heading to her car. She hadn't heard back from Merle and it was beginning to worry her; she honestly wouldn't be surprised if he was locked up again.

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tw: sick

Emmalyn slowly opened her eyes the next day and stretched out her body letting out a yawn as the memories of the night prior flashed through her mind. Emmalyn closed her eyes, rubbing her temples from the headache that had formed. Her stomach growled quietly as she opened her eyes, she adjusted her shirt and crawled over to the gap in the wall. There were a few Geeks left wandering around the farm after the large herd that passed through, she spotted Patricia's body laying mutilated on the ground, a single shot in her head making Emmalyn throw up instantly.

She began gagging with nothing to throw up except her stomach lining, so she took deep breaths through her nose ignoring the stench around her as her stomach settled slightly. She carefully climbed down from the loft and pulled out her knife, stealthily stabbing Geeks in the head and picking through pockets for supplies as she slowly made her way to the house. She picked up her prepped backpack and double checked it before using this time to shower for possibly the last time and change into some new clothes. Emmalyn ate a couple granola bars and drank some water before pulling on her backpack and adjusting her boots.

Emmalyn moved slowly as she walked outside, she walked up to the remaining vehicles in hopes to find a running one but unfortunately, none of them worked. With an annoyed sigh, she continued her way towards the road, taking out any Geeks in her way. Once she reached the road at the end of the Greene driveway, she looked both ways to decide where to go knowing that the others will avoid the city, she walked away from Atlanta. Emmalyn wasn't certain what would happen next but she hoped that everyone was safe and okay. But most of all, she prayed Daryl was unharmed and okay.

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Meanwhile, Daryl was leading Glenn and T-Dog's separate cars in the direction of the highway hoping that Rick, Hershel and Carl were there alongside Emmalyn. His mind was reeling with disappointment over the fact that he hadn't forced her onto the back of his bike, he shouldn't have left her behind. Rick, who was driving with Hershel and Carl, was too busy thinking about everything. From killing Shane then Carl shooting walker Shane to the whereabouts of Lori. He trusted that Daryl would've gotten Emmalyn out of there, he truly believed that Daryl would never leave his girl behind.

Rick only hoped that everyone thought to go back to the highway and meet there, they would, right? All he had now was the faith they would all reunite at the very place they had left a sign for Sophia and Emmalyn. Carl was worried about everyone but he was truly worried about Emmalyn, she was very important to the young boy. She had been a main supporter in the boys life, she listened to him and let him voice is own opinion; and no matter how much he adored his mother, he viewed Emmalyn as a second mom. If he lost her, he wouldn't know how to handle it and that scared him; she had to be okay.

T-Dog, Lori and Beth were in a car together as poor Beth was shaken to the core after the loss of Patricia. Lori was worrying about Carl and Rick but she was also wondering if Shane had made it out as well. T-Dog was more concerned with finding the others as soon as possible. Glenn and Maggie were in a car together with Carol and Sophia heading in the direction of the highway in hopes to find the others, Glenn was adamantly certain that he saw Emmalyn go down by walkers and it made him numb at the thought of telling the others. They hadn't spoken about what they had witnessed as they all mourned the possible loss of someone important to everyone.

One thing was for certain to everyone; they weren't expecting Emma Tate to ever return...

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Rosemary Speaks

And that is the end of Part One!
For the re-readers, you will notice that there are many changes to the next part.
Including the removal of the cringe that I had added that will stay hidden from the world.

How are you all liking the story so far?
Is it good?
Anything specific you wish to see?
Please let me know!

See you in the next chapter!