Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

Tomorrow Never Dies

Coming To Terms

Glenn stared in disbelief as he watched Patricia’s blue truck drive in the opposite direction to the Toyota; away from them and away from the farm. He grabbed the side of the door, not wanting to fall out of the car window, and eventually pushed himself back inside.

“Where the hell are they going?” He asked, staring as the truck hurtled at full speed out of the main gates and onto a side road they hadn’t gone down before, disappearing out of sight. Maggie stared too, trying to keep the car steady.

“Should we follow them?” She asked, narrowly avoiding a walker that had stumbled out in front of the car. Glenn glanced behind them and out of the back window, seeing the huge crowd of walkers starting to follow them.

“I’d say yes.” Maggie grabbed the wheel and yanked it to the left, spinning the car around.

“Swing it around, swing it around here.” Glenn instructed, but she suddenly braked hard as a mass of walkers poured out from the woods right in front of them. The car stopped and both of them watched in horror as the walkers surrounded them, banging on the windows. Glenn hastily put his own window back up just before a walker could grab at his shoulder and he pushed himself back into his seat.

“Oh my god.” Maggie breathed as they just kept on coming. “I can’t get through!” Glenn tried to see past the walkers, but they were too close together. He instantly thought of his sister who was still out there somewhere. Then he realised what they had to do. What he had to do.

“Get out.” Glenn said, tears welling up in his eyes. Maggie whipped her head around to stare at him.

“What?” She cried.

“Get off the farm, now!” Glenn ordered, gripping his shot gun tighter as a walker hurled itself at the windshield, smacking its face against the glass and leaving a bloody stain behind. Glenn suddenly felt sicker than he ever had before.

“Don’t say that!” Maggie protested. “The others, we can’t leave them!”

“It’s lost!” Glenn shouted, glaring at her. “Parker said go to the highway, and we’re going!”

“Glenn, we can’t leave her! We can’t leave any of them!” Maggie begged as she started to cry. She screamed as another walker threw itself at the window and Glenn turned to her.

“Please!” He pleaded. Maggie looked at his eyes, seeing them well up with tears. She realised he didn’t want to do this either, he couldn’t bare the thought of leaving anyone behind, especially his twin sister. But they had to get out. The farm was overrun now, they both knew it. They could both see it. Maggie sobbed but put the Toyota into reverse and quickly backed away, pushing past walkers as she did. She then swung the car around and put it into gear, heading straight for the house. They veered round a corner, going past the now blood soaked RV and the barn, zooming past the forest and some walkers that had gathered around one of the horses. Glenn stared in disbelief at it, realising it must have gotten out somehow, and turned to Maggie. “No, no, no!” He cried. “We have to go, now!”

“Do you even want to check if she’s alive?” Maggie shouted, wiping at her eyes. Glenn sat back and stared out of the window before they pulled up alongside the house. It looked completely abandoned and walkers were already inside. Glenn then shoved the car door open, gripping his shotgun to his chest, and jumped out, slamming it shut behind him.

“PARKER!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, frantically scanning the farm for any sign of her. “PARKER! WHERE ARE YOU?”

“Parker!” Maggie hollered, sticking her head out of the rolled down window. “Dad! Beth!” No one replied to them, and they both felt their hearts sink into their stomachs.

“PARKER!” Glenn tried again, sobs escaping his lips. Suddenly he heard a groan and turned to see a walker snap at him. He instantly pulled his shot gun up and fired, hitting it right between the eyes. He shook his head, taking one last look before running back to the car. He jumped inside and slammed the door shut. “Go, just go!” Maggie didn’t hesitate, she put the car into gear again and turned towards the main gate. They both held onto something as she burst through the gate and out onto the track. Glenn let out a long breath before turning around and staring at the farm. It was gone. It was all gone, everything they had. He watched as the barn collapsed to the ground, completely burnt, and as more walkers trudged inside the farm house, destroying everything his group had created. He slowly sat down into the seat and put the shotgun near his shoes. He then rested his elbows on his knees, put his head into his hands, and cried.

***
Daryl watched the barn burn from a distance. He was alone now, just how he had wanted it from the very beginning. His hands shook slightly from where they were stuffed into his pockets, keeping them from the cold, and he was tempted to get out a cigarette. He glanced around the farm from where he was perched on his bike on one of the tracks across from the main gate. He hadn’t seen anyone for a long time, or heard anything. And that’s what worried him. Where were they all? Had they made it out? Had she made it out?

“You don’t care about her, right? So stop giving a shit.”

He grunted. Glenn was a tough kid when it came to his sister, Daryl knew that better than any of them now. But his heart was still aching to find out what had happened to her. To Parker. Did she make it? Was she with anyone? The worst part was the not knowing, and that was slowly eating away at him as he sat there watching it all burn to the ground. Then he heard a scream. He whipped his head around, and he prayed to whatever was above him that it wasn’t who he thought it was.

He kicked the bike to life and pushed it out onto the road, soaring down the track towards the voice. It was coming from the small field next to the farm house, and he soon managed to see a figure slowly running through the grass towards him, waving their arms in distress. He pushed the bike further and screeched to a halt and stood up.

“Come on! I ain’t got all day!” He yelled, beckoning her over to him.

Carol cried in relief and ran. He quickly motioned for her to get on the back of the bike and turned it around once she was safely on. She wrapped her hands around his middle as he turned around to take one last look around. She stared at him from over his shoulder and frowned.

“What, what is it?” She called out over the roar of the engine and crackle of the flames from the barn.

“You see anyone else?” He asked, raising his voice so she could hear him. Carol shook her head.

“N-no! I was with Lori and the others.”

“Parker!” Daryl said as the walkers started to get closer. “Did you see her?”

“She ran outside to help find Carl, but we never found him. Daryl!” She screeched as a walker got a little too close for comfort and Daryl reached down to grab his pistol, firing at it and swiftly hitting it between the eyes. He stuffed his gun back into one of the bags on the side of his bike and gripped the handles.

“You sure you didn’t see her?” He asked one more time.

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly, trying her hardest not to cry. “I didn’t see her, none of us did.” Daryl sat down properly in his seat and swallowed the lump in his throat. He then growled and kicked the bike back to life, making Carol jump, and they drove down the track and far away from the farm. Far away from everything.

For a long while, all Daryl could see was the bike’s lights in front of him; the fog of the early morning was making it hard to see as he just drove and drove and drove. He didn’t look back, and neither did Carol, as they travelled through the woods and past countless walkers. They must have come with the horde, Daryl assumed. There was no way they were just there on coincidence. Carol held onto his leather jacket tighter and pressed her head against his shoulder. Daryl didn’t move away, so she just shut her eyes and prayed for everyone to be okay. Then she felt tears fall down her cheeks. After a short while, Daryl heard her soft sobs and he turned his head slightly.

“You okay?” He called out. Carol sniffled and shook her head.

“Sophia.” She mumbled, but Daryl still managed to hear her. “Sophia’s grave is there. I’ll never see it again.” She cried into his shoulder and Daryl swore under his breath. He hadn’t even thought of that. Sophia, Dale, Otis. They were all there.

“I’m sorry.” He said and revved the engine, making them drive even faster through the woods. The roads seemed endless, twisting and turning through the trees without giving him any indication of where he was going. Where could they go? They couldn’t just survive out here on their own. Maybe Daryl could, but Carol? She wasn’t a hunter, or a tracker. She barely even knew how to use a gun for christ sake, he’d have to do everything for her. He shook his head. That wasn’t going to happen. They were going to find the others, they had to. They couldn’t have been too far away. Nearly all of the roads led back to the highway, they had to find each other eventually. Daryl’s eyes widened.

The highway.

***
The red Cherokee slowly pulled up in front of the car with Sophia’s name written across it, the small amount of supplies still completely intact, and Carl stared out of the passenger side window. It was so quiet, eerily quiet in fact, and that put him on edge. He clambered out, along with his Father and Hershel, and slammed the door. He followed his Dad out onto the road and stared at the upturned, abandoned cars.

“Well, where’s Mom?” He asked, looking at his Dad. “You said she’d be here!” Rick didn’t say anything, just stared off into the distance. That made Carl frown. “We gotta go back for her.” He said.

“Carl-”

“No! Why are we running? What are you doing?!” Carl shouted. “Its...its Mom! We need to get her, and not just try to be safe a mile away!” Rick bent down and rested a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Ssh.” He whispered. “You need to be quiet. Alright?”

“Please.” Carl said, his voice clearly starting to strain. “It’s Mom.”

“Carl, listen-” Rick tried to say but Carl shoved his hand from his shoulder and turned around.

“No.” He spat and ran off behind one of the cars, leaning against the bumper and letting his tears out. He soon heard the sound of Rick and Hershel talking to each other in hushed tones, but he blocked it out. They couldn’t just sit here, they couldn’t. They needed to go back and get Lori. They had to find the others. Parker was still there, Carl had seen her before he and his Dad found Hershel at the house. Had she made it out? Had Daryl and Glenn and Maggie made it out? He wiped at his eyes and instinctively reached up to take his hat off, when he was shocked to discover he was just grasping at air. He dropped it. It suddenly came back to him. He had fallen when Parker shot a walker to the side of him and he’d let it fall off. He kicked the car with his heel in anger. He’d never find it again now. The one thing his Dad had given to him in this new world was gone. And it was his fault.

Carl then heard something groan from not too far away, and he turned his head to see a walker about five cars down. He didn’t run. He didn’t cry out. He just glared at it. He heard footsteps behind him and his Dad was at his side in seconds, gently pulling him behind the Cherokee and out of the walkers vision. Hershel was already there, crouched slightly near the front of the car, and he gestured for Carl to join him. Rick stood in front of his son and held his hand up, telling the two of them to stay still. They all waited quietly as the walker edged itself closer and eventually started to walk past the Cherokee. Rick then motioned with his hand and started to make his way around the back of the car, Carl and Hershel right behind him. Once it was far away enough, Rick lowered Parker’s rifle and turned to the others. Hershel started to shake his head.

“I don’t know how much longer we can stay here.” He whispered.

“I’m not leaving without Mom.” Carl said, looking up at his Dad.

“So we’re just gonna walk away?” Rick asked Hershel. “Not knowing if my wife, your daughters, or the others are still out there? How can you live with that?”

“You’ve only got one concern now.” Hershel replied. “Just one. Keeping him alive.” They both glanced down at Carl, who just blinked up at them. “Nature may be throwing us a curve-ball, but that law is still true.” Rick stared at him, then licked his lips. He was right. Rick then crouched down so he was just below Carl and rested his hand on his shoulder again.

“Carl.” He said gently, not wanting his son to react like he had before. “It’s not safe here. I’m sorry.” Carl bit his lip to keep from crying again and his Dad started to feel an ache in his chest. He didn’t want to leave his wife and unborn child out there, not at all. But his son was here, he was alive. And Hershel was right. He was his only priority right now. “We’ll-” Rick was suddenly cut off by an engine not too far away, and he paused. All three of them slowly looked up and saw a bike appear from behind some of the cars, two people perched on it. Rick got to his feet and stared in amazement as Daryl drove his bike across the road and towards them, revving the engine to get their attention. Then they saw the green Toyota, and eventually Patricia’s old truck. Rick could have cried. Hershel couldn’t help but laugh at their luck and stood up straight as the cars pulled up beside the bike, coming to a stop, and the doors all started to open.

Carol hopped off the bike as Daryl switched it off and rushed to see Carl and Hershel, grinning as she did so. Rick reached out and smacked his palm against Daryl’s hand, the two nodding at each other in mutual respect. They were both secretly glad the other made it out alive. Then Maggie came sprinting up to her Dad and attacked him in a hug, sobbing in relief into his shoulder. Lori shot out of the truck and ran to her son, who was calling for her with his arms outstretched. She cried and lifted him up into her arms as Rick pulled them both into a bone crushing hug. Beth ran to her father and sister and cried into their chests. Glenn and T-Dog hopped out of their respective cars and smiled at the sight of everyone reuniting. Glenn looked around, taking in the people that were here, and he realised something. A deep frown etched onto his face and he gulped. Rick saw his expression changed and he stood up, looking around as well. Then it dawned on him too.

“Where’s Parker?” Carl asked, pulling away from his mother slightly. Everyone suddenly went silent.

“None of you saw her?” Glenn asked, his voice cracking slightly.

“She was with me at the house last I knew.” Hershel spoke up. “I told her to get one of the horses and help you take care of the walkers.”

“Daddy, she was supposed to be helping you.” Maggie protested, giving him a look, but Hershel shook his head.

“I told her no. I’m not as important as the rest of you. She did the right thing. Took off on old Cocoa and headed towards the barn.”

“That’s when she found us.” Rick said, putting his hands on his hips. “She told us you were at the farm house. It was just Hershel when we got there but...I didn’t see her after that.”

“Me neither.” Carol said. “Do you think she’s still there?”

“We have to go back.” Glenn said instantly, grabbing his gun and heading towards the Toyota. Rick rushed up to him and grabbed his arm.

“It’s overrun, going back there is suicide.” He said but Glenn shook him off.

“I have to go back!” He protested. “She might be hurt! It was stupid to just leave without really looking.”

“Glenn, he’s right.” Lori said sadly. “I don’t want her out there alone but the farm is lost.”

“She’s my sister!” He shouted at them all, making them flinch. “I told Maggie to leave back at the farm. We called out for her but we were almost surrounded and we had no choice. But she isn’t back now. I thought she would be and...and I can’t just leave her there! I won’t.” He got into the Toyota and slammed the door, turning on the engine. Daryl then sat back onto his bike and switched his own engine on. Carol span around and blinked at him.

“Woah, you can’t go too! We can’t lose two men!” Daryl looked at her.

“I’m going with him.” He said firmly. “I owe her.” He turned the bike around and started heading towards the road again, when something made him stop. A sound, from not too far away, that he could just make out under the sound of his engine rumbling. Everyone else seemed to hear it too and Rick quickly motioned for Daryl to cut the engine. Once he did, the noise started to become clearer. It was a clicking noise against the pavement and they all frowned, staring at each other, and tried to make out where it was coming from. From inside the car, Glenn had a slight advantage. He could see past some of the upturned cars and leaned out of the window to get a better look, only for his mouth to drop open. Daryl stared at the road ahead of him before he slowly got off of his bike, not quite believing what he was seeing. The sound of the noise was coming from the hooves of a horse, a big horse at that, but no one paid attention to it. They just stared at the rider.

She was covered in dirt and blood, but she sat tall and proud on the saddle. The baseball cap was no longer on her head, but firmly in her left hand, her face now being shielded from the sun by a large, brown Sheriff's hat, whilst a black bag was thrown across her back. Her face was emotionless...until she saw her group. Then she broke out into a grin, and time seemed to start up again.

“Parker?” Carl breathed out and detached himself from Lori’s arms before running to stand beside Daryl’s bike. They all stared at her as she slowly led the horse towards them, the animal calmly making it’s way down the road. Glenn eventually got out of the car and rubbed at his eyes as if he was daydreaming.

“Hey, sorry I’m a little late.” She said as the horse came to a stop right in front of Daryl’s bike. She stared down at him and a soft smile appeared on her lips, and Daryl had never felt relief as sweet as this. Maggie suddenly laughed in delight and rushed to Carl’s side as did Glenn, however he ran right up to the side of the horse. Parker carefully swung her right leg over the horse’s back and jumped to the ground, only to be pulled into a tight hug. She laughed but wrapped her arms around her brother as he shook, tears falling onto her shoulder.

“Don’t ever be late again.” He muttered and she sniffed but nodded. She felt more arms wrap around her and she turned to see Maggie clinging to her side, as well as Carol and Beth. She laughed.

“There’s plenty of me to go around.” She joked and they all laughed, but pulled each other even closer. After a short while, Parker pulled back and wiped at her eyes. She then turned to the smallest in their group and smirked. She glanced up and reached her hand to the hat, taking it off her head and shaking her hair out. Just across from her, Daryl watched her every movement, and really tried to ignore the voice in his head that was telling him how hot she looked in a cowboy hat. It really wasn’t the time to be thinking about that kind of stuff.

“You dropped this.” Parker said and placed the Sheriff's hat firmly onto Carl’s head. He straightened it out slightly before smiling at her and wrapping his arms around her middle. She reached down to kiss his head and playfully ruffled his hair.

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Carl whispered into her shirt and Parker felt her eyes well up.

“I’m glad you’re safe too, kid.” She said and stroked his head, before seeing Rick watching her. She reached behind her back, lifting her shirt slightly, and then pulled a gun from her back pocket. “Uh, Sheriff?” She called out. Rick smirked andshook his head at her, realising even when they thought she was dead she’d be making jokes, and walked over. “I think this belongs to you.” She handed over the Python and Rick gladly took it, passing her rifle over too.

“Thank you. ” He said and she shrugged. She then threw on her own baseball cap and adjusted it, before feeling Carl pull away from her slowly.

“Anytime.” She nodded and Rick hugged her too. It didn’t last long before she heard a small grunt from beside her. Everyone slowly made their way back to the cluster of cars, Maggie giving Parker a small smirk, and Rick let her go. He patted her shoulder and then led Glenn away, who was giving Daryl a small glare over Parker’s shoulder. She rolled her eyes at her brother and turned around. She put one hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. “What? No hug?”

“I ain’t a hugger.” He scoffed.

“That’s the understatement of the year.” She teased, and he actually seemed to crack a smile. Her heart fluttered and she licked her lips.

“You alright?” He asked.

“I think so. Shoulder hurts like a bitch though.” She said, rolling her right shoulder and wincing slightly. Daryl frowned. “Wanna give me a massage to make it all better?” He snorted.

“Stop.”

“Are you okay?” She asked after a moment’s pause. Daryl sniffed and looked at his feet.

“Gotta be.” He said.

“That didn’t really answer my question.”

“I am.” He said. Parker smiled at him once more and nodded, before slowly turning around to grab Cocoa’s reigns, leading him towards the group. Daryl watched her go with a sigh before leaning against his bike. “I am now.” He muttered. He followed her into the middle of the group where everyone was greeting Parker, T-Dog reaching over to pat her good shoulder whilst Lori grinned at her and gave her a one armed hug.

“How the hell did you get out of there?” T-Dog asked as he leaned back against the blue truck. “We didn’t see you at all.”

“Cocoa helped me out a bit.” Parker said, smirking at the horse that shook its head in response. “After I told Rick and Carl to get back to the house, some walkers cornered us and he freaked out. Threw me off his back onto the ground, busted my shoulder in the process.”

“Are you okay?” Glenn asked, examining her shoulder with his eyes but she just laughed.

“Trust me, I’ve had worse.” She pointed to her left ear and Glenn snorted. “Anyway, I managed to shoot the walkers that were coming right for me through the head, got two of them actually. They kind of covered me from the others, masked my smell I guess.”

“Like back on the highway.” Daryl spoke up. “T and I did that too, they couldn’t tell the difference.”

“After that I just laid there for like an hour or so, waiting for them to pass by. Cocoa ran off back to the stable which hadn’t even been touched. I found him and took off.”

“I can’t believe you made it back.” Carol said with a big smile. “I’m so relieved.”

“We all are.” Maggie said, rubbing Parker’s back. Parker felt her cheeks go red, not expecting to have this reaction on returning.

“I’m glad to see you guys made it out too.” She said, biting her lip and trying to hide her face. But Glenn saw, and grinned at her as he pinched her cheeks. She smacked his hand away and turned back to the group. “How did you all find each other, anyway?” Parker asked.

“I saw their tail lights zig-zagging across the road.” Daryl said, pointing between Maggie and Glenn. “I knew it had to be an Asian, drivin’ like that.” Parker walked over and flicked his ear, making him grumble, but Glenn snorted.

“Good one.” He said, shaking his head. Daryl smiled slightly, at both of the Rhee’s. Parker returned the smile, before she looked around and noticed something wasn’t right.

“Where’s Andrea?” She asked. Everyone went quiet.

“We’re the only ones who made it so far.” Rick said grimly.

“And Shane?” Lori suddenly asked, realising he was missing too. Parker looked to Rick whose expression instantly faltered. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t seem to get the words out. He just slowly shook his head, and the realisation dawned on them all.

“He’s dead?” Parker asked, shock clearly evident in her voice. “How?”

“He...he turned.” Rick replied and Parker felt her blood run cold.

“Shit.” She muttered, glancing at Daryl, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. They never expected someone as tough as Shane to go out like that.

“Andrea?” Glenn asked.

“She saved me, but after that I lost her.” Carol said quietly and T-Dog awkwardly shuffled his feet and looked up at them all.

“We saw her go down.” He said.

“Patricia?” Hershel spoke up.

“They got her too.” Beth mumbled, her voice quivering. “Took her right from me. I was….I was holdin’ her hand Daddy but she just…” She started to quietly sob into Hershel’s shirt and he just held her close. Beth then looked up at her sister. “What about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?” She then looked at Parker, seeing as she was the last person at the farm. Her face went pale instantly and she wasn’t able to look the young girl in the eye.

“I-I checked the RV, see if I could drive it. But it was full of walkers. He didn’t make it.” She said and felt her heart break as the young girl cried again. “Beth, I’m so sorry.” Beth just shook her head.

“No, thank you for lookin’.” Parker could only nod.

“You definitely saw Andrea?” Carol asked T-Dog, seeing as she was the only other person from their missing people that could be alive.

“There were walkers everywhere.” Lori spoke up.

“Did you see her?” Carol asked again. When nobody said anything, Daryl shook his head and walked over to his bike.

“I’m going back.” He announced and Parker nodded her head, grabbing Cocoa’s reigns and stroking his mane.

“Me too. I’m not leaving anyone behind.”

“No.” Rick suddenly said, making the two of them freeze.

“We can’t just leave her.”

“We don’t even know she’s there.” Lori said.

“She’s isn’t there.” Rick butted in, standing tall amongst the others. “She isnt. She’s somewhere else...or she’s dead. There’s no way to find her.”

“Are you serious?” Parker argued but Rick whipped his head towards her.

“We can’t go back!” He hissed, holding his gun tightly in his hand. Parker stared at it, wondering if the thought of using it had crossed his mind, and she clenched her jaw.

“You’re not even gonna look for her?” Glenn asked, clearly torn in this situation. Andrea had been a good friend to both him and his sister; this all felt wrong.

“We gotta keep moving.” Rick ordered. “There will be walkers crawling all over here.”

“I say head East.” T-Dog suggested.

“Stay off the main roads.” Daryl agreed. “The bigger the roads, the more assholes like this one.” Parker watched as Daryl retrieved his bow from his bike and walked through the cars, spotting a walker trudging towards them. He fired, hitting it right between the eyes, and everyone watched in silence as it went down. Parker shook her head and gripped the horse’s reins tighter.

“I don’t want to just leave her.” She said quietly to Carol, who nodded and gently rubbed her shoulder.

“I know. I don’t either. But we can’t split up and start wandering the woods again. Not after last time.” Both their eyes drifted to the car that they had painted with Sophia’s name. Parker knew she was outnumbered and nodded. She then glanced up at her horse, then at the Greene family.

“Hershel?” She called out, getting his attention. When he looked up, she nodded at Cocoa. “What should we do about him?”

“He can’t come with us.” Daryl said, walking back whilst wiping the blood off his arrow. “Just another mouth to feed.” Hershel sadly sighed.

“Letting him go may be a death sentence, but it’s the only thing we can do now.” Beth whimpered in his arms and he stroked her hair. “I’m sorry Doodlebug.” He whispered. “I know he was your favourite.”

“Beth?” Parker asked, walking towards her with Cocoa right beside her. “Do you want to help me let him go?” Beth blinked up at her through teary eyes and then at her father, who only nodded in encouragement. Beth hesitantly pulled away from his embrace and sniffed, wiping at her eyes.

“Okay.” She whispered. Parker reached out her other hand, hinting for Beth to take it, and when she did she led both her and the horse towards the edge of the highway. They stopped at the metal railing and hopped over it, both trying to coax the horse to do the same. Everyone watched silently behind them as the horse followed them without question. Parker led Cocoa over to a small patch of grass a few meters from the railing and turned to Beth, handing her the reigns.

“You can say goodbye whilst I take his saddle off, okay?” She suggested.

“Alright.” She said. Parker then turned to Cocoa and started taking the straps from his saddle down. Beth gently stroked Cocoa’s mane and smiled up at him.

“I’m sorry you have to live in this world.” She said gently, and Parker tried not to eavesdrop, but it was too tempting. “It’s not fair. You just want to run around with Nelly and be happy, like you should be. But now...you can be free, Cocoa.” Parker pulled the saddle off of the horse's body and threw it to the side, wincing as her shoulder throbbed under its weight. Beth sniffed again and giggled. “I still remember when you reared up and splashed mud on Maggie, Shaun and I. Stupid thing.” Cocoa neighed in response and both girls giggled. Parker then reached up and stroked across his back, making him shiver and flick his tail. Beth let out a shaky breath before kissing the top of the horse's nose, right on his white stripe. “Run free.” She then rushed back over to her father, who caught her in his arms as she collapsed against him, sobbing. She was losing a piece of her childhood, Parker thought. She was alone with Cocoa now and sighed heavily.

“Thanks for the ride, tough guy.” She grinned, patting his neck. Cocoa whined at her and bucked his head into her hand. “I know, but you gotta go, okay?” The horse bucked again. “You saved my life, you know. Getting me out of there. And maybe I saved yours too. But...you do what she said, okay? Just run, you always have to run.” Cocoa whined one more time as Parker rubbed his head and then nodded. “Okay well, I look crazy talking to a horse so, get lost.” She laughed as he huffed but once she gave his side a slap, he reared up and took off across the field. Everyone watched as Cocoa galloped across the grass and onto something better, or at least they hoped he would find something better. Parker watched with sad eyes as he slowly disappeared from view, and from across the railing, Daryl watched her.

He suddenly realised something in that moment, as he watched Parker walk back towards them, and as everyone else sorted out travel arrangements. He realised that all the lying he had been doing, denying how he felt, it was so pointless. The feeling in his chest was there, it had been for some time now, and it wasn’t going anyway anytime soon. If ever. He felt good around her, even if kissing her was strange and he didn’t know how to be a good person most of the time. But what he felt for her was real, and that might just be enough. So when Carol decided to travel with Rick, Lori, T-Dog and Carl, whilst Glenn and Maggie took Beth and Hershel, Daryl felt himself walking to Parker and tapping her arm, asking her something that he should have asked her a long, long time ago.

“Hey, wanna ride?”

***
Daryl’s motorcycle was the only thing Parker could hear as he drove them down the narrow road, leading the other two cars behind them far away from the highway. They had been driving for hours now, and none of them really knew where they were going. They just had to get away. Parker gripped onto Daryl’s waist a little tighter as he turned a corner, the bike leaning to the left ever so slightly.

“You alright?” He shouted over the roar of the engine and he felt Parker nod her head in confirmation.

“Yeah just, trying not to die.” She called back and she felt his chest rumble against her hands. She rolled her eyes but kept herself steady. He was laughing at her, but she tried not to care. She had never ridden on the back of a bike before, especially one as large as the Chopper. She wondered if Merle missed it, or more important if he missed Daryl. She wondered where he was now; far away from Atlanta probably. But where could he have even gone? It had been weeks since Daryl had even mentioned his brother, so it was hard to tell how he felt about him. Did he miss him? Did he hate him? Did he want to track him down? She shook away the thought, knowing it wasn’t any of her business, before pressing her cheek against Daryl’s shoulder. She closed her eyes and then felt him turn his head to look down at her for a split second before looking back at the road.

“Don’t fall asleep.” He warned, revving the engine to wake her up. She groaned. “You’ll fall off. Don’t want to explain that to your brother.” She grumbled to herself but shook her head and sat up straighter in the leather seat, pressing her chest to his back. Daryl stiffened and Parker smirked. It was weirdly fun to see him squirm.

Both of them jumped at the sound of a horn from behind them; one of the cars was telling them to stop. Parker whipped her head around to see both the Toyota and the Cherokee slowing down, and she nudged Daryl with her hand. He slowed the bike to a stop and pressed his foot to the pavement, the entire bike tilting to the left as he shifted his weight and turned the engine off. Parker released her death grip on his waist and hopped off the back of the bike as Daryl stood up, twisting his body around to face the others.

“You out?” He asked as Rick walked up to him. Their leader looked annoyed and he nodded.

“Been running on fumes.” He said bitterly. His hand was protectively on his gun, and Parker now knew that was like a safety blanket for Rick. He always had to have his gun near him if he wanted to feel safe. She understood that, having her gun across her back along with her kit bag made her feel more at ease than she had done in days.

“We can’t stay here.” Maggie pointed out as she walked to Parker’s side, Glenn doing the exact same.

“Maybe we take the Cherokee instead?” Parker offered to the group. “Put all the gas into that?”

“We can’t all fit in one car.” Glenn shook his head. “Even if you stay on the bike, there’d be no room.”

“We’ll make a run for some gas in the morning.” Rick announced and everyone turned to him.

“Spend the night here?” Carol asked incredulously.

“I’m freezing.” Carl whined, shivering in his small, red jacket. Lori rubbed his chest and shivered herself, looking around the woods that surrounded them.

“We’ll build a fire.” She said softly.

“I’m gonna go out lookin’ for firewood.” Daryl said, nodding at them. “Y’all stay close. I’ve only got so many arrows, how you doin’ on ammo?” He asked, talking to Rick. He checked his Python whilst everyone else checked their own weapons. Parker had about a box and a half of bullets left, along with some still in her rifle, but it wouldn’t last long with all the walkers roaming around.

“Not enough.” Rick said.

“Is it really a good idea to be out in the open like this?” Parker asked, putting her hands on her hips and surveying the area. “We’re pretty exposed.”

“She’s right. We can’t just stay here with our asses hangin’ out.” Maggie spoke up, hesitantly looking into the woods and only seeing darkness, despite the mid afternoon sun.

“Watch your mouth.” Hershel warned. “Now everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick.” Rick paused for a moment to think, before nodding to himself and walking over to them all.

“Okay, we’ll set up a perimeter.” He began. “In the morning we’ll...we’ll find gas and some supplies. We’ll keep pushing on.”

“Glenn and I can make a run now and try to scrounge up some gas.” Maggie suggested but Rick instantly held his hand up to shush her.

“We stay together.” He hissed, keeping his voice low. None of them needed the attention of walkers right now. “God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car.”
“Risk, we’re stranded now.” Parker said gently, not wanting to piss him off anymore than he already looked. “Look, we’ll do whatever you say. But it might be worth having a look around, make sure there isn’t anything we can scavenge nearby, just in case-”

“I said no!” He said firmly, startling her. Glenn rested a hand on her arm, letting her know it was okay, and she relaxed a little. Rick closed his eyes and breathed through his nose, trying to calm himself down. He then slowly opened his eyes and focused on Parker, on her worried face. They all looked worried. “I know it looks bad.” He said, his tone changing to something nicer than before, something reassuring. “We’ve been though hell and worse, but at least we found each other. I wasn’t sure, I really wasn’t, but we did. We’re together. We keep it that way.” Parker hesitated before nodding, and that seemed to be enough for him. “We’ll find shelter somewhere, there’s got to be a place!” He started pacing around, not staying in one spot for more than a few seconds. Parker glanced at everyone, and they all seemed just as unsure as she did. They were in the middle of rural Georgia, they hadn’t passed a house or even a town in miles. Where could they possibly go?

“Rick, look around.” Glenn said, stepping closer to him. He needed him to understand that they didn’t have many options anymore, they were pretty much stranded at that point with nowhere to run. Everything they had was gone, burnt to the ground or infested with walkers. What else did they have? Other than each other. “There’s walkers everywhere. They’re migrating or something.”

“There’s gotta be a place, not-not just where we hold up, but we...fortify.” Rick said with the most determination Parker had ever seen from him. He was desperate, they all knew it. Grabbing at straws, or whatever he could find. “Hunker down. Pull ourselves together, build a life for each other! I know it's out there, we just have to find it!” He spat out and everyone went still. Parker was the only one brave enough to step forward.

“You’re right.” She said and everyone stared at her. “Rick you’re right. We’re gonna find something, somewhere. But not today. Not tomorrow, not weeks from now. You know it isn’t that easy.” She laughed humorlessly and waved an arm out. “Look at all the crap we’ve taken to get this far. We’ve lost people, friends, family. We’ve lost houses and land and our lives. We are going to find somewhere to live, to protect. But you know I’m right.” Rick watched her closely and then looked at his feet, almost ashamed. She sighed. “It’s never going to be that easy.” She said quietly.

“Even if we do find a place.” Maggie said gently, not wanting to anger anybody. “We think it's safe...we can never be sure for how long. Look at what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that was safe.”

“We won’t make that mistake again.” Hershel reassured her. Rick surveyed the area they were in, before seeing some walls across from the road. They were made of stone, and looked like the remains of a small castle. If Parker wasn’t cold and scared and tired, she would have thought it looked pretty cool.

“We’ll make camp tonight, over there.” Rick said, pointing to the cluster of stones. “Get on the road at the break of day.”

“Does this feel right to you?” Parker heard Carol ask Daryl.

“What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall’s?” Beth asked bravely, walking right up to Rick.

“You know I found Randall, right?” Daryl spoke up. “He turned, but he weren’t bit.” Everyone gathered around Rick in a circle to keep warm, but listened closely to what Daryl was saying. None of the understood what had happened to Randall; they wanted answers.

Parker instantly noticed something in Rick’s face change. He looked away from them all, not wanting to meet their eyes, and took a step back. He seemed to be debating something within his own head, and that only made her worry even more. There was something he wasn’t telling them, and it seemed bad.

“How is that possible?” Beth asked him.

“What the hell happened?” Lori asked her husband, and everyone waited with baited breath for Rick to speak.

“Shane killed Randall.” Daryl said, and Rick met his gaze reluctantly. “Just like he always wanted to.”

“And then the herd got him?” Lori asked.

“You said he was bit, were there many walkers out in the woods?” Parker asked. Her brother shook his head.

“Only Randall and one other, but we were nowhere near Rick or Shane. It doesn’t make sense.” He said quietly.

“Rick?” Parker asked, stepping towards him. He glanced at her before swallowing and trying his best to stand tall, to stand with control.

“We’re all infected.” He said after a long pause. Parker felt her stomach drop. No one knew what to say, so they just stared at him. Infected...how…

“What?” Daryl asked, not being able to believe Rick either.

“At the CDC, Jenner told me.” Parker thought back to Dr Edwin Jenner, the man who was the only survivor in the facility, and how he acted as if it was better for them to die than to fight. She never understood his actions back then, thinking he was a coward. But now...now she knew why. Because in reality, there was no hope. Whether they died naturally or not they would turn into one of those...things. She wanted to be sick. “Whatever it is, we all carry it.” Rick concluded.

“And you never said anything?” Carol questioned, her anger starting to bubble up inside her.

“Why, would it have made a difference?” Rick asked and Parker scoffed, running a hand through her hair and sitting on the leather seat of Daryl’s bike, her knees starting to buckle slightly.

“You knew this whole time.” Glenn’s voice was wavering slightly, and Parker knew he was trying to keep it together. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself if he started yelling, especially over something this important.

“How could I have known for sure?” Rick defended himself. “You saw her crazy that man was-”

“That is not your call!” Parker spat. Carol gently pressed a hand on her arm to calm her but she just shook her head.

“When I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told for the good of everyone!” Glenn said angrily.

“Well I thought it best if people didn’t know.” Rick gruffly replied. When no one said anything, Rick took the opportunity to walk away, heading down the road to a small waterfall leading into a lake not too far away from the cars. Parker glared at him as he walked away and then stood up.

“Screw this.” She grumbled and stalked over to the stone walls, kicking leaves and stones as she went, and ignored the lingering eyes of the others on her back. She had to get away for a while, just to calm down and process what Rick had just told them. She sat herself down on the ground and leaned her head back against the stone, closing her eyes and trying to keep her breathing steady. They were all infected, all of them. Jenner should have told everyone that, not just Rick. She threw her rifle away from her and brought her knees to her chest, bringing her chin down to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. Not even a minute passed before footsteps came towards her. She ignored them, even when the person sat right beside her, brushing their arm against hers.

Daryl placed his crossbow to the side and rested his elbows on his knees, and looked over at her. He took in her vacant expression, the far away look in her eyes, and he felt his stomach twist. He really wished he was good at comforting people, but then again he was dealing with this too. He just did it all internally.

“You okay?” He felt himself asking before he could stop himself, knowing how stupid of a question that was. Parker laughed slightly from between her knees and brought her head up.

“I just found out we’re screwed no matter what happens.” She said with a sad smile. Then she looked at Daryl who was watching her closely, and sighed. “No. I’m not okay.” Daryl nodded.

“Me neither.” He muttered and they went back to silence. Parker found his presence more comforting than she should have, and felt the urge to curl into his side. So after a few minutes passed, and no one else walked over to them, she took a gamble and slowly leaned her head against his shoulder. Daryl stiffened, not expecting to feel her warm skin against his jacket, but then glanced down at her. She was looking ahead of her, not seeming to care about what she was doing. And he just slowly relaxed into her touch.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly and Parker looked up at him, not moving her head too far from his shoulder. She didn’t expect him to be so warm, and it made her feel a little better.

“For what?”

“For being a dumbass.” He said and she snorted.

“Yeah. You have been a dumbass.” She smiled and he side eyed her.

“I’m not used to...this.” He gestured at the two of them and she shrugged.

“Me neither, not really.” She admitted. “Not since it all started, anyway. Human contact is...scarce nowadays.”

“I ain’t used to it, period.” Daryl said and leaned further against the wall, and closer to Parker. She felt herself smile wider. “My parents weren’t exactly the most loving. Merle was never around. Ain’t ever had a girlfriend.”

“Wait, really?” Parker asked, sitting up and looking into his eyes. Daryl went slightly pink and looked away, but nodded.

“Yep.” He said. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“You don’t disappoint me. You just...surprise me.” He frowned and turned to her.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just...different.” She said, shuffling closer and resting her head onto his shoulder again, wanting to feel close to him. Daryl thought for a moment, before slowly resting his head against her own, and found the softness of her hair oddly comforting. As creepy as it was to think about.

“Different bad?” He joked and Parker chuckled before gently reaching down to his hand, slowly intertwining her fingers with his own. He gulped but once she squeezed his hand reassuringly, he felt something jump in his chest. He had never felt this way before, and even though it was scary, he didn’t want it to end.

“No. Never bad.” Parker whispered, and she sighed again, watching her breath come out in cold spurts of air. Even if they were all infected, even if they were all in danger, this moment right here was one Parker would remember forever. And although he wouldn’t admit it, Daryl would remember it too.

Notes

Comments

Still here! Yes excited for season 8! July 21st first sneak peak of it!! Love this story!!

Loul461 Loul461
7/7/17

Wow!! Other than Herschel getting hurt, that was great!! Thank you for the updated chapter and hope you keep doing it!! You are a great writer!!

JetCmoon JetCmoon
4/10/17

Yay youre back ! Cant wait to see where it goes now!

Loul461 Loul461
4/10/17

yayy you're back

milouuu milouuu
3/20/17

I'm so glad you're back, I've missed this story! :)

daniellarose daniellarose
3/19/17